The Emerging and Evolving Information Technology Mechanism - Research Paper Example

s The emerging and evolving Information technology mechanism has far reaching implications on human development. Since the human development indicators, especially with respect to the on-work portfolios of the task force comes under the domain of societal infrastructure. Therefore, a more recent propagation of research now focuses on the inter-relationship of technical aspects of work tasks to the social aspects of prevalent in the workforce. In other words, the interrelationship between technology and social factors in work place scenarios has sought way for the emergence of a new field of research and development, i.e. sociotechnical systems (STS). In other words, the field recognizes the essence of complicated work designed impacted by technical development which in turn influences the modes of interaction amongst the people at the workplace (Fader, Painter & Barnes 2003). To further demonstrate the point and to offer a critical analysis of the central thesis posed by the STS theorists, the Painter`s Case Study would be taken as a test case which would enable an insight on the various perspectives of the field. Painter observed and reported on the developments of a an ‘E-File System’ which had replaced a long standing paper based mechanisms, which in turn influenced human aspects of job development thereby confirming the STS theory hypothesis. In other words, it may be argued that the social development readily follows the pathway of technical innovation in any industry which confirms the simultaneous propagation of both the variables to leave a holistic impact on the industry. Since the social factors can also comprise of negative developments along with positive developments as well, the paper will aim at exploring various STS generalized principles via commenting on Painter`s Case Study. The Sociotechnical theory implies that the social as well as the technical developments in a firm don`t take place in an isolated environment. Instead, in any of the scenarios at a work place, there is an inherent system in place which depicts how the social and technical factors interact and shape the overall direction of the workplace. In other words, the theory offers a wider explanation and an interactional model which explains how the technical changes in a firm call for moderation and alteration in job specifications and requirements of the organizational structure (Chiang, Saiu &Hardgrave 2011). This change in tasks in turn interacts with the human factor in the firm i.e. directly impacts the structure of human development and the social interaction patterns amongst the work force. In turn, a system level change can be felt inside the firm which implies that technical optimization of task force often also leads towards a redesign of another subsystem i.e. the social system. Therefore, the sociotechnical thinking is an integrated approach which argues that technical instruments aren`t merely related to economic objectives of the firms, instead they also impact the humanistic perspectives, thereby influencing the behavioral dimensions of the firm (Salmon 2004). The theory is very well explicated via Painter`s Cast Study which also offers a general explanation to similar scenarios in other firms as well. Painter`s Case organization is an insurance company which previously dealt with claims operators, customer services tasks, clerical tasks and other more specialized tasks separately. However, one variable saw a drastic change in the system, i.e. the paper handling procedure was replaced with an ‘E-File’ system which implied that the entire chain of data was now available on a computer. This called for humanistic or rather personnel development in the organization where the staff was trained to utilized the new system. As a result, a drastic development in job tasks, on-job responsibilities and behavioral patterns took place. The clerical tasks were now synchronized with specialized tasks like complaint handling and customer services representation. In addition, an added synchronization was also required amongst the specialized taskforce to complete their tasks with accuracy. Therefore, the organization saw a complete advancement in the entire sociotechnical dimension of the firm. The case can also be generalized to other similar firms since an added technical change in an organization will always require modifications in the skill set and working patterns of the work force, and as a result the system will undergo immense transformation (Matte & Silva 2005). As demonstrated earlier as well, the public insurance company saw successes and failures simultaneously as a result level change impacted by the sociotechnical innovations which took place. This implies that when the white collar employees were interviewers over the user feasibility and humanistic developments followed by the incorporation of E-File system in the firm, most of them portrayed positive developments with regard to job specifications and user feasibility with respect to the new system in place (Painter 2004). These employees reported advancement in their career projection goals, a specified job description and a better synchronization amongst employees further adding to the consolidation of the workforce. However, these employees also reported various issues which can also be predicated as failures to the technical projects undertaken by the senior management of the firm. That is, these employees reported an added range of job responsibilities, confusion with the paper file system which was also still in place and also various other issues like sight related functional difficulties and even role reversals which were hard to catch up to. However, with respect to the evolution that took place, it can be comprehended that the positive developments superseded the failures which implies that the sociotechnical system underwent a successful revival, and therefore it may also be generalized. Therefore, it may also be concluded that various factors interact actively in a sociotechnical system, paving way for issues as well as innovation, however, the success of the system lies in an effective resolution of these conflicts. Conclusively, sociotechnical theory implies that any workplace is composed of various subsystems which interact to produce system level changes in the organization. In this context, the technical system has a very closer interrelationship with the social system, and therefore change in the former leaves lasting effects on the latter. Therefore, whenever a firm sees a technical change, the firm should be weary of the fact that issues and conflicts would emerge in the social subsystem, however the economic results of the technical change would only lie in the successful resolution of these conflicts and also by effective management of the personnel underscoring the humanistic and behavioral perspectives of the workforce to see an exhilarating innovation in the organization which has many benefits. The Painter`s Case study only further proves the point being argued in the paper and demonstrate how the insurance company was able to create a positive space for its employees where the workforce saw a drastic improvement not only in their professional endeavors but also in a personal space; a scenario which can aptly be replicated in other firms as well. Works Cited: Chiang, R., Siau, K., & Hardgrave, B. C. (2011). Systems analysis and design: People, processes and projects. Armonk, N.Y: M.E. Sharpe. FADEM, J. A., PAINTER, B., & BARNES, G. (2003). Engineering for commitment sociotechnical design of work and Lou Davis. Los Angeles, UCLA Institute of Industrial Relations and UCLA Instructional Media. MATÉ, J. L., & SILVA, A. (2005). Requirements engineering for sociotechnical systems. Hershey, PA, Information Science Pub. http://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=226064. Painter, B. (2004). Socio-technical design of knowledge work: A case study.The encyclopedia of human—computer interaction. Great Barrington, MA: Berkshire Publishing Group. SALMON, P. M. (2009). Distributed situation awareness theory, measurement and application to teamwork. Farnham, England, Ashgate. http://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=476274. Read More