Impact of Work Place Technology - Research Paper Example

Impact of Work Place Technology Table of Contents Introduction/Initial Proposal 3 Feasibility Study Plan and Results 4 Methodology 4 Findings 6 Conclusions and Recommendations 9 References 10 10 Bibliography 12 Introduction/Initial Proposal In the present day business context, apparent changes can be observed to take place within every organizational workplace, which is fundamentally considered as major consequence of continuous impacts led by technological innovation. It is worth mentioning in this context that through technological developments, it has become quite easy for every organization to communicate with its external environmental elements in accordance with its internal strengths as well as weaknesses and thereby obtaining greater flexibility to satisfy the continuously altering needs of the customers in the worldwide context. Contextually, the major drivers of technology involvement in the organizations can be identified as the rapid technology innovations, altering customers’ preferences, increasing customer awareness and subsequently enhancing competition. Although such issues have mostly been related with the product centric industries, similar aspects are also quite common in the context of service industry settings (Fine, 2003). Notably, the role of Information Communication Technology (ICT), in today’s modern day context, can be well illustrated with reference to the operational processes of the UK police department. It is believed that with the help of ICT inclusion in the operational activities of the UK police, the organization will be able to obtain greater flexibility in terms of its flow of information and thereby, assist the department to implement necessary actions in order to ensure the safety of the society. For instance, ICT inclusion in its operational processes helps the service organization with unified communication system through which the UK police can obtain accurate information and thereby take instant actions in response to the safety issue (Home Office, n.d.). Feasibility Study Plan and Results The aim of this study is to analyse how ICT helps the UK police to fight against the crime and ensure community safety. The study will further attempt to identify the strategies adopted by the UK police when utilizing ICT in order to obtain necessary information. It is worth mentioning in this regard that when collecting adequate data, both secondary as well as primary sources can be considered as equally essential to conduct this study successfully. However, in order to obtain primary sources it is necessary to conduct a face-to-face interaction with the police department officials where various types of security related issues can be identified in terms of limited accessibility to in-depth data owing to confidentiality. It can also be assumed that the data obtained through face-to-face interaction with the police department officials will not be much elaborative than the published information owing to confidentiality concerns. Therefore, in order to successfully accomplish the objectives of this study, it is necessary to rely upon secondary sources such as published official documents and online information which can be helpful to evaluate the influence of ICT within the UK police department. Methodology In order to attain the desired research aim, it is necessary to rely upon secondary sources for the data gatheration process following a qualitative research approach. Adhering to this particular approach, a descriptive research analysis can also be taken into consideration in order to satisfy the purposes of this study. Through these research approaches, the official documents were interpreted which further assisted in identifying the challenges raised by the utilization of ICT. Hence, by obtaining an understanding of the benefits as well as the challenges of incorporating ICT, the effect of technology within the workplace of UK police department was identified from a rational point of view. Furthermore, through the incorporation of the descriptive data analysis process, it became quite easier to obtain relevant information regarding the importance of ICT within the operational system and correspondingly upon the workplace environment of the UK police department (Home Office, n.d.). Based on these concerns, the entire study process was conducted following a step-by-step procedure in a structured manner. For instance, the study was instigated with the identification of a practical life example in order to identify the technology influences upon modern day workplaces. In this regard, the application of ICT in the UK police department was considered as a noteworthy case example. The next step of the study emphasised on determining its objectives which would further render significant strength to the structural base of the entire research. Correspondingly, the research methodology was defined taking into account the probable challenges to be faced when investigating in the workplace of the UK police department. In the next step, comprehensive investigation through secondary information sources, i.e. the reports published by the UK police was performed which led to the formation of a descriptive analysis of the obtained data. The entire research process has been further illustrated with the help of a Gantt chart below. Figure: Gantt chart of the Progress of the Study Findings The UK police department utilizes ICT in order to obtain the benefits of audio-visual telephonic communication with the help of computer networks so as to get access to immediate requirements of the community and thereby ensure greater safety to the entire society. Today, the operations of the UK police department have become heavily depended on the Information Technology progresses in order to recover accurate and updated data regarding evidences, criminals and complex cases (NPIA, 2011). It is worth mentioning in this context that such information creates a burden on the workforce of the police department to stay alert and responsive to the information received through the communication system. Another major influence of the technology inclusion in the workplace environment of the UK police department can be identified in terms of the increased requirement of trained and technology conscious workforce. From a generalised perspective, it can be apparently observed that technology inclusion can make the Human Resource Management (HRM) process more complex within an organizational context (Bouwman & et. al., 2005). It is worth mentioning in this regard that ICT has been applied in