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4Images:Midjourney,GettyImagesLookoutforthisiconforpagesthatcanbeinteractedwithDisclaimerThisdocumentispublishedbytheWorldEconomicForumasacontributiontoaproject,insightareaorinteraction.The?ndings,interpretationsandconclusionsexpressedhereinarearesultofacollaborativeprocessfacilitatedandendorsedbytheWorldEconomicForumbutwhoseresultsdonotnecessarilyrepresenttheviewsoftheWorldEconomicForum,northeentiretyofitsMembers,Partnersorotherstakeholders.?2024WorldEconomicForum.Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproducedortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,includingphotocopyingandrecording,orbyanyinformationstorageandretrievalsystem.ViewsfromtheManufacturingFrontLine:Workers’InsightsonHowtoIntroduceNewTechnology2ContentsForeword45Executivesummary1Whatthisreportoffers62Beforeintroducingthetechnology–howtoprepareyouremployees2.1Communicatethebene?tsandexplainthewhy2.2Explainthedecision-makingprocess2.3Makethebiggerpicturecleartoendusersofthetechnology88992.4Helpworkerstoexploreandbecomecon?dentwiththetechnologies102.5Includeworkersintheexchangeofideas2.6Ensurethepilotgroupisdiverse1111121213141414151616171718181819192.7Involveworkersinriskassessment2.8Communicateexpectations2.9Balancethebusiness’s

localandglobalneeds3Whileintroducingthetechnology–howtoensureadoption3.1Maketimelinesclearearlyon3.2Caterfordiversity3.3Developtheroleof“superuser”or“technologychampion”3.4Thinkcontingency3.5Ensurethateffectivesupportisreadilyaccessible4Beyondtheimplementation–howtosustainsuccess4.1Followup4.2Incentivizeandacknowledgesuccess4.3Carryonandseeitthrough4.4Bewareprematureclosure4.5Ensurethatthetechnologycontinuestobeused4.6ContinuetoexplorenewusecasesfortechnologiesthatarealreadyinuseConclusion:AcalltoactionContributors20212121AcknowledgementsEndnotesViewsfromtheManufacturingFrontLine:Workers’InsightsonHowtoIntroduceNewTechnology3January2024ViewsfromtheManufacturingFrontLine:Workers’InsightsonHowtoIntroduceNewTechnologyForewordKyriakosTriantafyllidisHeadofGrowthandStrategy,CentreforAdvancedManufacturingandSupplyChains,ThomasBohnéFounderandHead,Cyber-HumanLab,UniversityofCambridge;Fellow,WorldEconomicForumWorldEconomicForumHistorically,theintroductionofnewtechnologiestothemanufacturingindustryhasrepresentedakeylevertoincreaseproductivityandreducecostsforcompaniesandsocietyoverall.Whilesometaskscanbefullyautomated,manufacturersalsoneedtoactivelyaugmenttheirfront-lineworkerswithtechnologytosupportthemintheirday-to-dayactivities.Thisisbecausefullyautomatedoperationsarerarelyfeasibleorthemostpaceofinnovationandfallingbehindtheirglobalcompetitors.How,

then,canmanagersbestengagetheirfront-lineworkersandensurethattechnologyintroductionsaredesignedinalong-term,sustainable,human-centricandeffectiveway?Thevalueofthisreport–theresultofacollaborationbetweentheWorldEconomicForum,theUniversityofCambridgeandconstituentmembersoftheManufacturingWorkersoftheFutureinitiative–isthatitanswersthisquestionbyharvestinginsightsfromauniquelywell-placed,thoughoftenoverlooked,source–theworkersontheshop?oor.ef?cientprocesses,makinghumansanessentialdifferentiatingfactor.Butwithoutmasteringtheartofsuccessfullyintroducingtechnologiestotheshop?oor,companiesriskfailingtokeepupwiththerapidViewsfromtheManufacturingFrontLine:Workers’InsightsonHowtoIntroduceNewTechnology4ExecutivesummaryManufacturersfacediverseanddemandingTheinterviewsyieldedamultitudeofvaluablechallenges.Theseincludetheneedtoful?lthedemand

