Enslaved by the system
Systems are essential for pretty much anything to function in a consistent manner. They advance almost all things we do in the modern world, including how we rest and relax. Let me ask you this; who created these systems? Who painstakingly came up with the processes, rules and logical characteristics that underpin them? Why, humans did! Humans like you and me.
Why then, are people so system-bound and resistant (or fearful) to change them if they are shown to disadvantage a particular end-user? When an external party is inconvenienced, why do your employees quickly pin it on the system? In the majority of cases a blame culture exists – not people blame but technology blame. It’s so convenient to use the system as the root cause of the setback or problem. “I made my hotel booking last month “...”Sorry sir; I cannot find it in the system”. How many of us have heard those dreaded words when checking into a hotel? Maybe the system is flawed...or maybe not! There can be more to this. That though is another story.
Let me however provide two examples at how employees have become enslaved by ‘systems’, which left me shaking my head in disbelief.
First example: I have a joint account with a development bank that my family has banked with for over three decades. They recently introduced a slick new version of their mobile app. However, the app has a fundamental flaw in that it doesn’t allow joint account holders to access their accounts through it. In my eyes, this is a fundamental flaw, especially as other banks allow joint account holders to operate their accounts via their respective mobile apps. Bottom-line; hard luck to all joint account holders of the bank who are unable to physically go to any of the branches of this bank due to a lockdown, curfew or similar restriction.
The bank’s Customer Relationship Officer, whilst being apologetic admitted that it was a system limitation. How did the Banks ‘hotshots’ or their bosses sanction developing this system? If the ‘card’ allowing ALL account holders to use the app to access their account is not in place, what on earth is the point of developing a technology strategy and implementing it? Who ultimately is calling the ‘shots’ here? Is it the Bank or the system?
Second example: A family member runs a small services company that deals with a variety of clients, ranging from individuals and small start-ups, all the way to large and even multinational companies. It staggered me when I learnt that even though the pandemic is in full swing, certain large companies still make supplier payments with cheques only – cheques that must be collected from their physical offices. Of course, this creates a rather convenient catch-22 situation for them – if the office is closed due to lockdown or work from home, the cheque cannot be collected and therefore the money that they owe to a small business is still sitting in their bank accounts. Cheques are only valid for a certain time period, so if the cheque expires, a new cheque must be made out - which once again is a laborious and time-consuming process. When asked why they are still using cheques in 2021 when much smaller companies are using the dizzying heights of online transfers, the stock answer is “our systems only permit cheque payments”.
Who is calling the ‘shots’ here, the large company that makes millions in profits, or the system? I guess both! Where there is power there is resistance – especially when resistance is ‘currency’ to more profits.
There is an interesting debate in the areas of machine learning and artificial intelligence. The debate states that eventually, computers will outsmart us as humans and take over the world through robots, with proponents and opponents making compelling arguments. I feel that this has already happened, not via robot uprisings, but through the very systems that we have created. It certainly seems that way, since the users, and creators of these systems seem rather reluctant or fearful to change them for the better of the customer or supplier!
Ashraaq Wahab -Technical Director Hospitality Sri Lanka, Automotive Journalist, Marketer and Writer, who enjoys penning his thoughts, insights and ideas on a variety of topics.
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