Robotics is About People – Why You Need Change Management

In 2020, Swiss-based Roche, one of the world’s largest healthcare and pharmaceutical companies, undertook a significant robotic process automation (RPA) implementation for their Asia division. Despite substantial investment and meticulous planning, they encountered a major and unexpected obstacle: People. Roche noted that the “human side of change remains the most challenging element in managing any digital transformation. Resistance to change results in slow technology adoption, internal bottlenecks, and low return on investment.”

Even with Roche’s extensive preparation, the ultimate challenge was a culture and workforce issue. This extends far beyond the manufacturing industry, or even robotics itself – many businesses have made the same difficult choice of prioritizing technological investments over personnel. However, with this burgeoning technology rushing in to transform every aspect of business operations and reshape job roles, it’s crucial to emphasize employee buy-in, cultural alignment, and a people-focused change management strategy for successful adoption.

Today, there are 3.4 million industrial robots in operation worldwide, and this number is rapidly accelerating. This growth signifies a transformative shift for many companies, pushing them to prepare for a future in which automation plays a central role. According to a McKinsey report, nearly 23% of jobs are at risk of automation in the next decade, with about a fifth of work activities potentially being automated. The automotive industry already utilizes extensive automation, performing tasks like welding, painting, and more through robotics, enhancing both efficiency and worker safety. As robotics becomes more accessible, other industries are likely to follow, drawn by the promise of increased productivity and asset integrity.

However, robotics still remains a developing field, and the complexity of automation presents significant challenges. Many manufacturing business owners assume the primary challenges of robotic process automation to be technical: implementation, integration, cost, troubleshooting, and training. These concerns are understandable, given the technology-heavy nature of these issues. As a result, organizations often focus mainly on these same minutia, appointing technical experts to lead these initiatives. These leaders are typically engrossed in technical details, such as granular data, metrics, and efficiency.

Conversely, employees within manufacturing units often express concerns about how automation affects their day-to-day work and job security. This disparity in perspectives—between management’s focus on advancement and employees’ concerns about their immediate interests—can create tension and resistance. When employees feel ambivalent or anxious, they may resist new technologies, leading to low morale and reduced productivity. This resistance can ultimately cause the failure of many automation initiatives, as the human element is foundational to successful implementation.