The Employee’s Self Interest Is Not Always in Your Best Interest

By Mike Hart 

If you have a small manufacturing business and you are considering the implementation of a manufacturing software package, be aware that the new software can be a source of anxiety for veteran employees because it threatens their job security. 

The shop foreman who knows your products inside and out, but holds all that knowledge in his head, doesn’t want to transfer that knowledge into a database so that anyone who can read a job traveler can function without him. 

The plant manager who everyone depends on for getting jobs “out the door” feels threatened by software that minimizes expediting in favor of a formal process workflow. 

The purchasing agent who has autonomy in deciding what and when to buy and from whom doesn’t welcome software that automates much of the purchasing process and provides transparency of information to all. 

The warehouse supervisor who knows by memory where everything is located does not want to be shackled by the rules and processes of a formal inventory management system.

The in-house spreadsheet guru who devised and maintains all the company’s homemade manufacturing solutions doesn’t relish the prospect of becoming irrelevant.  

The long-time bookkeeper who has little appreciation for manufacturing issues feels her department runs smoothly and sees nothing but the downside in changing accounting systems. 

Veteran employees can be your most valuable asset, but as the above examples show, they can also be a hindrance to overall efficiency.  What the employee perceives to be in his or her self interest is not always in the company’s best interest. 

So if you wish to take your company to a higher level of efficiency, which you ultimately must do if you want to stay in business, you must convince key employees that what is in the company’s best interest is also in their self interest. 

Not everyone will accept the proposition and adapt to the changes that are necessary and unavoidable.  It is sad when you must part company with a long time employee, but when that employee becomes a detriment to the business and all the other employees who depend on it for a living -- you do what you have to do.

Mike Hart is the co-founder and President of DBA Software Inc., a leading provider of manufacturing software for small businesses.

Comments

[Jeff Whisenand]

At first getting my key people on board with DBA was a challenge, but today it has paid off in more ways than I can list at this time.
We are all communicating now through the DBA software. The arm waving and daily fires that needed to be addressed, for the most part, have been eliminated.
Keep learning the system, I have found if I don't no one else will.
Thanks.

[John Mayner - EPR consultant]

I would say that the employee's interest is not in your best interest in the most cases. And according to our experience this is a main factor for more axpensive implementations of ERP solutions than they are planned.