for

morecustomized

products,

to

overcomeskillsgaps,andtorespondtodemographictrendssuchasageingworkers.Inthiscontext,companiesareincreasinglyintroducingadvancedtechnologies,suchasextended-realityheadsets,exoskeletonsinsights,whicharepresentedtohelpanswerthreebroadquestions–whattodobefore,duringandaftertheprocessofintroducingtechnologyontotheshop?oor–asfollows:1.

Inpreparingtointroducenewtechnology,managersneedtohelpworkerstounderstandthebiggerpicture–especiallythebene?tsexpectedtoaccrueforallstakeholders–andtheunderlyingdecision-makingprocess.Companiesstandtobene?tfromenablingenduserstocontributeproactively–forexample,bygivingthemtheopportunitytotryouttechnologies,contributeideasandparticipateinriskassessments.andcobotstosupporttheiremployees.1Astheprocessofaugmentationaccelerates,andtheneedforeffectivehuman-machineinteractionbecomesmorecritical,businessesfacetheurgentneedtoidentifyandadoptreliablestrategiesthatenablethemtointroducenewtechnologiessuccessfully.Researchtodatehasrespondedtothischallengemainlybydevelopingadoptionframeworksthatprimarilytakeintoaccountthemanagementperspective.Thoughobviouslyhelpful,thesestrategiesare,bythemselves,incomplete–andneedtobesupplementedbytheperspectivesofworkersontheshop?oor,

whoaretheendusersofthesetechnologies.2.

Whileintroducingnewtechnology,managersneedtohelpworkersbyestablishingandcommunicatingrealistictimelines,recognizingandcateringforadiversityoflearningneedsandpreferences,involvingoperatorsincontingencyplanningandprovidingsustainedmeansofsupport.Harnessingworkersintheroleofsuperusersortechnologychampionscanalsoprovetobebene?cial.Hitherto,suchworkersoftentendtobetalkedaboutintheresearch,ratherthantalkedwith.Incontrast,thisreportrevealstheviewsofworkers,askingthemhowtheprocessoftechnologyintroductionlooksfromtheirperspectiveontheshop?oor.

And,cruciallyforexecutives,itdemonstrateshowworkers’insightscanbeusedtocontributetotheprocessandtherebyaddvaluetocompanies,resultinginhigheremployeeretention,improvedemployeesatisfactionandameasurablereturnoninvestment(ROI)duetomoreef?cientandeffectivetechnologyintroductions.3.

After

introducingnew

technology,

managers

canbene?tfromplayingalonggame–monitoringandcollectingfeedback,revisingandupdatingtrainingresources,onboardingnewemployeesandacknowledgingandrewardingsuccesses.Managerscanalsodrawontheinsightsofworkerstodevelopnewusesfortechnologiesthatarealreadyinstalled.Theapplicationsofanewtechnologyarenotlimitedtothoseforwhichitwasoriginallydesigned.Strikingly,almosteveryintervieweeintheresearchThestudyconductedforthisreportisbasedonmorethan85interviewswithfront-lineworkersinlarge,internationalcorporationsdrawnfromseveralindustrialsectorsintheUS,EuropeandAsia.Theyincludedoperators,mechanics,electricians,manufacturingengineersandsupervisorsworkingwitharangeoftechnologies,includingroboticsandwearabletechnology.sharedpotentialnewusesforimplementedtechnologies,thoughtsaboutwaysofinnovatingsystemsoradditionalideasforimprovement.ViewsfromtheManufacturingFrontLine:Workers’InsightsonHowtoIntroduceNewTechnology5Whatthisreport

