ComputerAided_Design_Engineering_amp_Manufactur.pdf

Informal Training
Informal CAD training encompasses most methods of transferring CAD system information within the
actual work setting. For the purposes of this study, informal methods might include apprenticeships,
tutorials, and location of knowledgeable and untrained workers in the same work area. Information
transfer and learning can also take place during casual conversations.
Successful CAD Training
The success of any training program is ultimately dependent on user satisfaction with the system after
the training is complete. Some (e.g., Adler2)
have used financial measurements to calibrate the success
of the CAD system. Although financial performance may be a valid success indicator, it can be highly
susceptible to variations in the complexity and price of the components to be designed with CAD.
Although this research was limited to only one type of CAD system (i.e., PCB design and layout), the
pilot study revealed that differences in board complexity presented questions regarding the validity of
comparisons of financial benefits. Furthermore, several of the younger firms had no basis upon which
to compare the financial benefits reaped from the adoption of the CAD system; they had purchased their
systems when the firm was founded.
Thus, there is no consensus regarding what constitutes the successful adoption of a technology. For
the purpose of this study, successful CAD training was used synonymously with perceived satisfaction
with the system. In addition, the extent to which the de-skilling process was used in the firm became a
surrogate measure of the relative success of the training program. The presence of de-skilling was
determined through open-ended interview questions. A firm was then classified as having allowed for
de-skilling if they had at least one worker who had no previous design experience and was now using
the CAD system.
6.4 Findings
In total, three of the firms observed were classified as mechanistic (based on the physical presence
of management, level of control, and the role of the worker in CAD decision making processes),
while five were classified as organic. Given the complex and dynamic competitive environment in
both the electronics and telecommunications industries, it was not surprising that the organic
structure was the predominant organizational form because organic structures tend to adapt better
to unstable competitive environments. In total, five of the firms in the study exclusively used informal
training methods, such as co-location, tutorials, and apprenticeships; two firms relied exclusively on
formal instruction in a classroom setting, while the remaining firm used a combination of both
methods. Six of the firms had achieved work de-skilling benefits, while two had not (see Tables 6.2
and 6.3).
The outcome of this analysis yielded a number of interesting observations. The first finding is the
difference between the use of formal and informal training in mechanistic and organic firms. As can
be seen, organic firms used more informal training methods, while mechanistic firms used formal
techniques. Although this finding sounds trivial, it is not clear whether this is a true cause-effect
relationship. In many cases, financial implications played a major role in the selection of the training
method. Also, as previously noted, formal training methods have long been the predominant form of
CAD training. Thus, both cost and competitive pressures may have created a situation in which the
sample firms chose CAD training using informal methods.
Certain benefits were also associated with specific types of training programs. Table 6.3 displays the
cross tabulation showing the relationship between the training method and the de-skilling process. Firms
were classified as taking advantage of the de-skilling process if they had successfully trained one or more
workers from a non-design related background to use the CAD system. Table 6.3 suggests that firms with
informal training are able to take advantage of the de-skilling process. They can potentially gain financial