Socio-Technical Systems - Assignment Example

Socio-Technical Systems Introduction Success for any team is crucial motivator. Being successful in the many projects that the teams do for the organization makes the team a positive member of the organization. Therefore, every factor that enhances success for the team is put into serious consideration. One of the key elements of success for any firm is good communication. Communication among team members and organizations is determines the level of performance of these groups. A good communication system contributes in making sure workers engage in their allocated duties and that they are punctual in what they do. The socio-technical system is one of the new systems that are employed firms to enhance better performance among their teams of workers working at different levels globally. This system coordinates workers easily thus team work is embraced. Other improved communication channels also play a major role here. Such technologies include Blackberry phones, iPhones and android phones. This paper is going to highlight how the communication in departments and teams can be improved by these innovations. Dq-4.1 (1)Conduct an Internet search to define a socio-technical system and discuss whether any of the systems you use at work could be classified as socio-technical. A socio-technical system is a combination of technology and the people in the society. It is an operational system that enhances the working together of all the members in the society using the available techniques[ CITATION Bas12 \l 1033 ]. Due to this reason, most organizations and business firms employ the socio-technical systems that are easy to adopt. They use these systems to make communication an instant thing in their operations despite the distance between workers. There are various types of socio-technical systems that have been put in use by many globally operating firms[ CITATION Hor11 \l 1033 ]. Some of them include Skype, online chats, emails and video conferencing. All of these systems require some components to operate effectively. There are some parts that are common to all of the socio-technical systems. These parts are the software, hardware, procedures, and the people using the system[ CITATION Fre13 \l 1033 ]. In my workplace we use videoconferencing to hold some board meetings with regional managers in different parts of the world. The use of videoconferencing and Skype can be classified as socio-technical. Therefore, the socio-technical system is also in use at my work area. (2)What is the relevance of examining the socio-technical systems that might exist for distributed knowledge worker teams? Knowledge workers who are dispersed to far places in the world sometimes face difficulty of communication. The socio-technical systems are some of the few opportunities available for these team members to connect without being disturbed with the distance. Due to this there is need for examining the socio-technical systems that can be used effectively by a globally distributed team. The examination of available systems is important since it gives room for the organization to note the technologies that are relevant for the teams it has sent out. When research is done, people get to identify the different options available for use. The options are then analyzed in terms of their efficiency by considering their pros and cons. Through this the organization can choose an option that will be averagely beneficial to its existence. Having an analysis of the socio-technical systems that might be available for the team is also relevant since it gives the team an opportunity to pick an innovation that suites their operations. Different types of systems are favorable for different teams with particular specifications. Doing this creates room for the team to decide on a technology that can fit their skills[ CITATION Hoy12 \l 1033 ]. Dq-4.2 (1)Team members may discuss projects by phone, by email, or face-to-face. What are some issues that may occur in each mode of communication? Among the best means of passing information are phones, emails and face-to-face means of communication. People gain a lot of benefits from these types of communication. Even though people gain from good communication in a team, there are some issues that are prone to be faced[ CITATION Lyu12 \l 1033 ]. People who are based in different parts of the world can use phones to communicate. Phones are a crucial means of communication but issues are common setback to it. One of the major issues that people having communication through phone face is the cost of calls across boundaries. Calls across continents are expensive and teams that are not financed properly may face challenges when trying to connect with their members in different parts of the world. Emails are also faced with some problems when they are used to pass information such as when a team is discussing given projects. For example, it is hectic to make lengthy discussions through mail[ CITATION Rya13 \l 1033 ]. Face-to-face communication also has a setback of being very time consuming. The case is worse if the people communicated are based in different regions since they must be given time to travel[ CITATION Ser11 \l 1033 ]. (2)How might these issues affect team performance? A team’s performance may be affected in many ways by lack of a convenient means of communication. First, to those distributed in different parts of the world, poor communication may lead to inadequate coordination among members hence unbeneficial sharing of duties in the team or organization. Communication related issues may lead to difficulty in the administration of directives, such that a convenient mode of communication may be sought by the team’s leadership in order to pass information to the members. This convenient form of communication must ensure that all members are reached by the first hand information at the intended time. The main cause of these issues is inappropriate means of passing messages which may lead to low quality performance by the teams. It gets to almost impossible to deliver messages to the organization if there’s any forms of poor coordination among the members. The organization may lose an important message that may better its performance if a knowledge member fails to pass it due to poor communication. This may really harm the organization’s betterment due to loss of a lot of information from such members[ CITATION Swi12 \l 1033 ]. (3)What are some considerations or strategies that may facilitate communication among team members? Communication among team members may be facilitated by ensuring every member is so conversant with the team’s objectives or goals. The objectives serve a guide to the members giving them a reason to work even harder to ensure information are passed to the right people at the right time and the objectives are achieved. For instance one who’s determined to help his/her team score well and achieve better has to work tirelessly to ensure all right information is passed through proper channels to every member at the intended time[ CITATION Ser11 \l 1033 ]. Proper illustration about the team’s communication channels to the relevant stakeholders may as well facilitate communication