Technology and Organisation in Computer Industry - Essay Example

TECHNOLOGY AND ORGANIZATIONS Technology And Organizations Introduction Technology is a very important aspect in various sectors for individuals,society and the organization at large. Many individuals may wonder the importance of technology, especially to organizations which has an already established workforce, which run smoothly and does not use or see the need of technology. Technological organizations always strive to maintain and enrich many aspects and elements of their organization. An example is that an organization which handles a large number of data on a daily basis may decide to incorporate the use of computers among other elements to assist them in maintaining a keen record of the flow of resources and information within the organization. Apart from making work easy for the company, computers assist them in strict record keeping and quick and reliable filling for future reference. However, not all good related to computer or technology are always recommended, technology also has a set of drawbacks that when not properly use, might lead to disadvantages instead of the predicted advantages in any organization or workplace (JONES & SAAD, 2003). This paper examines technology and organization by looking at the case study of the computer industry. Body An examination of the case study of IBM reveals that the company dominated the computer industry by creating and producing products and services throughout the value chain. Their operations ranged from the production of microprocessor to the provision of solutions to computer problems experienced by customers. However, the advent over reliance on technology has led to an anti-social change in the vertical structure of IBM. The vertical structure of the company is experiencing change because the latest technology allows for members of coalitions to specialize in the area of expertise apart from their main field. In addition, the team structure use by IBM has also faced changes due to technological advancements therefore replacing the traditional hierarchical forms that were very critical in an organization. Technology has pushed the information era age of IBM to a new era because industries which did not incorporate technology into their operation failed in the process of operation due to the stiff competition posed by those companies applying technology in their own operations. This saw a sudden shift of organization in the wide use of technology to cut or have an edge on the competition with rival companies. The functional structure of IBM was rigid in the beginning, hence could not allow for the process of change at the right time. The old structure used by the organization was slow in terms of response and was characterised by low quality in its production of computer among other products and service for the whole company. However, later advancements and use of technology by the organization promoted its ability in increasing its use of IT therefore increasing their trends towards networking and client serving computing with the end result being productivity and quality in the organization’s operation. This was a huge step for the company and a leap from struggling days and to blissful days since the company was now experiencing a large productivity rate coupled with quality the: two elements necessary for the rapid growth of any organization or company(GAUTAM & BATRA, 2011). . The advancement of technology for the IBM company also pushed the company and customers to use computers as marketing tools as opposed to the use of traditional advertisement channels. Computers produced by the organization were found to be useful in carrying out processing information which was used for decision making processes by different parties concerned. The new organizational structure of the IBM organization raised the demand for new information systems and thus the organization was forced to use technology in developing new information systems for the computers which were being produced. Thus, information systems acted as a key factor in the organizational transformation of IBM and gave rise to the IBM that is known today. The nature of IBM as an organization was completely changed due to information technology systems that the company incorporated into their daily work routine. In the course of 1990s, IBM was forced to change its traditional organizational structures to align with the efficacy of the new Information Technology systems which were being discovered by the company. For an individual who does not work in the organization, the economics of a newly discovered IT system might be confusing as they may lack knowledge on how simple changes in the IT systems can influence the nature of the entire organization in a big way. For example a simple change in IT may mean an increase in productivity by one hundred to one thousand per day because of ease of access of information and automatic filling (GAUTAM & BATRA, 2011). IBM information systems and organizational structure over the years has increased twenty fold since the 1960s. The company has appreciated the importance of IT systems, therefore, has made large investments over the years and the major and key ones being between the period of 1970 and 1990. Computer produced by IBM three decades has ago been less significant, but over the decades, their significance has greatly increased. An example is that the first computers produced by IBM were large and were expensive as the power of information system was not developed as it today. However, the IT systems, simplified roles and task of the first mainframe computers into small portable gadgets like desktops and laptops. The process of change is not always an easy process for managers in organization to accept. This was the case of managers in the IBM organization faced in the past decades. IT systems have introduced downsizing ad price-reductions of basic computer technologies, therefore, companies like IBM were forced to reduce the prices of their computers making it easy and achievable for other organizations to own computers for their company operations. Thus the widespread use of computers to simplify the task by organizations. Benefits of the improved IT systems to IBM organization was that it enabled the organization to achieve client-server computing technology across functional and geographic locations as well (GOODMAN & SPROULL, 1990). For IBM new IT systems also improved the financial methodology which was being used by the organization. The importance of financial ability on the operations of the organization was basically reflected through their use of appropriate and efficient technologies. Incorporation of new information systems by the organization enabled it to apply appropriate technology and corrupt department, boundaries thus resulting in efficiency and productivity in the financial system strategies and methods used by the organization. The use of technology by IBM industry also promoted the efficacy and productivity of human capital. The organization used IT system to perform screening, recruiting and hiring potential candidates for different job descriptions present. Since most of the IT systems used in performing these tasks were efficient, the organization was able to select efficient individuals and productive resources as the chances of error making when using IT systems were limited. The information systems helped the organizations in making decisions of the selected process to use in production. The use of IT system also allowed IBM to increase efficiency in all of its operational and non operational sectors. The introduction of digital feelings and systems assisted the organization to economize on use of space, resources and other elements which were of great concern to the organization. IBM as the organization was capable of correcting mistakes which were committed in its different departments because of the use of computer systems which allowed the organization to perform instant correction of the mistakes committed. Conclusion In conclusion, the role of technology in organizations has been very resourceful in the development and production of new products. Technology has assisted organizations in developing resources and elements which are used in the control of various activities like the flow of data both internally and externally, managing resources and tracking processes of change in various segments or departments. The use of technology reduces the production cost for most organization because when its use is incorporated into an organization, then the number of employees employed will be limited as many tasks will be accomplished through the assistance of technology. An example is that before electronic voter systems were introduced, governments of countries were forced to spend heavily in buying human resources to assist in the process, however the introduction and use of an electronic system has cut down on the number of individuals employed to count votes thus cutting on the costs used. Moreover, Technology helps business operations by keeping them connected to suppliers, customers and their sales force. Because of its ability to streamline operating costs, technology delivers instant access to supplies and information, so businesses are better able to offer affordable pricing of goods and services without sacrificing quality. Bibliography GOODMAN, P. S., & SPROULL, L. (1990). Technology and organizations. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. INFORMATION RESOURCES MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION, & KHOSROW-POUR, M. (2002). Issues & trends of information technology management in contemporary organizations. Hershey, PA, Idea Group Publishing. http://libaccess.mcmaster.ca/login?url=http://www.infoscionline.com/content/tocVolume s.asp?ID=409. JONES, M., & SAAD, M. (2003). Managing innovation in construction. London, Thomas Telford. GAUTAM, V., & BATRA, S. (2011). Organisation development systems: a study in organisation behaviour and organisation management. New Delhi, Concept Pub. Co. Read More