When it comes to large-scale technology implementations, trust is a crucial factor that can make or break the project's success. Members of the Forbes Technology Council say trust erodes when employees feel decisions are being made around them instead of with them, or when communication becomes inconsistent as rollout pressures build. They're saying that employees don't feel like they're part of the process, and that's what leads to a lack of trust.
Rochelle Blease of G2 Risk Solutions emphasizes the need to shift the objective from 'trust the tech' to 'trust the people behind it.' This means empowering credible change champions, pacing change in line with culture, and increasing executive visibility throughout implementation. For instance, if a company is implementing a new AI system, it's essential to explain how the technology works and how it will benefit the employees, rather than just focusing on the technical aspects. This approach helps employees understand the value of the new system.
Samuel Martinez of SDG Group suggests defining the AI strategy early and sponsoring it from the top. This involves making clear the direction, rationale, expected outcomes, and how it affects each employee's role. It's also essential to be honest about the potential impact of the technology on jobs, while emphasizing that the goal is to boost productivity and competitiveness, not to replace people. Martinez says that leaders shouldn't be afraid to have open and honest conversations with their teams.
Karthik Suri of Sprinklr recommends making decision logic visible early, allowing teams to see how and why systems make choices. This approach turns change from something done to people into something they can understand and influence. By exposing guardrails, exceptions, and rationale during rollout, teams can co-author the future and get buy-in. Suri says that transparency is key to building trust.
Mayur Khandelwal of EXL advises stopping the announcement of change and starting to narrate it instead. People don't resist technology, but they resist uncertainty. The best change teams give employees a running commentary on what is changing, why, and what it means for them. Consistent, honest updates, even when the news is imperfect, build more trust than any polished launch event. Khandelwal says that communication is essential to a successful rollout.
Vinod Nair of Comcast emphasizes the importance of earning trust through consistent, honest, and clear communication at every stage with all stakeholders. Messaging should be framed as 'Here is where we are going, here is why it matters, and here is what it will look like for you.' This approach helps employees understand what the change means for their day-to-day work, what value it brings to their team's future, and how it fits into the organization's direction. Nair says that leaders should be clear and transparent in their communication.
Rob Versaw of Dynatrace suggests pushing problem-solving to the lowest level, enabling teams to diagnose not just what broke but where and why. This approach creates clear ownership, faster learning loops, and better decisions, allowing people to truly own their space and trust to be sustained through rollout. Versaw says that giving teams the autonomy to solve problems is essential to building trust.
'Stop announcing change and start narrating it. People don't resist technology. They resist uncertainty.'
- Mayur Khandelwal, EXL
Jeffrey Sullivan of Consensus Cloud Solutions emphasizes the importance of open, regular, and frequent communication in large-scale efforts. There is always confusion, resistance, distraction, and natural speed bumps in any change process. Communicating consistently and often through the process can help ensure that the project hits the target. Sullivan says that communication is key to overcoming obstacles.
Jodi Euerle Eddy of Boston Scientific recommends working with organic internal demand and individual curiosity to drive workforce adoption. Embedding technology use cases into functions across the organization and stepping back to allow teams to explore and provide feedback can help nurture the desire for knowledge and the courage to experiment. Eddy says that leaders should let teams take the lead in adopting new technologies.
Krupesh Bhat of Melento suggests that sustainable adoption rarely comes from rollout plans alone but grows within teams. Champions inside operating units understand workflows, constraints, and informal dynamics, making technology relevant to daily work. Early wins become trusted signals, not mandates, and adoption spreads organically because ownership feels local and trust is built by familiar voices. Bhat says that teams are more likely to adopt new technologies when they see the value in them.
Ed Frederici of Appfire advises setting clear expectations for how the rollout will work before it begins. Trust erodes when teams are surprised by changes or are unclear on what happens next. Establishing a predictable rollout cadence, sharing what will change and when, and following through consistently builds confidence and keeps teams aligned throughout the process. Frederici says that clear expectations are essential to a successful rollout.
