Involving Employees in Design: Rolls Royce

Abstract

This chapter moves away from a concentration on the “what” to do and focuses on the “how” to do it. An important strategic decision at the start of any change project is how it is to be managed. The options here range from letting the technical suppliers assume a management role. This is often done with software venders when the purchasers have a poor understanding of the new technology, but it can be a high-risk strategy. Another option is to let specialist groups or management take responsibility for bringing in the new system. This can often result in a system that works well for management but less well for other groups. The approach I recommend is the democratic one of giving a large degree of responsibility for the organizational design and implementation of the new system to the future users. The case studies which come next will show how this can be done.