Why Does My Team Avoid Technology?

Your team’s hesitation is not a technical response, it’s likely emotional one.

Across Canadian workplaces, new digital tools roll out faster than people can absorb them. But when teams don’t engage (a tool sits unused, or a rollout falls flat), the root issue usually isn’t the tech. It’s what people believe about it, and about themselves.

So why does your team avoid tech? It often comes down to a hidden loop of fear, trust, and perceived competence. Unfortunately, most workplaces accidentally reinforce this.

To break that loop, we need to understand what digital avoidance actually looks like.

First, from the user’s perspective

People don’t typically avoid tech because it’s complicated. They avoid it because they don’t want to look stupid. A 2024 study backs this up: digital confidence significantly shapes how people experience and engage with technology, often more than raw skill alone. Translation? If asking a “dumb” question feels like a career risk, most people will quietly opt out. And no, your mandatory training module doesn’t fix that.

You might recognize the signs: Being invited to “just drop it in SharePoint” when you’ve never touched it. Or silently skipping tool features and hoping no one notices.  Maybe you’ve been using the tool for a long time and now you’re past the point of ‘safely’ being able to ask what might be seen as a basic question. We’ve all been there, but ‘there’ is not a good place.

Confidence is built and absorbed with training. In one study on human-AI interaction, people who saw a confident AI started feeling more confident themselves even when the AI was wrong. Confidence is catchy. Unfortunately, so is hesitation.  Stated differently: Your team isn’t just responding to the tool. They’re responding to your confidence in it.

As a user of technology, you do need to own some of the approach and training required to be digitally confident with new and existing tools alike.  Where do you even begin to tackle this festering issue?

Digital confidence starts with what you tell yourself when you don’t know what to do. Keeping the below in mind to help bridge the divide.

Next, from the manager/leader’s perspective

When your team avoids new tech, it’s rarely about laziness. It’s often about what you’ve accidentally modelled: hesitation, overwhelm, or unchecked assumptions.

Most leaders are expected to ooze digital confidence.  Often it is not their digital prowess that got them to sit in their current seats. That gap creates real risk.

Pretending to be digitally fluent is a leadership liability. It sets impossible standards and tells your team: “We don’t talk about struggle here.” What does silence from your team indicate? It’s not compliance, it’s quiet avoidance.

Confidence is a transmission. People follow tone, body language, and micro-reactions. The second you roll your eyes at a tool, your team has its cue.

If you frame new tech as “just more admin” or “not my thing,” you’re not resisting the system — you’re shaping your culture.

If you’re a manager or leader, know this:

What you say about technology matters. What you signal in body language, follow-through, and how you handle your own stumbles matters more. Here are four things your team is picking up. Be cautious on how you’re sending these signals.

The question isn’t just who knows how to use the tool — it’s who feels safe enough to try.

Digital confidence doesn’t arrive with a certificate. It grows in awkward moments, tiny risks, and the signals we send each other.

You don’t need to be a digital native to lead in this era. But you do need one essential skill: helping people feel safe enough to figure it out.

Let’s be honest, it’s rarely the tool that trips us up.

The soft skills that live in the margins — asking clearly, navigating ambiguity, naming discomfort — are the ones most teams need to grow. We can help with that. Explore PMC’s workshops to find the support your team actually needs to move forward.