Three "Types" of Business Systems Users

I should preface this article with the fact that it's going to be slanted based on my personal experiences and my own slant on events. It's also important to note that based on my birth date and depending on what generational chart you look at I am either a really young Gen X-er or a really old Millennial. So just keep in mind that information is germane to the rest of this article. There are some parallels between generation and the 3 categories that most business systems users fall into, but just like everything in life not everyone falls into nice and neat boxes.

I have been involved in the ERP world since I was 22 and started consulting when I was 24. Generally speaking, in SMB ERP consulting you are interacting with decision makes that have been in the business for many years and users that have worked there for many years. Which also means I had 0 real world experience when I started my foray into ERP and my viewpoint has been distinctly shaped by my experiences with organizations ranging from less than $10m in revenue and 5 users all the way to organizations with $150m plus in revenue and 100+ users. So with that all said... onto the three types of business systems users that you will usually encounter as an ERP consultant!

The "I've always done it this way" user:

It's possible to align this group to the Baby boomers if we are to continue the generational theme. That's not to say that this group can't or won't adapt to technology or to change. But the fact is that traditionally this group spent a good portion of their career not utilizing any sort of technology or ERP system but leaned on processes, paper, and blood sweat and tears. So it's very challenging to convince someone that falls into this group that there is in fact a better way and it's not just a different way. And fact of the matter is, when you've experienced success by doing things a particular way, it takes an extremely compelling argument to got someone to stop doing it that way, and even if they do see the value of doing things different (i.e. in a system rather than manually) it's still challenging to break that muscle memory.

For example, my father was a high school math teacher for 30 years and during the last 2 years before his retirement the school system implemented a computerized grade book system. But he still kept his paper grade book and would then re-enter the grades into the new system. When I asked him the obvious question of "why do double work" he indicated that he saw the value of the new system, but he also was close to retirement and just couldn't let go of how he had always done it so it was worth it to him to do twice the work to have the comfort of the paper grade book. The takeaway is that when interacting with folks that fall into this group, the angle of "but it's easier" isn't always going to net results. It has to be easier, intuitive, and demonstrate a return or value that they otherwise wouldn't get.

The "I can roll with this" user:

This group of users generally grew up without technology. They maybe had access to a first gen computer at school and possibly had some computer classes in high school or college and for those that dealt with ERP systems when they entered the workforce they were probably using an AS400 system or some sort of DOS based application. They recall a time before smartphones and tablets and cloud computing. But the ubiquity of those things have grown with this generation and consequently they embrace change and are open to doing things in a different way even if the way they are doing it today still feels good enough.

That's not to say that this group always falls into a specific generation, but rather it is more of a mindset around accepting that stagnation is the bane of growth. And in today's business world technology is the driver behind growth and the acceleration of business. However, those that fall into this group like to thoroughly vet "what's next" rather than jumping in head first and this is true of both their professional and personal mindset. I'll admit that I like to think of myself as being part of the next group but am actually part of this one. I'm generally hesitant to suggest a client upgrade to the newest version of anything until its been out for a while and put through it's paces. I resisted reading books on an tablet for years because I liked paper books. But once I began traveling a lot carrying around a book was a huge pain so I switched. The point being that users that fall into this group are more than happy to change, but not until they see the inherent value in doing so.

The "This should be easier/faster/better" user

Our next group are generally those who have grown up with technology and for them it isn't a nice to have, or even a must have, it's simply a part of life. To continue the theme of gross generalizations, this group has been in the workforce maybe 8-10 years at the maximum and don't really recall a time without social media and iPhones and all the information you could possibly want right at your fingertips. And that's not a bad thing. Users that fall into this category are much more likely to be "bleeding edge" when it comes to software and have a tendency to question everything. There is a constant need for processes and business systems to be better than they are today. And Why? Because they should be.

Decision makers that fall into this category still need to see the why in changing, but are less likely to get mired down in lamenting about all the things that could go wrong and often have a "We can and will figure it out" attitude. And even users in this group are willing to plunge into a new system and in fact have a desire to do so. You might hear users in the other two groups say things like "I haven't been trained yet", but folks in this group will often say "show me how to get logged in and let me play". The general mindset is one of constant learning and evolution and it's ingrained in them that standing still really means moving backwards both personally and professionally.

So what does this all mean?

As with anytime someone (myself included) makes sweeping generalizations chances are some observations will be wrong. But the point with this article is just to remind us that in any ERP implementation, process change project, or even our personal lives, everyone is going to have their own view of what is happening and interpret the same data in different ways. So from a project management and consultative standpoint it's very important to tailor the message to each of the groups you are dealing with and be flexible enough to manage the change process and the emotions associated with it.