ComputerAided_Design_Engineering_amp_Manufactur.pdf

informal training programs, felt that the after-the-purchase vendor help lines were a farce. The vendor
was seldom, if ever, helpful in solving problems in a timely fashion. The comments of a respondent in
Firm H were typical when he said, “I use them (vendor help lines) as a last resort, because they usually
ask me to recreate my problem exactly in order, so that they can try to help me—and that takes forever.
I’m better off just figuring it out myself, if I can.” Even the firms most satisfied with the help lines only
used them about twice a month. The majority of questions that arose regarding their CAD system were
usually answered internally. Thus, satisfaction seemed to be inversely related to frequency of use.
Two of the three mechanistic firms (A and G) offering formal training utilized their own workers as
instructors; these workers previously had received external training. The format for this instruction was highly
structured with classrooms reserved for a block of a few days. In essence, these in-house instructors just
“mimicked” the external training they received. The goal of this training policy was to save money on
instruction directed at part-time users only. This in-house instruction was considered sufficient for
workers who did not use the system full-time; full-time CAD users were still required to take CAD courses
externally. These findings are similar to those found in the literature. 5 It is surprising, given the level of
dissatisfaction that the firms expressed about the vendor-run programs, that these firms continued to
rely on the vendor as a source of training. Perhaps the vendor, despite all the problems, was seen as
offering certain instructional qualities that the firms felt they could not duplicate.
Prior research has argued that management familiarity with the CAD system is often correlated with
its effective use. In our study, CAD managers in organic structures were not as familiar with the operation
of the system as their counterparts in mechanistic structures. This may be partially due to the very nature
of organic firms. As stated earlier, management in these firms operates in a more hands-off manner than
do the managers in mechanistic firms. In addition, it may be easier to implement a management training
program when there is a formal training program, rather than forcing the manager to learn the system
from his workers—a situation which could be awkward and prone to creating conflict. The inability of
these managers in organic firms to work with the new CAD system, however, is notable, especially in
light of the findings of the literature. 1,6,11,29
6.5 Discussion
The results of this study provide general support for a model that posits there is a direct relationship
between the formalization of the training program and the organizational structure of the firm. It was
the finding of this study that firms that had informal training programs were better able to take advantage
of the opportunities for de-skilling. The de-skilling process frequently allows for financial savings in the
use of CAD systems. 31,39 These potential savings can be considered a competitive advantage for the firms
involved because they help to reduce costs and free up resources that the firm might be able to use better
elsewhere (see Figure 6.1).
Mechanistic firms had the apparent advantage of being able to facilitate the establishment of CAD
training programs for management. The word apparent was used above because it is not conclusive that
management training is a necessity in organic firms. The interviews revealed that none of the CAD
managers in firms with informal training programs was familiar with the operation of the system, while
two of the three firms that utilized classroom instruction had managerial knowledge of the system. These
results seem to conflict with previous research that has shown that management familiarity with a
technology is often a prerequisite to the effective use of the technology. 1,7,13,29 Although this research has
suggested that informal methods may pose barriers to CAD training for managers, time will tell if these
FIGURE 6.1
Organizational
Structure
Training
Methods
Observed training format and work de-skilling benefits.
Deskilling
Benefits