I'd take an un-educated team member over a willfully ignorant one any day.
It depends on the nature of the work which needs to be done - assuming they have the ability to do it but just need some training or coaching to bridge the gap, then this type of situation might actually generate motivation for the worker. As the PM or manager, you need to provide a safe environment for them to learn so they aren't hurt or discouraged by early failures.
Of course, if the gap is too big, I'd look for a replacement team member to avoid jeopardizing the project...
It is no easier or no more difficult to manage an "non-educated" worker as it is an "educated" worker.
The attitude of the person, their willingness to team, their motivation and discipline are all major factors which determine how easy it is to work with another person. These differ from person to person.
Formal education is neither a factor nor a contributor to these major factors. Saving Changes...
Eric SimmsSenior Program ManagerBaltimore, Maryland, United States
I agree with Karan and Kiron; a person with formal education isn't intrinsically easier to manage than someone without it. However, you might need to adjust your communication style in order to manage them effectively. For example, when I manage people with lower levels of education I find I sometimes need to communicate using simpler words and colloquial language. I also need to remember they might have different motivations and life challenges than more educated workers, which can impact the way I manage them. Saving Changes...
It depends in which culture you are managing them .. I found it so easy to do so in Middle East because uneducated workers respect educated management and they follow orders, however you need to be extra careful about safety .. they do not have sense of safety or risk at all.
In Australia and western world in general you do not have problem with safety sense but you have problem with everthing else to lead them, they think themselves understand much more than engineers or PM... I will stop here before I......etc. Saving Changes...
Cheikh FAYE Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Expert, CEO and owner| Eurêka TechnologiesDakar, Senegal
I know very well this kind of experience and believe me it's not so easy as Kiron and Eric seem to admit, it's mostly very, very difficult.This kind of person, instead of booking knowledge, have practical experience. Such a situation should be an interesting win win case but often it's not because they always nourish a superiority complex and if you don't take care, the outcome will irremediably be a fiasco. Saving Changes...
