You know, once you get to a certain level of proficiency in Excel or other programming, it’s hard to instruct someone else to do the same thing. But there’s a good reason for that.
This is one of the advantages of your average American new collar worker. Familiarity with the machines you work with leads to great productivity: you are bridging your own knowledge of the particular business with the machine.
The danger is that a big software company comes along and automates processes, but doesn’t fully grasp all the business. And in that case you are dumbing down the business to shave headcount.
That’s when big failures occurs as it did with Lehmann Brothers.
I have observed the dynamic you speak of.
I’ve seen poorly written programs provided to people who had nothing at all, and then pushed on people who had much better programs, simply because so many of those who had nothing at all had jumped on board.
Of course the adoption of the inferior product was proof to some leaders who didn’t have a clue what was going on.