An old system can be slow, frustrating and dependent on workarounds, yet still feel safe to the people who know how to use it.

That is easy to overlook during a system change. Once the reasons have been explained and the benefits are clear, it seems reasonable to expect people to move on. Yet understanding why a change is needed and feeling ready for it are not the same thing.

While discussing National Geographic’s Pompeii: Out of Time with Tom Hiddleston, survival psychologist Dr Sarita Robinson explained how people can fall back on familiar routines when faced with something new.

In 2017, Mount Agung in Bali was placed at its highest alert level. Some residents still remained in their villages because they felt safe there or did not want to leave their cattle. Research into the evacuation of the Twin Towers on 9/11 also found that some occupants gathered personal belongings before they began to leave.

These situations are far more serious than a software implementation. The connection is not their scale, but the gap between having information and changing behaviour. When people are unsure what comes next, a familiar routine can provide a sense of control.

Why the old way can feel safer

There is a recognised term for part of this behaviour. In 1988, researchers William Samuelson and Richard Zeckhauser described status quo bias, the tendency to favour an existing choice even when other options are available.

In a freight business, the existing system is more than a piece of software. People have built years of knowledge around it. They know where its gaps are, which information needs checking and how to keep a job moving when the usual process does not work.

Some of that knowledge may never have been formally documented. It lives in memory, shared habits and the small adjustments people make throughout the day.

The old system may not work particularly well, but experienced users know how to make it work. That familiarity gives them confidence.

When experienced people feel like beginners again

A system change interrupts routines that may have become almost automatic.

‍Research by psychologists Wendy Wood, Jeffrey Quinn and Deborah Kashy found that habitual actions performed in stable settings required less conscious thought. People also reported less stress during habitual than non-habitual behaviour.

That helps explain why even a well-designed system can feel slower or harder at first.

Someone who previously moved a job forward without thinking much about the system may now need to pause, find the right screen or ask how to complete a routine task. Their knowledge of freight has not disappeared, but applying it suddenly takes more effort.

That can be uncomfortable, particularly for someone who has spent years becoming very good at their job. What looks like resistance may simply be an attempt to get back to the point where the work feels natural.

Why explaining the benefits is not enough

People need to understand what the change is meant to improve. They also need to believe they will be able to work effectively once it happens.

‍Research by Deborah Compeau and Christopher Higgins into computer self-efficacy found that people’s belief in their ability to use technology influenced their reactions to it, including anxiety and actual use. Encouragement from colleagues was also associated with greater confidence and stronger expectations about what the technology could help them achieve.

This is why talking about features and efficiency can secure agreement without securing lasting adoption. The business may have explained what the system can do, while the user is still wondering whether they can do their job confidently within it.

That belief develops by using the system successfully.

Helping the new way become familiar

Training works best when it reflects what people actually do. A general tour may show someone where things are, but it does not necessarily prepare them for the first difficult shipment or unusual customer request.

People need to use the system with realistic jobs, including the exceptions that require experience and judgement. This helps them see that their existing knowledge still matters. They are learning a different way to apply it, not starting from zero.

They also need to feel comfortable asking questions after the initial training. Some uncertainties only appear once the team is working at normal speed. If support is difficult to reach, returning to the old method becomes an easy way to get through the day.

There should eventually be a clear point when the old process is retired. Removing it too early can leave people stranded. Allowing it to remain indefinitely can result in different people working in different ways. The timing will vary between businesses, but the direction should be clear.

Change becomes real when confidence returns

A successful implementation is not simply one that goes live on schedule.

The real test is whether an experienced team member can handle an awkward job in the new system without feeling as though they have become a beginner again.

By then, the new process has started to feel familiar. People know where to look, how to recover when something goes wrong and where to get help when they need it.

The old system begins to lose its hold because people no longer need it to feel capable or in control.