Management, Innovation and New Technology - Literature review Example

Topic:  Management, Innovation and New Technology Lecturer: Presentation: Introduction The society continues to be transformed in terms of financial well-being, social and political aspects as a result of various factors that have an impact on the way that people live as well as how they relate with one another. The process is influenced by humans in their quest for improvement of their living standards. It is usually difficult to realize the changes are occurring, and most of the signs of social change are ignored. The society tends to strive to accomplish justice and equality whereby each individual is expected to have access to basic needs. The change process is facilitated by the presence of groups of people who share common problems such as poverty, disability and generally the pursuit of better means of doing things such as communicating and traveling among others. Organizational change on the other hand takes place mainly for the purpose of developing strategies for the improvement of organizational performance. Changes occur in the organizational processes as new technology is introduced to increase effectiveness. The employees also adjust to make use of the new system that makes their work easier. New technology is often seen as the primary agent of social and organizational change but technological change is itself a thoroughly social phenomenon. This essay presents a critique of this view of technology, with reference to the computer technology and mobile telephony as well as the theoretical perspectives on technology, society and organization. Social, Organizational and Technological Change The Actor-network theory of technology puts forward a diverse interconnection between people and machines whereby both are viewed as integral parts in organizational processes (Gomulka, 2009). They are inter-related in the sense that the people use technology to make their work more efficient and easy to accomplish. This means that without the technology, people are unable to work faster and the overall organizational performance remains low. On the other hand, machines can not work without the presence of a person to operate them. There is need to have someone to control the inputs and ensure that the desired outputs are accomplished, failure to which the machine may be adjusted to produce what is needed by the person. This inter-connection is significant in the accomplishment of organizational objectives (Williams, 2002). Before introduction of technology within the society, people used to work and produce commodities for sale. However, the efficiency was low and production minimal. The emergence of industries whereby the production process was highly mechanized, invention of advanced means of transport and communication affected the social arrangement of communities globally, and has been significant in the social change that has been witnessed since the industrial revolution. This theory postulates that human beings would be better placed if they readily accepted technology to make their work more efficient. Kline (2000) observes that the social and organizational changes that are witnessed in the contemporary society. When people focus on new technology as the sole cause of the social changes, they may be ignoring the fact that technology comes as a result of the inventiveness of humans, and it is usually not developed indefinitely. Rather, it is usually developed for a purpose, which is mainly meant to help humans to solve a problem that has been a hindrance to their performance (Bourriau & Phillips, 2004). In essence, people may be unable to perform a particular task, but are in a capacity to develop a machine that can replace them in performing a particular task and even perform better and faster. When production increases due to the emergence of new technology, the standards of living for the people improve, thereby causing social change. On the other hand, organizational processes have to be adjusted for the new technology to fit in the system. In other words, the social change, as Smith (2002) observes can be attributed to the quest by man to improve the standards of living other than on new technology. Technology itself is a social phenomenon that is based on the reason that without humans, it can not be accomplished. For example, the inception of computer technology was meant to improve the efficiency of employees in organizations. This technology is a major boost to the memory of a human being whereby much data can be stored without being lost even for a long period of time in which a human being may not be in a capacity to handle at the same time. Coccia (2009) observes that critics may at times view the use of technology to perform tasks that were initially meant for humans as an undesirable practice of anthropomorphism. However, it can be viewed in a different perspective the presence of vital components in the process of production that help humans to accomplish their objectives. For example, the tedious accounting problems that organizations are faced with have in the last several decades been simplified through the introduction of computers in the accounting systems of organizations. In such a case, it needs to be understood that the changes that have been witnessed in organizations are not as a result of new technology. Rather, they are as a result of the creativity of man to improve the organizational competitiveness (Gertler & Wolfe, 2002). The issues that are faced in organizations are mainly in the situations whereby the people who are in charge of utilizing the new technology for organizational objectives to be realized are not well versed, thereby creating difficulties that generate the perception that technology is a replacement for humans, which makes work more difficult and stressful. For example, computer technology may lead to errors if not applied properly, which in turn can lead to loss of data. On the other hand, its applications in organizations require adjustments to be made to accommodate the emerging technology (Bourriau & Phillips, 2004). However, technological advancement is an indicator of the organizational management’s innovativeness to make it possible for the staff’s capacity to be improved through provision of computer aided processes. In other words, though technological advancements improve the efficiency of production processes, they are not the major causes of organizational change. It is usually the management that changes the operations to accommodate new technology to maintain productivity. Although technological advancement generates a lot of debate regarding the notable changes it has caused on various social systems, Williams (2002) observes that there is need to establish the major reason why people have changed their living