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
New Year’s Resolutions
New Year’s Resolutions Why do New Year’s Resolutions fail? Research suggests that part of the […]
Why Process is So Important
Why Process is So Important One of my favorite business authors is James Clear, who writes all […]
The Significant Change of SaaS Software
The Significant Change of SaaS Software One of the most significant technological changes in the […]
Always, ALWAYS budget for more training
Always, ALWAYS budget for more training Always, ALWAYS budget for more training. I don’t know how else […]
We’ve always done it that way
We’ve always done it that way A couple of weeks ago I wrote about approving memberships, […]
Are you sure it doesn’t do that?
Are you sure it doesn’t do that? Even after 20 years of consulting, I’m surprised […]
Be grateful
Be grateful As Thanksgiving approaches here in the US, I’m reminded of two words: Be […]
Do you really need to approve them?
Do you really need to approve them? I often joke that the very best (because […]
Negativity bias is why we need database PR
Negativity bias is why we need database PR I’ve written before how cognitive biases can affect […]
A system change requires a culture change
A system change requires a culture change By its very nature, when you introduce a […]
