Balancing Technology and People - Coursework Example

Balancing technology, people and organisations in information systems development education. By Abdullah Abdulaziz Abdullah Alturki During the contemporary time of spectacular developments in information technology (IT) as well as information systems (IS), people in every organisation basically use these extraordinary features which are in most cases interrelated. A critical analysis of how people use both IT and Information Systems revealed a closely interrelated connection that can not be separated from each other. It was further noted that there should be a fine balance between information technology/systems and the people’s knowledge about how these ought to operate for optimum results in an organisation. The company’s IS performance is therefore largely determined by the people’s knowledge. It was therefore noted that there is every need to bridge the gap that may exist particularly in understanding systems as well as the technology involved hence the need for proper education. Introduction Information technology (IT) and information systems (IS) continue to dominate in today’s corporate environments and they have a significant impact on their operations. Information technology is one of the topical issues in doing business during the contemporary time. In the same vain, there is also need to educate people about these wonderful features of the latest developments in IT and IS so as to attain great results in business. IT and IS have improved dramatically since the invention of computers where information processing was still centralized and only accessible to a few individuals who had access to the computers. However, the scenario today has changed where there are many end-users who can also benefit from the developments in IT and Is. For instance many people had no direct link or access to any IS in an organisation but today that access has been made possible by the new technology in information technology. Many people within an organisation are more directly involved with the systems as they can navigate their own way of doing work via an interactive user interface, thus assuming more responsibility for their own applications. Thus, according to (Ives, Olson, & Baroudi, 1983) cited in Travica (2008), the ability to capture and measure end-user satisfaction serves as a tangible measure in determining the performance of the IS as well as IT function and services. It is therefore important to evaluate whether IS in an organization meet users’ expectations and there ought to be relevant knowledge about how the system operates. In this case, there is need to draw a balance between the people’s knowledge and the operations of technology and the systems used. In attempting to draw a balance in technology, people and organisations in information systems development education, it is imperative to explain the above key terms underlying the study topic so as to have a clear picture for the purposes of discussion. Most importantly, there is need to gain knowledge about how a balance in information systems on education can be achieved. Information system can be defined as a computer based system that provides information for supporting operations and decision making functions, (Awad 1988), cited in Strategic Management and Information systems (1994). Each organisation chooses a system that is compatible with its own operations. The system could as well make use of other external information that can be readily accessed online. On the other hand, information and technology can be explained as improved and upgraded computerized communication system that makes use of the internet which is a network of computers linked to each other by the aid of new communication technology as telecommunications. IT is aided by specifically designed software that supports the operation systems. One of the prime benefits of the internet is that it cut the costs of communications while increasing its efficiency. With special software it is possible to install programmes on the computer that can be effectively used to perform various tasks in an organisation. Today, the internet is the largest and widely used network in the world serving more than 600million people the world over (Castern, 2004). This new technology ought to be harnessed in the operations of business as a way of improving efficiency. It is therefore imperative that there should be some form of education tailored to meet the requirements of operating the latest operating systems that are given impetus by new information technology. Both IT and IS interact perfectly well and often go hand in hand. In fact it is difficult to separate the two hence they ought to be a fine balance between the two at whatever given time. Development of IS education also ought to take into consideration the general and basic knowledge about systems that can be easily understood by people especially in an organisation. It is also important to explain the significance of people in an organisation in an attempt to understand why there is need to educate them about information systems in education development. Basically the operations of any given organisation are determined by the performance of the people who work for that organisation. In order to gain knowledge of how people normally conduct themselves in their day today lives, it is imperative to understand their behaviour which is deeply entrenched in their culture and value systems. Thus according to David Drennan (1992:1), culture equals, ‘how things are done around here in an organisation.’ In this simplified definition of culture in the organisation, emphasis is on the way people conduct themselves on a daily basis. Basically, over a period of time in any given organisation, people develop particular ways of handling their recurrent day today work in the organisation and gradually this becomes the ‘accepted’ way of doing particular things. Therefore people from any given organisation are expected to conform to certain traditions and lifestyles that define their ways of doing business. However, of paramount importance is the fact that culture is changeable. Likewise the behavior of people is also subject to change as a result of various factors. During the contemporary days of massive developments in information and technology, the lives of almost everyone across the globe have been affected in one way or the other. The inevitable forces of new information and technological developments have affected every facet of human life including the operations of every company. Most of the work in companies is either done electronically or aided by the use of