Socio-Technical Design of Knowledge Work - Essay Example

? Socio-technical design of knowledge work: a case study The case study is based on a public insurance company seeking to switch from its paper based work processes to E-File, an electronic document management system. This new system would see to an upgrade of the company’s technological system to incorporate a system that would allow for data integration, imaging and automated flow of work (Painter, 1). In order to achieve this, the company had to involve its entire staff in the accomplishment of the task at hand. Throughout the various stages involved in this case study, its success was highly shaped by the organization’s social system. Before the E-File system was adopted by the company, its workers were frustrated with the level of service they received. The workers termed this as “deteriorating service” as their issues were not addressed in time. Those that were injured at work had to wait for a long period of time for their claims to be processed, a process that was greatly tiring and time consuming. This meant that the level of relationship between the workers and the organization’s administration was strained. However, the adoption of the new technological system was a breath of fresh air to all. The E-File system was swift and convenient. The workers claims could now be processed in a timely manner. This helped in saving time for both the workers and the management, a time that could now be used in carrying out other organizational activities (Golden-Biddle, 2). According to Golden-Biddle (2), human beings organize themselves into the different kinds of social groupings they interact with in everyday situations. In this case, the workplace can be considered as a social grouping in which the company workers associate with everyday. When carrying out the transition from the paper based work processes into the more technical E-File system, the company’s social system played a vital role in shaping its final outcome (Parker, 6). As such, the company’s staff was in a position to consult amongst one another on how the new system worked. Though much of the staff was already highly skilled on the new tasks at hand, those that did not understand the technical aspect of the new system were in a position to learn from those that already had more knowledge and expertise in the system. This ensured that no worker was left behind in the evolution from the paper based process into the new paperless system. At the same time, the workers were in a position to learn how the system worked from a much better perspective when taught by their co-workers than from the technical experts. The insurance management understood that it would highly depend on the ability and willingness of its employees to develop new work practices and skills in order for this new project to take effect. This meant that the organization had to find ways through which any interference or hindrance to these changes could be eliminated (Stebbins & Shani, 17). As such, the company devised new ways through which they could appeal to the employees socially and dampen whatever fears they had in regards to the project. In order to achieve this, the company recognized the need for reassure its workers that they would not be affected by the technological changes. To this effect, the insurance company negotiated a provision within the collective employment agreement and a wage protection for its entire staff that would be affected by the technological change within the organization (Parker, 5). In this case, the technical system interacted perfectly with the social system in shaping the outcome of this new project. After the implementation of these new provisions, more workers embraced the new system. This is because they felt that their social surroundings were safe and were not on the verge of collapsing (Stebbins & Shani, 28). This new agreement demonstrated that the employees would be given the support and time that they would require to learn how the new systems worked. By being reassured of their wages and jobs even after the implementation of the new system, the workers gladly accepted the E-File technical system. This allowed the management of the company to focus on other matters such as how to ensure that the new technology and the organization functioned hand in hand rather than spending most of their resources on influencing the workers to accept the new technology. The company also employed a social kind of training system (Kovel-Jarboe, 62). The introduction of the new system meant that the employees had to learn an entirely new medium of performing their jobs. Most of the employees also had to learn how to perform their duties in an entirely new location. During the pilot stage of this new system, the computers were made available to the workers a few weeks before the actual system came into effect. The company also employed an external trainer to train the employees on basic computer skills and E-File application. By employing this technical system, the company ensured that the employees were familiar with what they would be working in before the system could fully come into effect. As such, this period allowed the company’s staff to develop interest into the new system, how it operated and how to carry out basic functions in the new system (Kovel-Jarboe, 62). At the same time, the company ensured that all staff was in position to carry out basis computer functions so as to ensure that no employee was left out when the actual training of the new E-File system began (Parker, 8). At the end of the day, no employee was locked out of the training and in understanding how the system worked. This ensured that the new project was easily and quickly embraced by all as the entire staff knew how the system worked. The technical system was, however, faced with some critical challenges. Despite the ability of the standardized documentation to reduce a worker’s workload and facilitate easier review and analysis of lengthy files, the potential benefits of the system cannot be easily established (Painter, 11). The initiative and the quality of individual judgment initially employed by individual employees could not be fully exercised any more. This is because the new system offered the individual officers and users of the system with various option through which they could carry out their roles in the organization. This means that the creative capability of an individual will not be fully appreciated and recognized. This meant that the company could now stop functioning from personalized approaches and begin functioning as a technical institution. The integration of the technical system into an organization that was relied purely on its social system allowed the company to align itself with current and up-to-date business processes. The organization was now in a better place to save the time it lost in carrying out certain processes such as data entry and processing staff claims (Painter, 11). The new system allowed the system to work in a much efficient and effective manner in which the staff could access files much easier, process claims at a much faster rate and still maintain their social ties at the same. As such, the final outcome of the project propelled the organization into a new level of business enterprising and processes that ensured that the company remained competent in its performance and the achievement of its objective. Works cited Cabana, S. (1997). Journal for quality and participation. Collections: entire library Golden-Biddle, K. (2013). How to change an organization without blowing it up. Retrieved on 23 November, 2013 from http://www.sloanreview.mit.edu Kovel-Jarboe, P. (1996). Quality improvement: strategy planned for organizational change. 1996. Retrieved on 23 November, 2013 from http://www.ideals.illinois.edu Painter, B. (2009). Socio-technical design of knowledge work: a case study. Collections: entire library Stebbins, M. W. & Shani, A. B. (1999). The Journal of knowledge management practice. Collections: entire library Read More