Your operators are skeptical about ELICIT. And that’s actually a good sign

What’s behind the resistance

When an operator has been running a machine for twenty years, he holds knowledge no one else has. He has made mistakes and learned from them, learned from experienced colleagues, and can often see and feel deviations coming before younger colleagues even notice them.

When a team leader says at that point, “We’re going to capture your knowledge in a system,” many operators hear something else. They hear: “We’re going to make you replaceable.” Or worse: “Your way of working isn’t good enough.”

That’s not the intention, but it is how it can feel. There’s also a practical concern: yet another system. Another screen to click through while the line is running. They already have enough on their plate. And that’s true.

The difference between documenting and recognizing

The turning point lies in the message you communicate as a manager or team leader when implementing ELICIT.

The question “Can you show us how you do this?” is fundamentally different from “We’re going to document what needs to be done.” The first question recognizes expertise. The second implies that expertise can be replaced by a procedure.

Operators who are actively involved in capturing their own knowledge, as interviewed experts rather than passive users, become the biggest ambassadors of ELICIT. Because they recognize themselves in it. Their approach, their logic, their solutions.

One operator at a food manufacturing company put it like this: “At first I thought they wanted to automate my job. But when I saw what was in the system, I thought: this is exactly how I do it. Only now everyone can see it.”

“At first I thought they wanted to automate my job. But when I saw what was in the system, I thought: this is exactly how I do it. Only now everyone can see it.”

How to approach the introduction

Turning resistance into acceptance comes down to a series of small, concrete choices in how you design the process. At ELICIT, we approach it like this:

Start with leadership

Before the knowledge file is presented to operators, there is first a discussion with their supervisors. They communicate themselves why the project has started and what their role is in encouraging its use. This way, leadership stands alongside the team, not against it.

Involve the most experienced operator

When the skeptic sees that his colleague, who has been on the line for thirty years, is taken seriously as a source of knowledge, the tone of the conversation changes. In practice, sessions are structured so that the most experienced expert is interviewed first and validates last.

Let the first results speak for themselves

As soon as a new colleague resolves an issue without having to call the expert, and that expert sees it, the perception shifts. Not “my knowledge has been taken,” but “my knowledge now works even when I’m not there.”

Give operators a say in the content

Errors in the system, and there will always be some at the beginning, are not a problem as long as the expert can correct them himself using the suggestion feature. That sense of ownership is key to adoption.

Be honest about the “why”

Operators see straight through vague management language. If the reason is that a senior employee will retire in two years and you don’t want to lose his knowledge, just say so. That is a reason people respect.

The weeks after go-live are crucial

The presentation is just the beginning. The first weeks after go-live determine whether the system sticks. That’s why we work with an evaluation team during implementation: someone who actively drives usage, a point of contact for questions, and someone who monitors progress.

Weekly check-ins during the first weeks, optionally combined with existing team meetings, keep users engaged. They also create space to openly discuss what isn’t working yet. Because that feedback is exactly what improves the system.

Show, don’t tell

Skepticism doesn’t disappear through persuasive words. It disappears by showing it in practice, on the shop floor, with real results. The operators who start out most skeptical often become the most engaged users. But you have to treat them as experts from the very beginning.

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Curious how other production companies approached adoption? Request a demo and see what the knowledge system looks like from the operator’s perspective.