BITS Pilani

Pilani|Dubai|Goa|Hyderabad
MMZG514 (Lecture # )
Dr. Anubha Dadhich, Department of Management, BITS
Pilani.
BITS Pilani
Pilani|Dubai|Goa|Hyderabad
Chapter 8 # (T2)
The technological context , organizations
and managing people

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956
Defining Technology
The physical objects or artefacts products,
tools and equipment that are used to create
these outcomes .
Example : Moving assembly lines to produce
automobiles, networked computers to create
an e-enabled solution to HR, or virtual
learning environments to facilitate e-learning.
ICT - Information and communications
technologies

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BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956
A basic open-systems model of
organizations
BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956
This view of technology is based on an open-
systems perspective, which sees the
organization as a technological process
converting inputs from the environment into
outputs.

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BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956
The old and new economies
The given table provides a stylized summary of
this weightless version of the new, post-
industrial economy and its differences from
the old industrial economy.

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BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956
Three competing perspectives on the effects of
technology on work
Technological determinism;

Labor process;

Strategic choice perspectives.

Each of them sees technology in a different
light.

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BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956
Perrows typology of the relationship between
technology and organization
He proposed that different units and subunits of an
organization can be compared along two dimensions
relating to its core tasks:
Task variability was defined in terms of the number
of exceptions from standardized procedures evident
in the application of a given technology.
Task analyzability was defined in terms of the extent
to which there were well-known analytical methods
for dealing with any exceptions to standard
procedures.
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Combining Perrows two dimensions resulted in four
different forms of organizational technology:
Routine technologies are characterized by low task
variability and high task analysability, exemplified by
assembly-line work and lower-level clerical work.
Many modern call or service centres fall into this
category.
Craft technology is described by low scores on both
dimensions. For example, workers on a building site
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BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956
Engineering technologies are characterized by
high scores on both dimensions. For example,
software engineers.
Non-routine technologies are high on task
variability and low on task analyzability. Such
technologies of organization are to be found
in advanced research work, high-level
consultancy and managerial work, and in
entrepreneurial science.

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BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956
Properties of new technologies
Karl Weick has attempted to answer this question by
identifying some of the properties of new
technologies that differentiate them from earlier and
less sophisticated forms.
He proposed a three-way distinction, in which he
portrayed new technologies (particularly ICT) as
consisting of three events
Stochastic
Continuous
Abstract
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BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956
The stochastic nature of new technologies means
that they per-form in non-determinant ways, owing
to the complicated interactions of their components.
The continuous nature of new technologies refers to
the process by which technological systems
constantly change as new problems are discovered
and solved.
The abstract nature of new technologies refers to the
propen-sity for knowledge and labour to be
embedded in machines and computer code.
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Framework
for explaining
the
relationship
between new
technology
and managing
people

BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956
Progress in organizations: the future of work
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BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956
Empowering knowledge-intensive
organizations through new technologies

Intellectual integration and knowledge sharing
using technology and the e-enablement of HR;
Using E-HR to reduce costs, informate to create
more productive and satisfied employees and
liberate HR practitioners;
Using technology to support organizational and
individual learning;
using technology to support innovative business
models and participative organizational cultures, e.g.
digital businesses, open sourcing;
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BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956
The strategic levers that can be pulled to
generate intellectual capital
Methods of promoting knowledge creation through
groups, etc., forming cross-functional work teams;
Establishing enabling conditions for knowledge
creation through appropriate human resource
management practices;
Replicating organizational routines across different
parts of an organization, e.g. building in automatic
environmental scanning;
Methods of codifying knowledge to make it explicit
and capable of being stored;
Designing decision support systems and measuring
and evaluating organizations intellectual assets.
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BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956
Benefits of the e-enablement of HR
Reducing service delivery costs and correction costs;
Eliminating costs associated with printing and
distributing information;
Improving productivity by providing universal access
to information and services on a 24/7 basis;
Reducing data entry and search costs through
employee and manager self-service;
Enabling more cost-effective decisions by improved
access to and analysis of HR information;

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BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956
Benefits of the e-enablement of HR
Increasing employee satisfaction by improving the
quality of and access to HR services and information;
Providing for greater employee participation in how
they are managed, with interactive services such as
career development, learning and performance
support systems;
Freeing up HR staff to take part in added-value and
strategic activities;
Signifying a change in culture towards self-reliance
and self-development.
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BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956
E-learning
E-learning can be defined as the use of computer
network technology, primarily over an intranet or
through the Internet, to deliver information and
instruction to individuals, or to facilitate interactive
learning.
Asynchronous e-learning refers to e-learning that is
pre-recorded or available to employees at any time
of the day, potentially from any location
Synchronous e-learning is live and requires all
learners to be in front of their computers at the same
time.
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BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956
Blended classes or blended learning uses some
combination of technology and classroom-based
learning.
m-learning (mobile learning, using cell/mobile
phones and personal digital assistants)- using cell-
phones and PDAs, and intranet portals to access
more content.

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BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956
Using technology to support innovative business
models and participative organizational cultures

Relationship between technology and managing
people have highlighted the potential for new
business models and for greater innovation through
participation.
These benefits flow either directly from ICT and
other technologies, or are an indirect result of
introducing such technologies. They include:
the changing character of work;
the business model and architecture;
the economic model and customer relationship
management. 23
BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956
The changing character of work
(Malones range of decentralization)
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BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956
Using technology to create new forms of
community at work
Yet other major advantages of new technologies are
the implications of creating new forms of learning
communities to produce and share knowledge, to
enable more effective HR practices and to develop
new networked organizations. Three such related
developments are frequently thought to be
facilitated by new ICT:
communities of practice;
virtual teams;
social software to create social capital.
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Virtual teams

Virtual teams have been defined as groups of
geographically and/or organizationally dispersed co-
workers assembled using a combination of ICT to
accomplish organizational tasks.
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BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956
Advantages of Virtual teams
Improved productivity,
Improved quality and service delivery,
Greater flexibility in scheduling,
Reduced operating costs,
Decreasing stress for employees
Connected with higher levels of autonomy
and contact with office politics.
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BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956
Disadvantages of Virtual teams
Limited online interaction among members,
Difficulties in creating and maintaining identities,
Lack of understanding of individual contributions,
The desire for face-to-face communication,
Time zone problems,
Technological incompatibility,
Different attitudes of national cultures to using
technology for working .

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BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956

New technology, control and domination in
knowledge-routine organizations

New technology affects not only knowledge workers
but also workers in more traditional industries.
From the perspective of managers, investment in
new technologies often delivers less than it
promised, because it is poorly implemented or
misaligned with the necessary organizational and
human factor changes.
From the perspective of ordinary employees,
sometimes the introduction of new technologies has
been perceived as positive by empowering or
liberating these people.
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BITS Pilani, Deemed to be University under Section 3 of UGC Act, 1956
Sometimes it has also been perceived as negative, by
increasing perceptions of lack of control, and
removing decisions and tasks that once were an
essential and desired part of jobs.

Managers need to understand the complexities
associated with the introduction of new
technologies, especially the impact on productivity
and people, before embarking on major
programmes of technical change.

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THANK YOU !!
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