offers1Thegoalofthisreportistosupportcompaniesinmeetingthechallengeofintroducingtechnologiestotheworkplacesuccessfully.Ifdonewell,introducingnewtechnologybringswithitmanybene?tssuchasimprovedemployeeretentionandsatisfaction,aswellasdeliveringon?nancialkeyperformanceindicators(KPIs)includingcostsandreturnsoninvestment(ROIs).Donebadly,thecompanymaymissoutonthesebene?tsand,evenworse,risktheconverseeffects,suchaslosingemployees,employeesilence(whenworkersstopsharingfeedbackandideas)orincreasedcostsfromhavingtoredoworkbecauseoffailedintroductionsorcessationsinproductionduetotechnicalissueswiththenewtechnology.The?ndingsare

basedonresearchconductedineightfactoriesintheUS,EuropeandAsia.Thefactoriesbelongtolargeinternationalcorporationsdrawnfromavarietyofindustrialsectors:industrialgoods,electronics,chemicals,pharmaceuticals,textiles,home-andbeautycareandautomotive.Thetechnologiestheyhavebeenintroducingcoverabroadrangeincludingrobotics,tablets,augmentedreality/virtualreality(AR/VR)applicationsandotherwearables.Thereport’sresearchersinterviewedmorethan85shop-?oorworkerswhoworkinrolessuchasoperators,mechanics,electricians,manufacturingengineersandsupervisors.Theapproachoutlinedinthisreportisguidedbytheinsightthattheperspectivesoftheworkers,astheendusersofhuman-centrictechnologies,areoftenoverlookedbutareessentialfortheeffectiveintroductionnewtechnology.Theinsightsgleanedfromtheinterviewsunlockawealthofwaystoimprovetheeffectivenessofthetechnologyintroductionprocessontheshop?oor.Indoingsotheyrevealsuggestionsforenhancingtheprocessatallstages,frompreparationthroughtoreviewandbeyond–tothebene?tofnotonlytheworkersthemselvesbutalsotheiremployers.Thereportthereforeexploreshowpeoplerespondtonewtechnologiesontheshop?oorandhowtheyinteractwiththem.Morespeci?cally,itseekstounlockvaluebypresentingagroupofstakeholderswhohaveoftenbeenneglectedinthemanagementliterature:theshop-?oorworkers.ViewsfromtheManufacturingFrontLine:Workers’InsightsonHowtoIntroduceNewTechnology6FIGURE1

Whattodobefore,duringandaftertheintroductionofnewtechnologyontheshop?oorBeforetheintroductionofnewtechnologyDuringtheintroductionofnewtechnologyAftertheintroductionofnewtechnologyCommunicatethebene?tsandexplainthewhyMaketimelinesclearearlyonCaterfordiversityFollowupExplainthedecision-makingprocessIncentivizeandacknowledgesuccessMakethebiggerpicturecleartoendusersofthetechnologyDeveloptheroleof“superuser”or“technologychampion”CarryonandseeitthroughBewareprematureclosureHelp

workers

to

explore

and

becomecon?dent

with

the

technologiesThinkcontingencyIncludeworkersintheexchangeofideasEnsurethateffectivesupportisreadilyaccessibleEnsurethatthetechnologycontinuestobeusedContinuetoexplorenewusecasesfortechnologiesthatarealreadyinuseEnsurethepilotgroupisdiverseInvolveworkersinriskassessmentCommunicateexpectationsBalancethebusiness’s

localandglobalneedsThereportispartofongoingresearchandcontributesadiagnosticviewoffront-lineworkers’perspectives;assuch,itoffersa?rststeptowardsintroducingbetterpracticesratherthanprovidingsolutionstoallofthechallengesdescribed.ViewsfromtheManufacturingFrontLine:Workers’InsightsonHowtoIntroduceNewTechnology7Before

introducingthetechnology–howtoprepareyouremployees2Managersneedtoputinthegroundworkwiththeirworkersbeforeintroducingnewtechnology.2.1

