Do Workers Know Best?

Many years ago, I learned that, if an employee wanted to try something new that I had little faith in, I would simply respond, "prove it works" or "prove it's better". This gave the employee ownership in whatever process or tool was under discussion, and was committed to making it work. Whether the employee's solution was actually better or not, made no difference- the employee was committed to "proving" the case through increased productivity. We both win.

I have, on several occasions, used a program on one job and grew quite fond of it. When I changed jobs, I talked my new employer into buying one copy of it.

Sometimes, they ended up buying several.

I'm talking about software selling for less than $500, though. I don't know how successful I'd be if I wanted my boss to spend $1000 or more.

If a switch or sensor is involved in operation of the device IT should be consulted or in the loop.

I do resent the insult to the intelligence when questioned thusly with false choices. Any selection of new software, or any equipment come to that, should be with input from all interested persons. Some should be on a trial basis before decision time, sometimes a program or machine may have great facility outside of the reason for the original design; I was the first person that I know to use a financial program, a spreadsheet (Vu-Calc), for engineering calculations. Others must have started around the same time because some published learned papers on the use of financial analysis programs for engineering calculations. I only found it's facility by experiment because it was available on my computer; that wouldn't have happened unless someone else had decided to buy it.

Standarization is the key here. Imagine if one person used MS Word and someone else used Word Perfect. They would have difficulty in communicating with one another. Cad software is one place where you don't want different programs. Basically, everyone within a company has to be able to interact with one another on a common level.

Regardless of the good information on the internet, allowing all employees free access to it will result in lost time. Not every employee in a company can be expected or trusted to do the right thing. There was a recent thread on this forum re: "goofing off" on company time. Need I say more?

Sure, the workers should be sought for advice. Sometimes they are the ones who know best. However in some circumstances there is a reason why they are not the boss. It all has it's place I suppose.

amos

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Few people realize that the Inquisition was a catholic atrocity not a christian atrocity. Where the roman catholic empire burnt people at the stake as a heretic if they wouldn't agree to believe in the popes theory of the bible. Not to mention the indulgences in which you would pay the catholic priests money to have your sins forgiven before you commited them so they could fund building their giant cathedrals. sorry, i just had to reply to the other guys post.

Many IT folks forget that their end-users are their customers. Many IT folks think that they are kings of their domains. I've also had the experience where IT got jerked around too much by end-user whims. However, things go much smoother when IT involves their end-users in technology decisions. IT's role is to first listen to what end-users need and want, evaluate end-user suggestions along with solutions derived by IT itself, and help guide the company toward practical decisions. Since IT must implement and support the final solution it should make the final decision.