Is Your Firm Ready for Change? Tools Alone Won't Solve Your Problems

Last week I wrote about some of the sessions from this year's ABA Techshow on lawyer blogs and social media and websites. My third and final post about this year's techshow, covering some of the tools and tips highlighted at this year's conference, will be posted later this week. But before I get to the tips themselves, it is worth mentioning that tools and tips are of limited value out out of context.

What does that mean?

Lawyers frequently ask me what "the best" tool or software program or resource is for a particular task or function - what is the 'best' practice management program for small firms, or the 'best' way to market a law practice. I'm not a big fan of the idea of 'best practices' because I think every lawyer and every firm is different. I was reminded of this concept this morning by an article in the Harvard Business Review (thanks @HarvardBiz) entitled, "Lessons from the Three Cups of Tea Controversy."

In the article, author Adam Richardson reminds us that, "Tools are necessary but not sufficient for behavior change." You can have the most sophisticated software programs in the world and the most innovative ideas about marketing your law practice, or the best technology available, but only people can make change - tools can't.

As Richardson notes,

Any manager who has ever tried to shift organizational behaviors by rolling out a new piece of software knows this well. Tools by themselves rarely create sustained change that matches to the goals. They must be supported by incentives, different processes, training, and often changes in how adjacent activities are carried out (as tools rarely sit in isolation). To modify the Peter Drucker quote, "Culture eats tools for breakfast" — if you don't understand the culture you're operating in, creating change will be an uphill battle.

My clients are often frustrated by all of the groundwork and discussion of culture, behavior and existing systems and procedures that takes place when we work together, because they want to get moving and make change. But that groundwork is what makes change possible.

Keep in mind as you read about the latest tools, the newest technology and the daily onslaught of apps and software programs to help you with your practice: those tools can only work if they are accepted and utilized and if other changes in behavior, processes and incentives are made along with them.