Communicatethebene?tsandexplainthewhyItisnotuncommon,unfortunately,forfront-lineworkerstoperceivetheeffortsofemployerswhenintroducingnewtechnologyas“notenough”or“notwellexecuted”.Inparticular,theymayfeelthatemployersundervaluetwo-waycommunication:theymayallocatesuf?cienttimeonlyfortransmittinginformationtoworkers,therebycrowdingouttheopportunityforfeedback,questions,suggestionsandthevoicingofconcerns.Despitethedif?culties,workersidenti?edaspectsofgoodpracticeamongmanufacturers.Theywereespeciallyappreciativeofemployerswhowereabletocommunicatetangiblythebene?tsofadoptingnewtechnology–forexample,bymakingworkers’liveseasierorfacilitatingtheidenti?cationoferrorsorfaults.Animportant?ndinghereisthatifemployerstakethetimetoexplainthe“why”behindtechnologicalchange(ratherthanjustthe“what”andthe“how”),thisoftenproveswelcomeandencouragesamorepositivereception.Receptionofnewtechnologymayalsobeaffectedbyconcerns

overtheconsequencesforworkers–including,notably,thefearofjoblosses.Somethingofthebalancinginvolvedwascaptured

byoneworker’s

view

that

“You’re

taking

parts

of

somebody’sjob,buttheseare

alsonottasksthatyouwantsomeonetodoallday…

Besidesthat,themachineisfasterandmore

reliableforrepetitivejobs.”ViewsfromtheManufacturingFrontLine:Workers’InsightsonHowtoIntroduceNewTechnology82.2

Explainthedecision-makingprocessForworkers,thedecision-makingthatliesbehindtheintroductionofnewtechnology–whomakesthedecisionsandbywhatprocess–canbeopaque.(“Well,youknow,

wedon’tevenknowwhodecides.Atsomepointintime,itwasdecidedthatweweregoingtogetthesetablets.”)Andifemployeesareinformedonlylateintheprocess,theintroductioncanreadilybeperceivedasundulyrushed.toassessandimproveef?ciency–inparticular,bymonitoringprogresswithKPIs.Thereisaneedheretoensurethatworkers(whoareoftennotrepresentedduringmanagerialdiscussionstoreviewperformance)understandbothwhichKPIshavebeenselectedand,crucially,why.Thiscanhelptocountertherisksoflowmotivationandasenseofdetachmentonthepartofworkers.AcommonmotivationforintroducingchangeisthedesiretoenhancetrackinganddocumentationBOX1

Introductionofaphonesystemontotheshop?oorInoneofthefactories,phoneswereoriginallymountedonmachinesoneachproductionlineandcouldbecalledbydiallingaspeci?cphonenumber.

Ifonephonewasnotanswered,thecallwasautomaticallyforwardedtothenextphone.Itwasalsopossibleforemployeestopickupaphoneonalineandpressaspeci?cbuttontoreceivethephonecallfromtheotherline.Employeesperceivedthistobeverypracticalwhenwalkingtodifferentpartsoftheline,whichwasrequiredmostofthetime.However,

forreasonsunknowntotheinterviewedworkers,thesystemwaschanged:phoneswithMicrosoftTeams

capabilitiesbutwithouttheforwardingcapabilitywereinstalled.Noconsultationswithshop-?oorworkershadtakenplacebeforetheintegration.Becausetheywerenotaskedpriortothechange,therewasafeelingamongworkersofbeingdisregarded.Theyfeltfrustrationbecausethebrought-insolution(whichsimplymirroredthecompany’s

of?cespaces)failedtomeettheirspeci?cneeds.2.3

Makethebiggerpicture

cleartoendusersofthetechnologyProblemsarisewiththeintroductionoftechnologywhenfront-lineworkerslacktheinformationrequiredtoseethebiggerpicture.technologysystemswillinteract.How,forexample,willinsitusystemsinterrelatewitha

