ASSIHNMENT 1

Q: With technology available to you in the workplace, how important is it to maintain

in person interactions with colleagues and clients? What effects might the use of
technology-based communication have on an organization? Discuss.

ANS:

The impact of information technology will have significant effects on the structure,
communication, management and functioning of most organisations. It demands new patterns
of work organisation and effect individual jobs, the formation and structure of groups, the
nature of supervision and managerial roles. Information technology results in changes to lines
of communication, command and authority, and influences the need for reconstructing the
organisation and attention to job design. Computer based information and decision support
systems influence choices in design of production or service activities, hierarchal structures
and organisations of support staffs. Information Communication Technology may influence
the centralisation/ decentralisation of decision making and control systems. New technology
has typically resulted in a flatter organisational pyramid with fewer levels of management
required (Edward et al, 1991). In recent times, technology has become an ever-increasing
presence in organisations and it is one of the hot topics. More and more businesses, large and
small, are trying to incorporate the latest technology into their operations. This notion is
evidenced by the fact that the popular publications now have technology sections, and
information systems departments are becoming critical components of most organisations.
The appeal of the whole information technology arena is that arguably it is designed to make
people and organisations more knowledgeable, efficient, and profitable. The scope of
technology that an organisation can espouse or employ is huge. Regardless of the complexity
of the system or the size of the organisation, one thing is certain - the incorporation of such
technology or information systems will accompany change. Implementation of technological
systems can either act as a catalyst for change or be the means of achieving a desired change.
Regardless of the motivation, a properly integrated system ideally will take into account the
impact on the organisation before it is put into place. The contribution of information
technology and its impact on the organisation is emphasized by (Gerstein et al, 1992 p.5),
who states "perhaps the largest single influence on organisational architecture and design has
been the evolution of information technology, certainly has its place among the key elements
which shape an organisation.
The model used by Andersen consultants is typical when it lists technology as an equal
attribute, along with strategy, people, and business processes. The interconnectivity of these
elements should be obvious, for one cannot be changed in a transformational sense without at
least consideration of the others. While the formal structure or arrangements within an
organisation will likely be affected by the arrival of new technology, this does not have to be
the case in all situations. More specifically, information technology can be linked to changes
in factors such as job design, physical layout or location, supervisory relationships and
autonomy, cooperation inside and outside the organisation, and formation of work teams.

One advanced idea whose time has come is the notion of the virtual workplace. This concept
is based on the idea of employees being able to work independently as a result of having
access to information. One article proposes "the virtual workplace provides access to
information you need to do your job anytime, anyplace, anywhere. Employees do not have to
be tied to their offices to do their jobs."(Jenner, 1994 P.16). The idea of not even having a set
office space certainly would be a change from the typical routine of showing up at the office
from 9 to 5 (ideally) and performing your work at your desk. Such a plan would obviously be
dependent on the job to be accomplished, but it is interesting to think of the supervisory
implications. Such employees would have the ultimate amount of autonomy and would have
to be managed accordingly. Tasks would have to be more objective or goal oriented and
measures of job performance could no longer depend on face-to-face interaction, but rather
would have to be tied technology on the ability to complete assigned tasks.

It seems to be a common theme that information systems will change even more traditional
supervisory relationships. Computer networks allow people to communicate quickly, share
ideas, and transfer information without regard to physical locations, or to a reasonable extent,
even without regard to the temporal dimension. Therefore, a supervisor will be able to
monitor the activities of a larger number of subordinates without requiring them to report
directly to him/her. Main (1988) refers to this "span of control" as a measure of how many
individuals or teams that a supervisor can effectively manage. Main makes the point that such
spans will give way to "spans of communication" which he defines as the number of people
that an executive can reach through a good information system (Main, 1988, p.52). The use
of information systems can also impact the organisation’s relationship with other
organisations. The ability to gain information from others up or down a process or
distribution channel makes having control over that process or entity less of an issue. This is
especially true of organisations that may have considered a vertical integration strategy, but
now realize that "vertical integration becomes less necessary when organisations use
information systems imaginatively."(Main, 1988 P.51). The ability to share information and
the ease of transferring designs can also lead to an increase in outsourcing, which is a
growing trend as organisations try to reduce their own workforces and may find themselves
shorthanded.

