Chapter Four: Consider the Consequences
Many executives reason that their employees can learn to operate almost any business system, given the right training, and that if technologists can deliver sophisticated electronic tools that automateroutine tasks, the least people can do is to put up with a few quirks in the way the software performs. Some employers expect workers to recognize that it’s in their best interest to adapt to whateverchallenges their tools present to them: After all, what choice do they have?
According to this philosophy, most of the problems that people have with software can be explained in terms of a learning curve, and as workers become more familiar with the software they use, their proficiency will improve. When this doesn’t happen—when significant numbers of workers have trouble using a business system, and familiarity breeds only frustration, resentment,and hostility—the common assumption is that more training is needed. All too often, the result is low productivity and an endless cycle of training as experienced workers are replaced by new hires.
It’s true that some people manage to adapt surprisingly well to even the most counterintuitive software, and it’s not unusual for some to become experts in navigating the maze on their desktops. But asking people to use inferior tools, or placing the right tools in the wrong hands, can have unintended consequences.