almost every division of the UK police department with the assistance of The Information System Improvement Strategy (ISIS). Notably, ISIS is regarded as a kind of reform programme which was developed by the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) in order to deliver superior ICT services for the entire UK police department. With the help of ISIS, the UK police has been able develop an ICT infrastructure through which officers from various levels, irrespective of geographic limitations can utilise this system in a cost effective manner and subsequently enhance the communication links in order to indentify the criminal activities throughout the nation (NPIA, 2011). Although the inclusion of ICT systems have raised certain degree of complexities and workload upon the workforce of the UK police department, it has become an inseparable facet of the sector in order to indentify the crime and take necessary actions as immediate response to the events. To be specific, ICT helps and supports the front line police officers through various technological tools such as portable radios, Personal Digital Assistance (PDA) and palmtop computers among others to obtain updated information regarding the happenings all around the society. Furthermore, ICT also facilitates the recipients, i.e. the front-line officials to handle emergency calls in a flexible manner so that the officers can implement early strategies in order to tackle with crime (Jowitt, 2011). Additionally, through this technology, middle level officers of the department attempt to maintain updated and well-sorted databases of criminal records, intelligence investigations and crime mapping activities among others. It also assists the other supportive official divisions in the UK police department such as HR division to effectively manage the payroll system in better coordination with the accounting division. Emphasising on these advantages of ICT, it can be affirmed that technology has emerged as the backbone of the UK police department which delivers innovative direction of job activities through advanced computer application programs (Jowitt, 2011; Black & Lynch, 1997). Apart from these aforementioned benefits, ICT also possesses certain limitations which are led to damage necessary information due to online virus transmission and hacking. Rapid utilization of ICT can create the possibilities of information leakage which can further cause significant disruptions in terms confidentiality of the data stored. Additionally, even though ICT helps to improve the efficiency of the entire communication system, it also raises certain privacy issues such as communication signal interception, information hacking and various other IT related complexities. Owing to these concerns, the workplace environment of the UK police department has been transformed with greater focus upon internal training related to technology usage. Officials associated with the sector are thereby trained with the application of various ICT measures to obtain increased efficiency in dealing with the entire system (Jowitt, 2011). Conclusions and Recommendations The core idea that emerges from the above discussion advocates that ICT plays an imperative role to support and improve the operational activities within the workplace of a modern day organization such as the UK police department. Through ICT, every business organization can enhance its working activities ensuring the deliverance of reliable information. It is worth mentioning in this context that technology inclusion causes significant influences on the overall workplace environment by a large extent. As can be witnessed in the case of the UK police department, the inclusion of ICT in almost every dimension of the organization has led to increased complexities in relation to its HRM practices and higher need for training facilities to educate the officials regarding the appropriate use of such technology measures. Understanding the limitations, or rather the complexities of such technology influences on the workforce, it can be suggested that the UK police department should render greater significance to develop a secured data transmission system which would be managed by professional officials from the department. This would further minimise the work pressure upon the other officials caused due to the imposition of technology related responsibilities along with the duties to compel by their core professional areas. Apart from rendering adequate training to the officials regarding the utilization of the technology, they should also be informed regarding its limitations so that they can understand the criticality of using such measures. References Black, S. & Lynch, L., 1997. How to Compete: The Impact of Workplace Practices and Information Technology on Productivity. Discussion Paper No. 376. Bouwman, H. & et. al., 2005. Information and Communication Technology in Organizations: Adoption, Implementation, Use and Effects. SAGE Publication. Fine, A. H., 2003. Evaluating the Impact of Information Technology. Innovation Network. [Online] Available at: http://www.innonet.org/client_docs/File/Eval_tech.pdf [Accessed January 21, 2013]. Home Office, No Date. A New Approach to Police ICT. New Police ICT Company. [Online] Available at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/police/police-it/ [Accessed January 21, 2013]. Jowitt, T., 2011. Home Office to Create Police ICT Procurement Company. Tech Week Europe. [Online] Available at: http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/news/home-office-to-create-police-ict-procurement-company-33506 [Accessed January 21, 2013]. NPIA, 2011. Information Systems Improvement Strategy (ISIS). National Policing Improvement Agency. [Online] Available at: http://www.npia.police.uk/en/12730.htm [Accessed January 21, 2013]. Bibliography Krammer, J. W. & et. al., 2013. The Role of the Information and Communications Technology Sector in Expanding Economic Opportunity. The President and Fellows of Harvard College. [Online] Available at: http://www.hks.harvard.edu/m-rcbg/CSRI/publications/report_22_EO%20ICT%20Final.pdf [Accessed January 21, 2013]. Technology Strategy Board, 2011. Information and Communication Technology. Executive Summary. [Online] Available at: http://www.innovateuk.org/_assets/pdf/corporate-publications/ict%20strategy.pdf [Accessed January 21, 2013]. US General Service Administration, 2013. Innovative Workplaces: Benefits and Best Practices. Executive Summary. [Online] Available at: http://www.gsa.gov/graphics/pbs/Innovative_Workplaces-508_R2OD26_0Z5RDZ-i34K-pR.pdf [Accessed January 21, 2013]. Read More