NH & OSS.

Jeff Kinz jkinz at kinz.org
Thu Jan 26 09:20:01 EST 2006


On Thu, Jan 26, 2006 at 08:41:55AM -0500, Travis Roy wrote:
> One thing I've noticed..
> 
> Government employees HATE change and will fight it tooth and nail.

Trav, I think you made the right observation but maybe missed the
set of people it applies to.

Everyone hates change unless they see a clear benefit for themselves
(or their families ) with the new way of doing it.

Did the DMV(RMV) folks in Goffstown see any benefit from making the
change?
	Did they get paid more?  
	Did they get to work fewer hours?

Probably not.  And while their may have been some benefits to 
using computers, like it being easier to correct mistakes on a form
on the screen as opposed to having to re-do a paper form on a
typewriter,  they may have actually lost benefits from using the
computers.


Speculative Scenario:
For example at the end of the month accounting cycle, some of the folks 
may have gotten overtime to do the extra reports by tabulating
information manually.

If the computer now does that in a few minutes then the overtimers
actually lost pay by going to the new system.


Understanding what really motivates people is the key to getting changes
thru an organization.

People in jobs where better or more productive work is not rewarded have
little incentive to do more than the minimum needed to keep the job.

Some people are internally motivated to do the best they can, and others
aren't.  This may explain parts of the public education system.  :-)




> Example:
> 
> Goffstown, NH (where I grew up and was very involved) upgraded the 
> registration process for cars to computer. Before they would use 
> typewriters.
> 
> The staff was fully trained and given "quick guides" along with manuals.
> 
> For over a -YEAR- people would come in. The same trained people would 
> get "confused", pull out the full manual, and take FOREVER to find the 
> answer. For a while they would even just go back and do it with the 
> typewriter.
> 
> They did this to protest against the new computer system, because they 
> didn't like it. Eventually they hired a new person due to another 
> leaving, the new person used the computers and ran circles around the 
> others. Because they started looking bad, they finally "got it" and did 
> it correctly.
> 

-- 
Jeff Kinz, Emergent Research, Hudson, MA.
speech recognition software may have been used to create this e-mail

"The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men
of zeal, well-meaning but without understanding." - Brandeis

To think contrary to one's era is heroism. But to speak against it is
madness. -- Eugene Ionesco



More information about the gnhlug-discuss mailing list