Question

Samuel Jameson, director of information processing, was heading for the Friday general staff meeting—and he was ready to introduce a new integrated data and information network needed by top managers to cut way down on the clerical workload, and bring the company to the forefront technologically. Samuel Jameson believes that this new system was superb technologically. The database was updated nightly and contained up-to-the-minute information about all aspects of company operations, comparing plans to actual results. It also contained a wealth of supplementary data, including moves by competitors and other important information about events affecting the firm. There was a terminal on each executive’s desk; information could be retrieved in a matter of seconds. However, Jameson found out that in the latest analysis of system usage, showed almost no activity. The executives simply weren’t using the system. The final straw had come yesterday afternoon when Jameson had discovered one of the secretaries laboriously retyping a printout that had been generated by the system. “So the execs can understand it,” she’d commented. “Talk about reinventing the wheel,” Jameson growled to himself. “Anybody who’s doing that has no idea how the system should operate.”During the meeting, Jameson launched into his topic, trying once again to explain how important it was to make appropriate use of the new system and emphasizing that the company’s enormous expenditure was being wasted without proper use. Only a few comments after Jameson’s presentation and the meeting moved on to the next item on the agenda. The meeting adjourned, and Jameson walked out with Elena Ortiz, director of marketing and one of the most senior and most respected of the executives.“I don’t think I got anywhere with my presentation today,” Jameson lamented. “I’ve never seen such a bunch of stony faces.“It sounds to me like you need some advice,” Ortiz commented. “Let me give it to you from a sales and marketing perspective. You have to sell the new system just like any other product. You did a mighty effective job of pointing out the benefits to the company if we use the new system. But what about benefits for us? If you can’t answer the question, ‘What’s in it for me?’ you won’t be able to sell your product, that’s for sure!”But the system is so easy to use,” responded Jameson. “It saves all kinds of clerical effort.” “But that’s not the point,” Ortiz explained. “Sure, it saves clerical time, but it does it by making us—the execs—into clerks. Our time is valuable. Why should we spend time doing our own typing into those terminals you’ve installed in our offices and trying to make heads or tails of the complex data displays and printouts the system gives you? Frankly, we prefer the old way.”   “Now what?” thought Jameson in despair.

Case Questions

1. Why did the executives resist using the new technology?

2. What should Jameson do now?

3. Did the executives really understand how to use the system?

Answer 1

Answer 1= The main reason for the resistance of the technology by the executives was that they were not finding anything that is beneficial for them. The team that has implemented the new technology did not communicate the different types of benefits and features that can be used well by the executives and thus there was a gap that indicates that the new technology does not have anything to motivate the executives to use it.

Answer 2= Now Jameson must revisit its tactics of promoting the use of the new technology by the executives by highlighting the benefits that can be enjoyed by the executives by the use of new technology such as ease of work, less time needed to complete the work and so on. So he must change his communication theme and rather than highlighting how the technology will benefit the company, the focus of the communication should be on who the executives can gain benefits from using the technology.

Answer 3 -No, due to lack of proper training and highlight the benefits and proper use of the technology, the executives were not able to understand the exact use of the system