I am currently studying about the reasons behind people's
resistance to change brought about the introduction of
technology. The case mentioned by Danny Ching below is
interesting. I would like to know why this projected failed and if
there are things that are needed so that the failure can be
avoided. Perhaps we can all learn from this. I have
questions below and I hope some other people here can talk about their
experiences.
>From my experience as a migration specialist, I can assure you that
even if your target users are already convinced of FOSS superiority
both in security and stability, they will prefer to stick with
Windows.
Actual Case: After using Linux and OpenOffice, the users found that it
was such a "chore" to learn how to adjust to OpenOffice, that they
requested a transfer back to Windows and MS Office. Opting to pay
instead of learn.
How did the decision to migrate to FOSS came about?
Who made the decision?
Was training part of the migration or was it an implement and "hope they use it" approach?
What distro did you use?
They even prefered to stay with windows after being hit with viruses
and the computer crashes and hangs week after week. People are simply
resistant to change, even if it means having to endure viruses and
frequent downtimes due to crashes. For them the bottom line is
"Mahirap ang Linux / OpenOffice!"
In such cases these people are usually not the ones who fix their computers so they may not see it as their main problem. In the migrated system, the users themselves feel the problem of unfamiliarity, perhaps, that is one of the reasons they resisted it.
How long before did it take for them to ask you to reverse the migration?
If you are to do the project all over again what would you change in the process?
The only time change was accepted was when the managers had the
political will to implement changes and the users were not given any
say in the matter. Then they took the time to learn and now they are
reaping the benefits. "Sanayan lang pala." is now their mantra.
I have seen the same case in my own organization. When we hired new people we simply told them that we use FOSS and showed them the system. There were no trainings apart from a brief introduction on how to log-in and out, what software to use (OO.org), and where files are located, etc. The introduction did not even take an hour but the personnel easily became productive with the unfamiliar system.
Holden
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