styles to such an extent before focusing on new technology as the cause of change. In businesses, it is the management that seeks new technology to improve organizational operations. For this reason, it is responsible for any changes that occur in the system. More over, organizations usually undergo an evolution process. At the time of their inception, they are usually not as advanced in terms of machinery as they are after several years of business. This evolution process generates organizational change. For example, when an organization reaches a break even point, the management begins to focus on expansion strategies, which means that if the competitors are producing at a higher level, a business has to ensure that it maintains competitiveness in the market by engaging in productive activities such as research and development as well as innovation, which may lift it a step higher to maintain productivity (Kline, 2000). This may involve engaging a new technology that other businesses may not possess at that particular time, thereby lowering their competitive advantage, implying that it is the people who seek new technology for them to change for the better. In regard to the use of mobile phones, it is true that the technology has changed the life styles of people in the workplace as well as in social life. However, humans have been seeking simplicity in communication when conducting business. The changes that have occurred can be attributed to people embracing the results of their own efforts to make communication more effective. However, in the social context, people have changed their behavior as a result of the new technology in communication. A business person who does not use mobile phones for communication is viewed as a laggard in innovation. Conversely, a person who does not own a mobile phone feels a sense of lacking something completely necessary in life. The structuration theory postulates that the structures, such as the technology applied by man are derived from the social systems (Gomulka, 2009). The changes in the behavior of humans originate from the use of these structures as they interact with them in their daily operations. According to Smith (2002), the manner in which people use new technology is shaped by the need that the technology satisfies. For example, the cellular phones may be used in place of the traditional communication methods that involved a substantial amount of time before the message could reach the destination. Moreover, with the cellular phones, a person can be reached when out of office. Technology can further be viewed as a social phenomenon by considering the fact that the wellbeing of a society is measured on its ability to generate income through developing modern efficient methods of production. Gertler & Wolfe (2002) observe that economic growth in a particular society is based on technological advancements that enable them to generate significant income and maintain environmental sustainability. The social manifestation of technological changes is a major issue that highlights the fact that social occurrences lead to technological changes. In other words, when people want to advance economically to reduce the gap between them and others in industrialized nations, they tend to seek new inventions to improve their capacity for income generation. Coccia (2009) observes that in the absence of technological changes, humans would not be in a position to accomplish their desires in life. It is through inventions that organizations are able to utilize the potential of the workers to the maximum. This confirms the theory of social construction of technology, which postulates that the actions that humans engage in their daily operations determine the type of technology which means that technology by itself may not be the cause of changes to human actions. For example, different organizations use computers differently. Some use them for data storage only, others for communication while others use them to aid in the supervision of processes, which leads to the hypothesis that technological change is as a result of the efforts of people trying to make the technology work to accomplish their objectives (Cantner & Pyka, 1998). Conclusion The Actor-network theory of technology is one of the premises that are significant in understanding the relationship between humans and technological changes. The two are significant to the success of organizations and none can effectively be utilized without the other. Technology assists humans to accomplish what they can not on their own. However, the machines used are designed by humans to expand their capacity to perform. Once the organizational output increases, the people’s standards of living improve as a result of better salaries and organizational profitability. The social and organizational changes are attributed to technological changes although in a different perspective, the changes are as a result of the quest for humans to improve their performance. In other words, technological advancement is a social phenomenon that results in changes in the social system as well as organizational operations. The use of computers and cell phones to improve organizational operations and efficiency are examples of technological advancements that have led to positive changes in the lives of humans. However, the structuration theory points to humans as the source of the technological changes while on the other hand, the theory of social construction of technology focuses on the fact that humans need the technology to accomplish their objectives, which means that technological changes are social phenomena. References Bourriau, J. & Phillips, J. 2004. Invention and Innovation: The Social Context of Technological Change to Egypt, the Aegean and the Near East, 1650-1150 B.C. Oxbow Books Cantner, U. and Pyka, A. (1998). “Absorbing Technological Spillovers: Simulations in an Evolutionary Framework”, Industrial and Corporate Change, Vol. 7, 3 pp 369-397. Coccia, M. 2009. “Democratization is the driving force for technological and economic change” Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Vol. 76, 4 pp. 449-594 Gertler, M. S. & Wolfe, D. A.  (2002). Innovation and Social Learning: Institutional Adaptation in an Era of Technological Change, New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Gomulka, S. (2009). The Theory of Technological Change and Economic Growth, T & F Books UK Kline, R. R. (2000). Consumers in the Country: Technology and Social Change in Rural America.  Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press Smith, C. G. (2002). Responding to substitution threats: A framework for assessment. Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, Vol. 7, 1, pp 17-36 Williams, R. (2002). Retooling: A Historian Confronts Technological Change, the MIT Press Read More