Technology in Work Place - Research Paper Example

Technology in Work Place What is the technology? Technology is defined as the application of scientific knowledge to develop something new and innovative. The use of technology is visible in almost every industry in the world. According to Grübler (8) technology is defined as the development, modification and application of knowledge tools, techniques, and methods for the purpose of solving complex problems, improvising on a pre-existing solution and achieving various kinds of goals. The term technology is specified to the subjects of concern as for example, medical technology, construction technology, information technology and networking technology to name a few. Technology therefore has profound effects on the human being as well as the other species of this world. With the unmatched development of technology, business houses have also started taking interest in the implementation of technology for the purpose of enhancing the efficiency of business. The most common technologies used by the companies nowadays for the purpose of enhancing the efficiency are video conferencing, virtual office technology and social networks. With these technologies, workplace boundaries have actually expunged. Furthermore, with the implementation of technology, companies now get the opportunity to target wider customer base and can reach out to many geographical places of the world (Hanks 14-18). What are its promises? The advancement of technology promises people to show more efficient ways of doing the work. For instance, the education system has advanced to a great extent with the development of computers and laptops. In the similar way, the business houses have also experienced tremendous benefits for the development of technology. Companies have been able to take their business on a global scale in the most efficient form and in the most cost effective way. Technology also promises to improve the following fields. Improved Communication: Improving the communication at work place is one of the basic necessities of organizations. In this context, technology can be useful in improving the communication infrastructure of the company. Earlier, communication among the workers used to take place with the help of wired telephone lines and off late mobile phones and fax. However, robust development of technology has facilitated companies to shift to more modern communication systems (Clarke 16-24). Human Capital: - With the development and implementation of improved technologies, companies nowadays are able to embrace better human resource. This is generally achieved through the improved efficiency of screening, recruitment and hiring. The performance and performance appraisal is also carried out with improved technology. The concept of balanced scorecard and 360 degree appraisal method are some of the examples of technology in improving the capacity of human resources. Greater Efficiency: technology is indispensible in increasing the efficiency of the company. Technology has not only provided companies with the opportunity to improve efficiency but has also helped in maintaining high productivity. What are some potential down side of these new technologies and trends? In today’s world, where everything is just about accessible and more convenient due to the advancements in technology, it seems that continued development will be inevitable. Stepping into the 21st century has allowed mankind to experience some of the most unbelievable things. However, authors have mentioned that when the other side of this development is considered, technology can be a cause of destruction, if not used properly (Baldauf and Stair 22-24). Despite a number of applications and advantages, there are potential down side of the new technologies and trends. Some of the obvious downsides are detailed below: - Dependency: - The dependency on technology in increasing at a robust rate. The more technological advancement being experienced by the society, the dependence of people on technology simultaneously increases. As for example, when a machine breaks down or a system crashes the activities of human beings get completely paused until and unless the same is recovered. Such kind of dependencies makes people less self-reliant and thus acts as a disadvantage. Less Value in Human Workers: - With the development of technology, human workers retain less value. This acts as one of the disadvantages of the technological disadvantages. Since machines are meant for automating the processes and also have the ability to carry out the work of 10 people at a time. As a result of that companies recruit less people to remain cost effective. Thus technological advancements sometimes negatively impact the society. Some of the other adverse effects of technology on human being are that it causes laziness, obesity, openings to violate privacy and it can create destructive tools and equipments such as the nuclear reactors etc. Therefore, from the above discussion, the inference which can be drawn is that technology should be used carefully as well as ethically so as to minimize its negative impacts. How has the technology changed your life and society? Technology has been instrumental in changing the life and society. In the last five years, technology has been rapidly expanding and changing in every sphere of business. For example, the emergence of smart phones, automation technologies, and e-commerce are some of the examples of technological excellence that has made significant impact in the life of consumers. Earlier, people used to communicate with the help of either letters or telegrams, but the rapid expansion of technology and emergence of internet has made it possible for human being to connect with others in the real time. In the similar