Eugene Sayan of Softheon recommends approaching technology, specifically AI, as a new way of thinking rather than just a tool. When leaders teach employees to actively delegate tasks to automated agents, it democratizes knowledge and empowers the entire workforce. Trust is sustained when employees realize this mindset shift enables them to work in smarter ways. Sayan says that AI can be a powerful tool for growth.
Shalini Sudarsan of Kindercare Learning Companies suggests planning as much communication for the weeks after launch as for the weeks before it. Most change programs go quiet right when users hit their first real friction, and that silence is where trust quietly breaks. A visible team that's still listening, fixing, and explaining after go-live earns more credibility than any pre-launch campaign ever could. Sudarsan says that communication shouldn't stop after the launch.
Rahul Saluja of WinWire emphasizes making the impact personal and practical from the start. People trust change when they understand what it means for their role, how they'll be supported, and what success looks like. Clear communication early, reinforced through rollout, is what sustains trust. Saluja says that leaders should focus on the individual impact of the change.
Ajay Pundhir of AskAjay.ai recommends showing people the ugly truth early. Most change teams oversell the vision and hide the friction, then act surprised when trust collapses at go-live. Instead, publish what will break, what will be painful, and how long the messy middle actually lasts. Radical honesty about short-term cost builds the credibility that carries you through months of adoption resistance. Pundhir says that honesty is the best policy when it comes to change.
Neil Lampton of TIAG advises identifying respected informal leaders and empowering them to architect the rollout. Giving these influencers the authority to refine or veto features that conflict with operational realities before a full release ensures that when the solution reaches the wider workforce, employees see their peers' fingerprints on the final product. Lampton says that involving informal leaders in the process can help build trust.
Kannan Kothandaraman of Selector AI emphasizes the importance of starting with data preparation. Many organizations have more telemetry than they can use, but AI models trained on inconsistent or siloed data don't reason; they guess. The practical first step is normalization: bringing data into a unified schema, enriching it with context, and giving every signal meaning before it reaches a model. Trustworthy data is the solution. Kothandaraman says that data preparation is essential to a successful AI implementation.
Mike Gianoni of Blackbaud suggests prioritizing bespoke learning opportunities. When teams hesitate to adopt new technologies, it often stems from low confidence and trust, not low interest. By designing a comprehensive, customized curriculum to be integrated into rollout, we can earn confidence, build buy-in, and arm teams with the skills they need to fully harness the potential of groundbreaking technology. Gianoni says that learning opportunities can help build trust.
Anna Drobakha of Groupe SEB recommends starting with prototypes, not rollouts. Testing solutions in real workflows, co-creating with teams, and building on their feedback can help show quick, tangible wins before scaling. When people see their input shaping outcomes and experience real impact, trust builds faster, and transformation becomes something they own, not something imposed. Drobakha says that prototypes can help build trust and momentum.
Richard Ricks of Silver Tree Consulting and Services advises continuously tracking decisions and their implications for the original desired outcome. No project goes exactly as planned; making the decisions that impact the outcome visible is key to accountability. Ricks says that tracking decisions can help build trust and ensure accountability.
Rafael Flores of Treasure AI emphasizes the need to establish and enforce clear guardrails from day one, across systems, tools, people, and ways of working. Treating this as foundational governance, not optional change management, creates clarity, accountability, and trust that sustains beyond rollout. Flores says that clear guardrails are essential to a successful implementation.
Forbes Technology Council members share practical ways to earn employee trust during major tech rollouts. Trust erodes when employees feel decisions are being made around them instead of with them. Communication should be consistent, honest, and clear at every stage with all stakeholders. Messaging should be framed as 'Here is where we are going, here is why it matters, and here is what it will look like for you.' Approaching technology, specifically AI, as a new way of thinking rather than just a tool can democratize knowledge and empower the workforce. Radical honesty about short-term cost builds credibility and carries you through months of adoption resistance.
Starting with prototypes, not rollouts, can help show quick, tangible wins before scaling. Establishing and enforcing clear guardrails from day one creates clarity, accountability, and trust that sustains beyond rollout.