novelsystembeing

introduced?Or

how,when

multiple

innovationsarebeingmadeinvariousdepartments,willissuesofcompatibilityandconnectabilityberesolved?Inparticular,workersmaybeunclearastohowaprojectwillinvolveoraffectthem.Inoneexample,operatorsbecameanxiousbecausetheythoughttheywouldberequiredtotakeresponsibilityforthecontrolofautomatedguidedvehicles(AGVs)ontheshop?oor–whereas,infact,thishadneverbeenintendedbythemanagement.Suchscenariosrequirecommunicationandexplanation.Somebusinesseshavesoughttosolvetheproblembydevelopingspeci?cformsofinternalcommunicationsystems.Onecompany,forexample,coveredsuchmattersinaweeklynewspaperprovidedtoworkersinprintformandviascreensontheshop?oor.Inmanycases,unhappinessarisingfromnothavinga

broadoverviewconcerns

questionsofhowtwoViewsfromtheManufacturingFrontLine:Workers’InsightsonHowtoIntroduceNewTechnology92.4

Helpworkerstoexplore

andbecomecon?dentwiththetechnologiesOneproblemisthatworkersoftenfeelthattheyhaveinsuf?cientopportunitytofamiliarizethemselveswithnewtechnologies–toexplorethem,testthemandinvestigatetheirpotential.ThoughshowcasinganddemonstrationWorkersidenti?edmanyopportunitiestoimprovetheprocessthroughwhichtheybecomefamiliarandcon?dentwithnewtechnology.Initiativesthatoftenprovewelcomeinclude:opportunitiesmightbeprovidedbyemployers,theydonotnecessarilyoccurfrequentlyenough.1.

Regulardemonstrations,onatraininglineorontheirownshop?oor,

byexternaltechnologyprovidersTheprocessoffamiliarizingworkerswithnewtechnologycanbeinhibitedbyanxietyonthepartoftheemployersovertheriskandcostofbreakages.Duringinterviews,severalemployeessharedexamplesofmanagersrepeatedlyremindingthemofsuchcosts,urgingthemnotto“break/drop”newpiecesofequipment.Asoneworkersaid,thisanxietycanmakeworkers“worryaboutbreakingitmorethanfocusingonusingitcorrectly”.Insuchcontexts,progressinadoptioncanbeimpededbynegativeimpactsonemployees’self-esteemandageneralfearofmakingmistakes.2.

Usingavarietyofmethods–suchasphysicalinteraction,hands-onexplorationandsupportvideos–ratherthanvirtualshowcasingalone3.

Theopportunitytotakenewtechnologyhome,ifpossible.Forexample,oneworkeraskedtotakeaVRheadsethomesothathe“couldjustseeexactlywhatwecandoandhowwecanintegratethat”.Fieldorfactoryacceptancetestsheldeitherinexternalsettingsorwiththeassistanceofanexternalproviderintheemployees’workplaceseemparticularlywelcome,leadingtoasenseofengagementandevenprideonthepartofworkers.ViewsfromtheManufacturingFrontLine:Workers’InsightsonHowtoIntroduceNewTechnology

102.5

IncludeworkersintheexchangeofideasFrustrationariseswhen,intheearlystageofadoption,workerssensealackofopportunitiestogenerateandexchangeideaswithpeersandmanagers.Thisrepresentsamissedopportunitybothtoincorporateproductivethinkingandtodevelopgroupspirit.Incontrast,workersoftenrespondedpositivelywhenemployersprovidedworkshopsthatincludedsuchactivitiesasbrainstorming,ideachallengesandparticipatorydesign.Similarly,continuousimprovementprocessesdesignedtoprovideincentivesforemployeeswithchallengestoearnrewardsoftenprovewelcome.2.6