among members. This can be achieved for instance since each and every member whether within or overseas is informed on which channel to use in passing what type of information and to who, this boosts the members connections hence improving the team’s performance[ CITATION Tan122 \l 1033 ]. Another move in facilitating communication is to ensure members of a particular team are properly identified and introduced to each other and they get to learn of each other’s differences. This enables the team members to work together in collaboration to boost their performances. Dq-4.2.2 (1) What is the primary means of communication between members of your immediate department? For an organization to start operating as a one working unit, the departments within the organization must work together to coordinate proper communication towards achieving the intended goals. Departments with an effective means of communication coordinate workmates through good performance. The primary means of communications between members of my immediate departments is the use of emails. Emails are preferred since it’s a faster means that can be used by both members from within and those in far places like other parts of the globe. The department’s working rooms are well fitted with fast internet connections to enhance communication via emails since emails depend entirely on internet connections and it’s the major communication means in the department. This means of communication is the best for departments with some of its members across the continents since emails are received at a faster rate by anyone no matter where they are provided the internet connections are good and functional[ CITATION Wag12 \l 1033 ]. (2)Do you classify this communication method as synchronous or asynchronous? Use of emails to pass information is classified as asynchronous method of communication since it doesn’t necessarily involve the reel time and one can wait up to days before they finally get a feedback of whatever mail they sent. This mode might not be so efficient since members might be off the communication channel for a certain period of time. In my department the primary means of communication is not based on real time since once a mail has been sent to pass a certain information, the members are given time to analyze it and come up with responses within a certain period of time. Asynchronous method of communication has a number of advantages for instance it is so fast and reliable in several occasions. It also enables flexibility among the members who tend to communicate and in cases where one receives a mail they can start working without necessarily going back to the office to get working tools and stuff. (3)For your department, what recommendations for improvement to communication methods could you make? There are various ways through which team members who are distributed all over the globe can influence the way they communicate. For my department, these methods can also apply since we have colleagues who are globally distributed. Introducing instant messaging is one way of ensuring the communication between the workers in our department is effective. Instant messaging will create a small office-like operation where every member of the team comes to make contributions. This technology is connected with the phones of all members and they get to discuss issues that are on hand as feedbacks are made instantly[ CITATION Vol11 \l 1033 ]. Another way of improving the communication methods of our department is through giving all the members’ ample time to explain themselves when conversing. By doing this all members get to be free to air the views and even introduce the best options that the department can take. Analyzing feedback given when communicating is also helpful in improving performance of a department. By putting some action plan on every feedback that the department as a team gets is going to ensure improvements in the team performance. Other than that, it is going to enhance effective communication since members will feel good when there is taken seriously. Dq-4.3 (1)How do mobile devices such as the iPhone, Blackberry, and DROID change the way distributed teams communicate? The modern technology has played s big part in improving communication across the world. The innovations such as phones with internet connections have become common in the today world. iPhones, Blackberry and Android phones are new technology in the mobile phone industry that have come out with the ability to use phones for the same reasons as computers[ CITATION Tha11 \l 1033 ]. Due to this, distributed team members can easily get access of their emails since they work along with their phones. Emergencies can now be handled swiftly due to the fact that at any point one can access work things thanks to the advanced phones technology. Therefore, the team or organization is not stressed so much with emergency cases. (2) Discuss the positive and negative aspects of incorporating these tools as communication devices within an organization. Introducing these advanced technology phones brings a lot of advantages to the team involved. For instance, communication is made swift by these devices since one can pass information at anytime as long as he or she has the phone. The tools also bring together team members who are far from each other since it has applications such as Skype. However, there are also some disadvantages such as workers using the phones for socializing with friends through social sites like face book instead of working. The tools may also bring in destructions that would delay work. The workers might spend a lot of time on social sites and games found on these tools as they forget to engage in their work completely. This is going to reduce the economical time that the organization can use to improve performance. Conclusion There are many ways through which communication among team members can be improved due to the fact that communication is a key factor towards achievement of organizational objectives. Some of the most important methods have been discussed in this paper. Socio-technical systems, advanced modes of communication, and improved cell phones for workers are among these factors that better communication in teams. If the tools and technologies highlighted here are effectively put into use, the teams or departments will play a big part in contributing towards achieving the organizational goals. Globally distributed workers are also advantaged by these tools in different ways. Therefore, they are good recommendation for workers who want to contribute positively to their teams. References CITATION Bas12 \l 1033 : , (Bass, 2012), CITATION Hor11 \l 1033 : , (Horspool, 2011), CITATION Fre13 \l 1033 : , (Frederiksen, 2013), CITATION Hoy12 \l 1033 : , (Hoyt & Swigger, 2012), CITATION Lyu12 \l 1033 : , (Lyubovnikova, 2012), CITATION Rya13 \l 1033 : , (Ryan, 2013), CITATION Ser11 \l 1033 : , (Serçe, 2011), CITATION Swi12 \l 1033 : , (Swigger, 2012), CITATION Tan122 \l 1033 : , (Tannenbaum, On teams: Unifying themes and the way ahead, 2012), CITATION Wag12 \l 1033 : , (Wageman, 2012), CITATION Vol11 \l 1033 : , (Volberda & Sidhu, 2011), CITATION Tha11 \l 1033 : , (Thayer, 2011), Read More