way, emergence of e-commerce has allowed business houses to carry out non-stop transaction and users to carry out shopping activities without any limitation of time and distance (Salter 10-12). From the point of view of the society, technology has played crucial roles in creating a communication bridge. The emergence o social networking sites such as facebook, twitter, orkut and LinkedIn has offered users with the opportunity to communicate with others. Furthermore, some of the other example that establishes the fact technology has changed life and society is the emergence of satellite radio, cable/satellite TV, smart phones etc. How has the technology promoted efficiency? Technology, in any sphere of business or society is generally implemented for the purpose of enhancing the efficiency and the overall productivity. A number of scholars have suggested that implementation of technology is important for increasing the efficiency. In case of a business, scholars and industry experts put emphasis on the fact that implementation of technology for the purpose of maximizing the business productivity helps in developing a platform so as to realize true business success. For example, implementation of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) has improved the communication infrastructure of the companies to a great extent. Improved communication in turn has allowed companies to achieve greater efficiency. In addition, performance evaluation tools have allowed managers to evaluate the performance of employees and accordingly frame strategies to motivate them and improve their individual productivity (Goel 2-3). With the availability of computers, an individual can carry out numerous tasks in a short span of time, which would have been difficult to achieve without technology. The business houses get the opportunity to analyze their performance with the help of technology. Hence from these discussions it is evident that implementation of technology will promote efficiency for an organization as well as an individual. How has the technology changed others you know? Technology has impacted the life of every individual and not remained restrained to any particular individual or a group. Hence, somehow technology has changed every individual. One of the most evident changes that have been observed or has changed others is the pattern of communication (Gao 1-40). In addition, the way of doing work has also changed drastically. For example, the most popular communication medium used to be mobile phones. However, slowly it is shifting to social networking and other technology based mediums. In the similar way, manual working has been greatly replaced by automation and digitization that in turn have changed the individuals. What is the future of the technology? Technology has a profound effect on the daily life of human beings. Earlier, the dependency of on technology was much less, but innovation has now reached a level that reliance on technology has been like never before. According to the trends, this dependency will increase in the coming years. A number of scholars have dubbed technology as the “new power source” of the 21st century and also stated that it strongly impacts the way of thinking and leading life (Jagoda 3-7). The future of technology is something which is beyond the imagination and is something which is yet to be experienced by the human being. Already technology has reached a point which allows discovery of some of the most enthralling products. Although it is impossible to predict the future of technology as foreseeing the future is an unattainable task, but reasonable arguments can be made on the basis of trends and advancements in technology. It can be predicted that information technology will continue to become stronger. In addition, other areas such as nanotechnology, automation technology and biotechnology will continue to develop. In the similar way, experts have mentioned that robotics technology is another area which will bring revolution. Works Cited Baldauf, Kenneth J. and Ralph M. Stair. Succeeding with Technology. Connecticut: Cengage Learning, 2010. Print. http://books.google.co.in/books?id=87r3mqIlJ30C&dq=technology&source=gbs_navlinks_s Clarke, David. Theory of Technology. New Jersey: Transaction Publishers, 2005. Print. http://books.google.co.in/books?id=beiUC_jUaTwC&printsec=frontcover&dq=technology&hl=en&sa=X&ei=izpVUoG2N4f7rAfFvYGACQ&ved=0CE0Q6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=technology&f=false Gao, Jerry. “Introduction to e- commerce”. 1999. PDF File. http://www.engr.sjsu.edu/gaojerry/course/cmpe296u/296z/introduction.pdf. Goel, Ritendra. E-Commerce. New Delhi: New Age International, 2007. Print. https://www.google.co.in/search?q=Goel%2C+R.+(2007).+E-Commerce.+New+Delhi%3A+New+Age+International&oq=Goel%2C+R.+(2007).+E-Commerce.+New+Delhi%3A+New+Age+International&aqs=chrome..69i57.532j0j7&sourceid=chrome&espvd=210&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8#es_sm=122&q=Goel%2C+(2007).+E-Commerce.+&tbm=bks. Grübler, Arnulf. Technology and Global Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003. Print. http://books.google.co.in/books?id=MqIQUV3nJrAC&dq=technology&source=gbs_navlinks_s Hanks, Craig. Technology and Values: Essential Readings. New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons, 2009. Print. http://books.google.co.in/books?id=BgYc9_ldWFYC&dq=technology&source=gbs_navlinks_s Jagoda, Kalinga. “The use of electronic commerce by SMEs”. Entrepreneurial Practise Review 1. 3 (2010): 36-47. http://www.entryerson.com/epr/index.php/jep/article/view/45 Salter, Chris. Entangled: Technology and the Transformation of Performance. Michigan: MIT Press, 2010. Print. http://books.google.co.in/books?id=ZBJbIP0fMr0C&dq=technology&source=gbs_navlinks_s Read More