Give a little at a time rather than taking away

Give a little at a time rather than taking away

I'm sure there's research somewhere that explains this phenomenon*, but in my experience, most people are more bothered when you take something away from them than they are when you give them very little to start with and add as needed.

Here's what I've seen: if you give your database users full access to everything (e.g., full admin rights), and then at some point decide to take some of that access away, even if they never used the functionality you're taking away, they will perceive this as a slight or punishment or a loss.

On the other hand, if you give them very limited rights and then add more rights as they are needed, you'll hear very little complaining at all.

So when you're implementing a new AMS, or you're adding new users to an existing system, start by giving the users as little access as possible and add more as they need it, rather than giving them everything and taking things away. Everyone will be much happier!

===

*It turns out this phenomenon is called "loss aversion."

Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives

Some things are unknowable

October 29, 2025

Some things are unknowable One of the most challenging aspects of moving to a new […]

Do we have access to that data?

October 22, 2025

Do we have access to that data? When I work with my clients on a […]

The three “buckets” of contact data

October 8, 2025

The three “buckets” of contact data Broadly speaking, when collecting data on contacts (individuals or organizations), […]

Balancing what is possible with what is realistic

October 1, 2025

Balancing what is possible with what is realistic When I work with clients on technology […]

“Humans want to be surrounded by beauty.”

September 24, 2025

“Humans want to be surrounded by beauty.” “Humans want to be surrounded by beauty.” – […]

Data managers vs data consumers

September 17, 2025

Data managers vs data consumers When I work with clients on any data management project, […]

Another universal truth

September 10, 2025

Another universal truth There are many universal truths in data management. Some examples: You will […]

Don’t miss this year’s DAN Science Fair!

September 3, 2025

Don’t miss this year’s DAN Science Fair! I’m taking a break from my weekly tips […]

Just start. And it’s never done.

August 27, 2025

Just start. And it’s never done. Last week I had the opportunity to lead a […]

Don’t ask if you’re not going to answer!

August 20, 2025

Don’t ask if you’re not going to answer! In the past week, on three different […]

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top