computers. In fact the age of computers is creating an environment where various operating systems can be employed to improve efficiency and accuracy in any given organisation. The internet has revolutionized how people do business and how they conduct themselves in their day today lives. In any organisation, these sweeping changes brought about by the latest developments cannot go unchecked. It is against this background that there should be a fine balance between people as well as the education they acquire in information systems as these two go hand in hand. For instance, at any given organisation the workers ought to log in a register or log book to show their attendance to work. Traditionally, this used to be done manually where each employee would first report to the reception then log in his or her details such as time of arrival at work and time of dismissal. However, with the advent of new computerized technology there is a system that can be used which is quite simple, accurate and user friendly at the same time. Instead of different individual employees doing their daily routines of going to the main reception area to log in the attendance register to work, some organisations now have an operating system whereby each employee would have a computerized tag that can be efficiently used to log on all the required details that used to be done manually. In this case there would be a computerized scan say at the main entrance whereby every employee would just need to swipe his or her tag then automatically that person is logged in. This system is not only efficient but very accurate in terms of actual time the person would have logged in. All the relevant details about each employee would be readily available in the computerized system. It is evident in this example that the employees are saved from the burden of writing all their details manually in the log book. The use of specially designed tags that are compatible with the system therefore saves time and is efficient. It is also accurate in terms of getting the exact time frames as there may be a tendency of lying on behalf of some unscrupulous employees who may provide fake details to their own advantage at the expense of the organisation. However, introducing a new system or technology to the organisation requires concerted effort especially at management level. According to Carsterns (2004), introduction of a new system can be met with resistance by employees preferring the traditional way of doing things. This may be a result of the general fear of the unknown especially by people hence the resistance to technology. Development of information system education should therefore be tailored in such a way to meet the needs and aspirations of end users for the sake of positive response. To understand how the system works on behalf of the employees in an organisation, it is useful for them to have at least a little background knowledge on the computer systems net work. There has to be some form of education to enlighten the members of the organisation about how the system works and its ultimate benefits to the whole organisation as a whole. Therefore every development in systems to be used by the members of the organisation, it is imperative to take into consideration the need to educate those same people about how it works for the benefit of every individual. Another issue of significant consideration of any system that is used in an organisation is the fact that it cuts across many organizational functions hence the need to have at least some little knowledge about how it works. If the system is clearly defined, then it becomes relatively easy for the rest of the people involved to act responsibly fully knowing the benefits as well as the consequences of using the computerized technology such that no one would be found wanting or on the wrong side of the expected conduct within an organisation Furthermore, as any other information system like in the example given above, a self-service system must be easy to use in order to achieve a higher adoption rate (Travica 2008). This principle becomes even more pronounced with self-service information systems as it would allow everyone to have a common goal towards fulfilling the objectives of the organisation. Teaching info systems require the creation of fundamental knowledge that is simple to understand and user friendly among the people in the organisation who are set to benefit from the use of the system. The information system used in the organisation sets the pace of development and should be given due recognition by all the members. Thus, information systems development education should target individuals from college level where they should be equipped with the correct knowledge about the operations of different information systems used in different organisations across the spectrum. In conclusion, it can be noted that from the above argument, technology, people and organisations are interrelated with the information systems that are used in different organisations. There should be a fine balance among the key aspects mentioned above as they often go hand in hand. Technology aids the development of compatible systems that are in turn set to benefit the people within the organisation. Therefore, development of education in information systems should primarily be simplified and set to be easily understood by whoever would be part of the organisation. In this case there should be a balance among technology, information systems as well as people in the organisation in developing education about information systems. References 1. David Drennan (1992), Transforming Company Culture: Getting your Company from where you are now to where you want to be, McGraw-Hill International, London. 2. Wendy Robson (1997), Strategic Management & Information Systems, 2nd Edition, Prentice Hall, Great Britain. 3. John Casterns & Pierre Lucouw (2004), E-Commerce in Practice, Corals Publishers, South Africa. 4. Bob Travica (2008), Journal of Information, Information Technology, and Organizations, Volume 3, Influence of Information Culture on Adoption of a Self-Service System, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. 5. Sulaiman Ainin and Nur Haryati Hisham (2008), Applying Importance-Performance Analysis to Information Systems: An Exploratory Case Study, Faculty of Business and Accountancy, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 6. Ballou Deborah J, Huguenard, Brian R (2008), The journal of information systems on education: Impact of students’ perceived computer experience on behavior and performance in introductory information systems course. Tech Republic. Read More