Ensure

thepilotgroup

isdiverseProblemscanariseoverthewaysinwhichforsuchpurposesbecausetheyarerequiredontheemployersconducttrainingortestingsessions.frontline.Itiseasyhereforemployerstoassessthecost/bene?tratioinaccurately:lossofproductionresultingfromtemporarilyremovingworkersfromthefrontlinemaybeimmediatelydiscernible,whilethebene?tsthataccruefrombettertestingandtimingmightbecomeevidentonlymoregraduallyovertime.Acommonproblemhereistheselectionofaninsuf?cientnumberofworkersforsuchactivities.Thiscanbethedirectconsequenceoftheemployer’s

selectionpolicy–theymightbelievethatonlyafewworkersarerequired.OritmayarisefromasensethatmanyworkerswouldbeunavailableViewsfromtheManufacturingFrontLine:Workers’InsightsonHowtoIntroduceNewTechnology

11Asecondproblemrelatestoinsuf?cientdiversityamongtheworkersselectedfortestingortrainingsessions.Theremaybegapsamongthepilotgroupintermsofsuchcharacteristicsasgender,

age,technicalaf?nityandlevelsofexperience.testing]islikeareward.Likeifyoudoverywell,yougettodothepilot.”)Insuf?cientnumbersordiversitycanresultinalackofrichness,varietyandrepresentativenessintheresultantlearningandfeedback.Thissuggeststhatanopportunityexistsforemployerstoimprovetheadoptionprocesssimplybyincreasingthenumbersanddiversityofworkersinvolvedintestingandtraining.Inparticular,thereisaneedtoensurethatendusersareincluded–theyarethepeoplewithin-depthknowledgeandinsightconcerningmachinesinpractice.Two

speci?cdif?cultiescanarisehere.First,asamplemaybehand-pickedsoastoavoidcriticismsarising.Asoneworkercommented:“You

shouldalwayslistento[every]personandnotlistento[just]theonesyoufeelcomfortablewith.”And,second,employeesmaybeselectedforpilotsbasedontheir(high)performance,sotheexperiencesarenotthenrepresentative.(“It[the2.7

InvolveworkersinriskassessmentTheadoptionoftechnologycanbeimpededbyalackofforesightconcerningriskassessment.Forexample,inonecasetheintroductionoftabletsonalinefailedbecausetheinternetconnectioninonepartoftheplantwasunstableandkeptcrashing.Thisledtoimmensefrustrationamongemployees.Multipleworkersexplainedtousthataproperriskassessmentcouldhavepreventedsuchasituation.Thereisaneedtoincludefront-lineworkerswhenassessingtheissuesarisingfromthedeploymentofnewtechnology.Inparticular,itishelpfultoincludesuchworkersinmorein-depthriskassessmentsthatanalysethespeci?ccharacteristicsoftheproductionlinesandevaluatetheeffectivenessofthecurrentanalysisprocess.2.8

CommunicateexpectationsWorkersreportthatonesourceofstressisafailureonthepartofmanagementtomakethelevelofexpectationsclear.

Typical

concernsarethattheremightbeanintolerantattitudetowardsinitialmistakes,oralackofsupportprovidedfordealingwithteethingproblems.There

isa

need,therefore,

toarticulatethelevelsofperformanceanticipatedconcerning,forexample,howquicklyworkerswillbeexpectedtograspnewmethodsandwhatlevelsofqualityandproductivity

willberequired

overthevariousstagesoftheproject.ViewsfromtheManufacturingFrontLine:Workers’InsightsonHowtoIntroduceNewTechnology

122.9

Balancethebusiness’s

localandglobalneedsAfurtherchallengearisesfromtheriskofWorkersindicatedthattheyfelttheneedparticularlytoensurethatlessonslearnedbyworkersinonelocationaresharedwiththoseinanother,

andthatthereisregularandeffectivecommunicationbetweenteams.misalignmentbetween,ontheonehand,localneedsand,ontheother,

transnationalorglobalperspectives.Sometimesprojectscanbepusheddowntothelocallevelwithoutconsultingon-siteemployeesandwithoutanappreciationofthecircumstancesrelatedtoaspeci?cplant.BOX2

