Ben Compton writes in relation to the learning environment and performance
expectations as he experiences them in his particular hi- tech
organization:
"I can't touch knowledge, and therefore have a hard time quantifying it,
and an even harder time quantifying it's quality. It is intangible, but it
must be measured if we're to have a meaningful quality system."
To which I respond:
At present, my job description is primarily in providing technical
assistance on the phone. I am employed with a 3rd party support provider.
We contract with many of the larger software developers as an outsourcing
vendor for support. As such, budgeting and profitability depends on being
able to predict the level of knowledge needed, train technicians to meet
that level and staff accordingly.
Measurement is critically important for several reasons, not the least of
which is allocation of resource. If we cannot measure what our output is,
then there is no hope of evaluating how to determine when the output
changes and prescribe methods of optimizing it. Consequently, management
(I'm speaking in generalities here, I know) either pursues the "Invisible
hand" doctrine of Adam Smith or freezes in its tracks.
Ben continues:
"We're using a manufacturing model of business, and performance/quality
metrics to run a continually changing, knowledge-based business. It
doesn't work well.......
Because of the variableness of the work done in technical services it is
difficult to predict call capacity -- how many customers can be helped per
day?"
Suppose that an organization could get a good measurement of when
marketable knowledge was produced, that would still leave the issue of
what caused that knowledge to appear. Since knowledge is the real
product, the things that produce knowledge are our only assets. What
produces knowledge? People. herein lies the black box.
The problem with using the old manufacturing model of business is that it
assumes by increasing some input, more output will result. When the
output is ideas, management is more of an art form than a science given to
a linear methodology.
Most of my support work has been done on desktop applications. This basic
computer technology has been in been known for ten years for the most
part. Does that insure that the knowledge which our customers pay for is
being offered in the desired form? Not necessarily. Having knowledge and
dispensing it are not the same. Moreover, because computer systems are
truly systems, there are many variables that may affect the results of a
system's operation. This leaves the door open for non- standard
solutions. In Network support and within the technical manufacturing
realm, there are many more non-standard issues to resolve.
Then the question arises, how does a learner disseminate his new found
knowledge to everyone who needs it? At the very least, it should go to
all others in house who interact with the product technically. Often, the
charter of a technical support staff includes communication but
communication takes time and resources. Not to mention that documentation
of technical material is an art form in itself and may not exist in the
staff which does support. As a result, this hard earned knowledge may be
lost.
Part and parcel of this discussion is the relationship technical
organizations have with their customers. If customers have really bought
into our marketing appeals and expect that our next upgrade or device will
do wonders, their expectations are high. When they call to ask questions,
they often carry this high expectation over to support services.
Budgeting for support services is misses the mark due to competitive
pressures and the fast paced development process in hi tech. In my mind,
many developers set up a poor environment for learning and support by over
promising and over selling their products.
Management which relies on the statistical approach only often has
counterproductive effects on the learning process. If the support staff
hears "Meeting call statistics is most important", learning is subrogated.
Ben, here are two other resources you may already be aware of: Help Desk
Institute- has a home page and local chapters.
http://www.HelpDeskInst.com/ Also, the Training & Development listserv
group (LISTSERV@PSUVM.PSU.EDU) recently received an inquiry from
Carrie-Lee Hughes on this subject. Might be worth tuning in. I have sent
parts of it to you in another mail message to avoid bogging the LO
listserv more than I already have.
Regards,
Stephen Weed
--Stephen Weed <slweed@cyberhighway.net>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>