Here's the basic message: be prepared to go all the way in integrating technology into job design, from great software and functional hardware to effective training and regular user feedback. Stopping short can be a disaster. And the value of reaching the finish line may surprise you.
Related Quotes
Job Design
The alternative to rigorous training, of course, is a job design that is so intuitive that employees can do it on day one. Think of it as the anti-BBBK approach, a route to service excellence that is no less viable. It won't work in every industry, but the logic of it will: simplify the job so that your people can focus on service.
IT tools that work are deeply thoughtful about the user experience, including how and when data is entered in the rhythm of a particular job. Ideally, they're developed in tandem with the role itself. This rarely happens. Typically, a job is designed, technology advances, and then the technology is piled on as an afterthought. The result — predictably — is an increased operational burden on employees and its familiar by-product: widespread resentment. In an excellent, ongoing discussion presented in his blog, Andrew McAfee of MIT discusses how to mitigate this risk and integrate IT productively into your organization.
Job Design
The alternative to rigorous training, of course, is a job design that is so intuitive that employees can do it on day one. Think of it as the anti-BBBK approach, a route to service excellence that is no less viable. It won't work in every industry, but the logic of it will: simplify the job so that your people can focus on service.
IT tools that work are deeply thoughtful about the user experience, including how and when data is entered in the rhythm of a particular job. Ideally, they're developed in tandem with the role itself. This rarely happens. Typically, a job is designed, technology advances, and then the technology is piled on as an afterthought. The result — predictably — is an increased operational burden on employees and its familiar by-product: widespread resentment. In an excellent, ongoing discussion presented in his blog, Andrew McAfee of MIT discusses how to mitigate this risk and integrate IT productively into your organization.
Here's the basic message: be prepared to go all the way in integrating technology into job design, from great software and functional hardware to effective training and regular user feedback. Stopping short can be a disaster. And the value of reaching the finish line may surprise you.