IntroductionoftabletsonasterilelineOnebusinessdecidedtointroducetabletsononeofitslines.Aftertheintroductionplanhadbeendesigned,itbecameapparentthatthechosentabletmodelswouldnotworkonthespeci?cline–thetabletswereunsuitableforuseinasterileenvironment.Theresultwasmonthsofreworkincludingworkerconsultations,discouragementamongemployeeswhofelttheyhadnothadasayinthedesignoftheirworkplace,andthedevelopmentofanegativeattitudeamongemployeesconcerningboththetechnologyandglobalinnovationprojectsingeneral.ViewsfromtheManufacturingFrontLine:Workers’InsightsonHowtoIntroduceNewTechnology

13Whileintroducingthetechnology–

howtoensureadoption3Itiscrucialtosupportworkersfullyatallstagesoftheprocesswhenadoptingnewtechnology.3.1

MaketimelinesclearearlyonThoughsomemanagementteamsannouncechangesregardingthelinesandtechnologywellbeforetheystart(forexample,afewmonthsbefore),othersinformtheiremployeesonlylateintheprocess.Oneworkerexplained:“There’speoplethatdonotunderstand(thetechnology)andyougottheemailonFridaythatit(willbe)putinonMonday.”havea?xedtime.Andsometimesthenpeopleareconfused,ortheydon’tknowwhat’s

happening.”To

preventtheseconcernsarising,thereisaneedtoprovideworkerswithguidanceontimelines.Inparticular,workerswelcomeassurancethattheywillhavesuf?cienttimetofamiliarizethemselveswiththenewtechnology.Integraltotheplanistheneedforapilotortestingphaseduringwhichworkerscanexplorethetechnologyanddeveloptheirlearning.Moreover,

sometimestimescalesareeithernotcommunicatedorevennotformulatedatall:“Theyjustsay‘okay,we’llintroduceit’,buttheydon’t3.2

CaterfordiversityThelearningneedsofworkersarediverse,yetbusinessesoftenfailtoprovidearangeoftrainingmethods,letalonepersonalizedprovision.Often,organizationsrelyonjustoneortwomethods,withone-offin-persontrainingortrainingonthejobparticularlycommon,whilethetrainersalsooftenlackadequatesupportingmaterialsandmaylacktrainingexperience.Overall,thereisariskthatsuchprovisionwillfailtocateradequatelyfortherangeoflinguisticneeds,levelsofabilitiesandlearningstylesorpreferencesamongabusiness’s

workers.ViewsfromtheManufacturingFrontLine:Workers’InsightsonHowtoIntroduceNewTechnology

14Inresponse,somebusinesseshavestartedtoimplementmorediversi?edprogrammes.Theymightinclude,forexample,micro-learning,video-basedlearning,peerdemonstration,activelearningandprovisionofreferencematerials.pro?cientandwillingusersoftechnologywithinwork.Yet

manyworkersmakelittleornouseofsmartphonesathomeandmaybeonverylimiteddataplans,whilesomewillbeunfamiliarwithothertypesoftechnology,suchastouchscreens,tabletsandAR/VR.Managers’plansfortrainingandlearningdevelopmentdependinpartontheassumptionstheymakeabouttheirworkers’priorknowledge.Suchassumptionsdonotalwaysproveaccurate.Erroneousassumptionsofthiskindarisewherethereisasenseofsocialorculturaldistancebetweenmanagersandworkers.Onemethodthathasbeendevelopedtoreducethisdistanceandmakeassumptionsmorerealisticisthe“l(fā)ivemylife”approach.Thisinvolvesawhite-collarof?ceworkerspendingadayontheshop?oor,

performingworktasks,andmixingandtalkingwithwork