I like this essay by Steven L. Blue at IMPO very much. Here’s a snippet:
What is the sense in spending millions on automating your factory if our workforce could care less? What is the sense in buying expensive machine tools if your workforce can’t wait to get to the bowling alley, yet drag themselves to work?
I’ll tell you why. Because too many CEO’s view their employees as expendable assets. They should view them as renewable resources. And renew them.
IMO the objective of too much automation (maybe too much management) is to absolutely minimize payrolls rather than to build the best possible company. One of the big problems is that by the time managers realize the error of their ways the damage has already been done.
“IMO the objective of too much automation (maybe too much management) is to absolutely minimize payrolls rather than to build the best possible company. ”
I’m sure that’s true some places; we have both seen it. It’s poor management, at the CEO or on down to the line supervisor level. But I think it’s occurrence is overstated. I definitely know it’s overstated in my sphere of experience. Managers generally aren’t that dumb or short sighted. They know the importance of people.
I also think it’s important to differentiate the position. Putting an automated packer/stacker on the tail end of a production line, replacing someone who comes and goes as an employee frequently, is not the same as training someone who can be instrumental in the line’s performance, maintaining the line, or sales, or customer service. How are those Indian help desks working out? And as for the morale issue in replacing people, if you are able to demonstrate and convey how some are dragging the whole group down you will generally get a good response.