The impact of technology on Communication

With all its benefits, the use of technology has taken almost the entire aspects of human
communication. At some point, employees should strive to avoid using technology in their
communication; as it has replaced vital features of communication that should be ignored.
Essentially, it is not advisable for employees who want to boost their interpersonal skills to
use technology for their entire communication needs. Face-to-face communication is dearly
important in helping individuals develop vital communication and interpersonal skills, which
are come to play in resolving conflict (Mekawi, 2013). For this reason, employees should
minimize communicating with each other using chats and text and seek face-to-to-face
communication whenever possible. Further, technological communication might not be best
for non-verbal communication situations. The ability of individuals to grasp non-verbal signs
of communication have been diminished by technology and minimum face-to-face
interactions. Finally, one should refrain from using technology while communicating to
employees who do not understand how the technology works. For instance, there are
employees who cannot operate a phone or a computer, leave alone using the internet for
communication. For effective communication to be achieved, the recipient of the sent
message should understand the contents of the text and give a viable response in return
(Mekawi, 2013). Any sense that using technology might break the process of communication
should call for the immediate dropping of the latter and focus on anything else that can work.
Further, there are cases of disabled individuals who cannot perceive advanced
communication gadgets, but simple visual signs.

The effectiveness of any organization’s communication systems forms an essential part of its
working. We have come a long way from handwritten letters to typewriters, to pagers, and
now tools like Emails, Skype and Messenger calls, Slack, and Workplace by FB to name a
few. The accessibility and instant availability to talk to anyone and at any place is what
makes technology an integral part of the workplace environment. Effective communication
channels like instant messaging and conference calls over internet contribute highly to work
productivity. As a result, the virtual office technology has removed workplace boundaries and
has led to business expansion faster than we thought.

If organization was a machine, it would work smoothly when oiled with effective and
transparent communication, both internally and externally. The effectiveness of any
organization’s communication systems forms an essential part of its working. The
accessibility and instant availability to talk to anyone and at any place is what makes
technology an integral part of the workplace environment. Emails, conference calls, Skype
calls, Messenger chatbots and various other channels of communication contribute highly to
work productivity. As a result, the virtual office technology has removed workplace
boundaries and has led to business expansions.

Tusubira and mulira (2004) found that it became necessary for organisations to integrate
technology into organisational functions in order to increase efficiency, cost-effectiveness,
and competitiveness. This finding is supported by multiple researchers who also found that
technology increased organisational productivity in some way or the other (kamaruzzaman et
al., 2010; kimathi, 2012; mortagy et al., 2005). According to lasrado and bagchi (2011),
hardly any business transaction currently occurs without it being captured digitally at some
point. Even though technology was present in the workplace almost two decades ago,
presently it is viewed as a basic necessity and its absence in the workplace causes major
dissatisfaction. Zorn et al. (2008:1) add that ‘work becomes more intense, workers are
displaced, surveillance increases, workers’ bargaining power is reduced and their skills (in
many cases) become obsolete, devalued, or constrained by technology-imposed structures’.

When considering the influence of technology on the personal lives of employees, papadakis
and collins (2001) mention that research is ‘extremely limited in scale and scope’ (p. 8). This
is supported by chesley and johnson (2010) who contend that this realm is still understudied.
The little research that exists only covers aspects such as time displacement, teleworking of
parents, psychological well-being, informatics and healthcare, and the influence of video
games on children (papadakis et al., 2001). Evidently there is a need for research on the
influence various forms of technology device usage can exert on individuals’ work and
personal domains.

Madden and jones (2008) indicate that technology influences individuals positively and
negatively. Some of these positive effects include employees’ improved ability to do their job
and to share ideas with co-workers, as well as more flexible working hours. The negative
effects include increasing work demands and hours, higher stress levels, and the difficulty to
disconnect from work when at home. Mobile phones also provide employers the opportunity
to be connected to their employees at all times (carroll et al., 2002), which erases the
separation line between work and personal time. These results show that technology may
influence an individual’s work domain and personal domain, as well as the relationships
within these domains.

From the information mentioned above, it is evident that various technology devices and
platforms have influenced society. However, people’s understanding of technology and its
influence in a broader sense is not well-documented. Schmidt et al. (2012) points out: how
individuals deal with technology in the 21st century remains a challenging issue, especially
nowadays when employees no longer focus on a single technology device, but have to
contend with multiple technology devices (e.g. Mobile phones, tablet computers, netbooks,
smartphones, laptops, and desktop computers). Moreover, the researchers who do investigate
the influence of technology on individuals or employees only focus on certain technology
devices or applications. Thus, to investigate the influence of technology in its broader sense,
on employees and their environments, the present research followed a qualitative approach.

REFERENCES

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