For years many pundits have said that the best way to motivate user adoption is to “sell” people on “What’s In It For Me” (WIIFM). After many years of organizations beating the WIIFM drum, we find that most IT systems still suffer from low or ineffective user adoption. Is it time to re-think WIIFM?
Read the full blog post at http://ow.ly/13k9K
WIFIM is a simple Dale Carnegie principle. “How to win friends and influence people”
In every culture we have seen deep pockets of the haves and have nots. Travel to India, (New Delhi) Africa (Nigeria) or some parts of the west side of Chicago, or Camden New Jersey, where we see how corruption has run rampant and the results garner deep pockets of poverty, high crime rates, health disparities, double the national unemployment rates. WIFM in these cases have taken on another connotation to mean “What’s In It For Me Only and no one else who is not in my circle, club, or network”. A classic case of “Closed Government”
These closed systems have around the world destroyed the very existence of a middle class. Because information, contracts, and possessions are held out for the exclusive members of the club. On the one year anniversary of the Iranian protests, its not hard to see a pattern of closed government practices and its impact on a nation. Young people and dissidents are rising up for freedom of accessing and sharing information.
With all of our technology today and the establishment of Open Government Directive, we right here in the USA finally have a chance to show the entire globe, that being transparent and building collaborations can not only bring world peace, but can build a middle class economy, and with technology, virtually manage over time through innovation and full participation most of the world’s problems.
So like my Dad used to say, “boy, if you don’t have an agenda, stay in bed until you get one. Otherwise, why get up”. Government leadership has finally stepped up and said we want government to be open. And now, we are at the beginning of this new journey discovering that we have to teach ourselves, what this means, and develop a commitment to create systems so that everyone (who wants to) can benefit. More appropriately stated, we are charged with building systems that help the public find out “Whats In it for Them”. I think once we do this, more people will be able to help their country. Something JFK wanted us to be in a position to do.
Thanks for the opportunity to share.
Keith Moore, founder of Open Government TV, author of Steppin In The Ring.
Virtually everyone, no matter how selfless, wants to know how the decisions or actions of others will impact them or their family, job or community. I believe its human nature.
American workers want to know whether company decisions will mean higher pay, more work, new policies, job retraining, layoffs, etc. American taxpayers want to know if government decisions will mean an increase or decrease in services, taxes, openness, etc.
From a change management prospective, companies and government alike must consider the “what’s in it for me agenda” before embarking on major initiatives. They must be able to explain why the school district needs to raise taxes, why a highway construction project will increase traffic delays, or why a trash-to-steam plant will be built in their community.
Without considering the what’s-in-for-me agenda, organizations run the risk that valued constituents could tune out, circumvent the system, kick the rumor mill into high gear and even sabotage the initiative.