Many have decried the generational gap in government workers – in some agencies more than 40% of workers are eligible for retirement by 2017.  While there’s a wealth of knowledge that’s at risk of loss with such large retirements, there are also a lot of possibilities for innovation that those retirements could bring.  Many younger government workers are fully embracing paperless systems, for example.

I’ve found that organizations tend to approach going paperless one of two ways: either the agency’s back-end staff streamline the process by moving to paperless workflows or the citizen-facing boards trial the paperless process first.  Typically, it’s the former, as staff compiling agendas and running meetings are usually younger than their board counterparts.  However, sometimes it’s the opposite, with boards demanding iPads, e-voting, and Dropbox delivery.  

If you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to implementing a paperless process to replace that behemoth workflow of scanning, printing, and scanning again, know that you are not alone!  After picking the brains of folks that had been through the paperless process, dragging their boards kicking and screaming, here are a few tips to help you make your workflows simpler.

When it comes to innovating with the unwilling, incrementalism is the name of the game.

• Start with a process that doesn’t affect them or require their approval.  Once you have some measurable results there, ease new alternatives into their choices – you know have the stats to back up your recommendations!  Before they know it, they’ll be holding a tablet, viewing an agenda packet that took thirty minutes to create instead of four hours.
• Similarly, centralizing the process can make incremental changes easier to control.  Routing requests for copies through the digitization officer might over time decrease number of paper requests.
• Use reliable references for your new process.  Maybe a peer from a neighboring agency recently implemented the same paperless agenda system and loves it.  Being affected by the opinions of peers is a real, psychological phenomenon known as social proof.  

Ensure proper education.  One of the worst things you can do is invest in a new technology program and then have dismal adoption because of a lack of education.  If you’re using a cloud-based solution, ease new adopters into the terminology, explaining it as you go.  Many of the older generations grew up during the Cold War, when pushing buttons was synonymous with bombs going off.  As a result, they might not feel comfortable with venturing around new software on their own.  Fortunately, any reputable software vendor will provide plenty of support and training for those that might be set in their ways.  

If it makes you feel any better, you aren’t alone.  Your private sector counterparts are dealing with the same kind of push back.  Addressing concerns with anti-technology staff members can go along way in understanding how your citizens might also view your initiatives.  Learning to engage the unwilling through small, incremental changes can lead you down the path towards better processes and workflows.