Final Essay
Running Head: IMPACTS OF TECHNOLOGY 1
IMPACTS OF TECHNOLOGY 2
The Impact of Technology at Workplaces
Brandon Battle
University of Phoenix
ENG/100
July 3, 2018
The Impact of Technology at Workplaces
Technology has been having a significant impact on the contemporary workplaces. This is based on how the employees work, the duration over which work is done, the working environment, as well as efficiency. Comprehending the advantages, disadvantages, as well as complexities which relate to technology is important for individual stakeholders; and these include the employers, supervisors, employees, or even the job seekers. This paper addresses some of the gains which have come about as a result of the various pieces of emergent technology. The adoption of technology has positive impact at workplaces as it avails automation, availability, as well as employee productivity (Di Cesare, Silveri, Sala, & Petti, 2018; Shalley & Gilson, 2017).
The Influence of Automation Technologies at Workplaces
Information technology beings about automation; and this does affect workplaces. It makes the job market truly globalized; and ordinary employees acquire and implement skills which they may not have had if technology never existed. Emergent technology has come in handy in regards to facilitating team work, and this is because the individuals can keep in touch with one another. The term ‘emergent’ means that technological pieces which are still evolving. Therefore, it is imperative for the stakeholders to be keen on the trends and embrace the opportunities which come alongside the improvements in functionalities (Di Cesare et al., 2018).
New functionalities always emerge as soon as the technology industry perceives demand for them. For instance, the buffer technology was developed after it was determined that processes and devices had the tendency to derail one another. The buffer, therefore, is an implementation where processes and devices may operate at various speeds and with varied priorities without delaying and/or derailing each other. Firms which take advantage of such capacities manage to perform a lot better than those which do not (Argote & Hora, 2017; Ramanathan, Subramanian, & Parrott, 2017).
The Effect of Technology on the Availability of Human and Other Resources
Technology has facilitated ubiquity, and this is the state of an individual being everywhere all at once. For instance, e-commerce enables shopping to be completed without having the shopper walk into a brick and mortar store. The same is the case with management. A manager can oversee the progress of the tasks while miles away and can get updated in real time. In fact, team members can cooperate and coordinate activities without the need to converge and sit at the same room (Ramanathan et al., 2017). This has been facilitated by project management software which includes MS Project, Trello, and Podio. The teams can collaborate from anywhere, and all that is required is access to the right tools. There is a wide variety to choose from, and hence an organization can undertake the feasibility study and settle on the most appropriate in its context (Ba & Nault, 2017; Di Cesare et al., 2018).
The Impact of Technology on Employees’ Productivity
Technology has increased productivity, and part of the reason is that the routine and otherwise boring tasks are completed by machines. This boosts the levels of motivation in a significant manner. Although training is needed to operate machines, sometimes remotely, the employees do appreciate since they end-up enhancing their skills. Technology has facilitated improvement in quality for a reduced cost, and there is also reliability regarding stock control. Technology is an enabler as stakeholders can communicate quickly, and there has been a reduction in paperwork. Above all, information is accessible, and this means that informed decisions are reached in time. Ba & Nault (2017) argues that technology has made the world really small, and this is actually one of the best enablers of workforce diversity. Technology has “improved the level of organization as well as prioritization of tasks”, and this is why quality and timely delivery has been possible (Ba & Nault, 2017, 652-3).
Conclusion
The contemporary workplaces are changing rapidly, and organizations which ignore this fact end-up being edged-out of the market. Change is partly caused by the advent and continued improvement in technology. By adopting the new technology; firms manage to increase the automation, availability, and employee productivity. Technology has a positive impact on the corporate culture, research opportunities and abilities, business operations, as well as customer relations. New technologies speed-up business processes and flexibility; and whenever time and finances are spent efficiently, profitability and sustainability are guaranteed (Argote & Hora, 2017; Shalley & Gilson, 2017). Therefore, business organizations ought to invest in technology.
References
Argote, L., & Hora, M. (2017). Organizational learning and management of technology. Production & Operations Management, 26(4), 579-590. DOI: 10.1111/poms.12667
Ba, S., & Nault, B. R. (2017). Emergent themes in the interface between economics of information systems and management of technology. Production & Operations Management, 26(4), 652-666. DOI: 10.1111/poms.12644
Di Cesare, S., Silveri, F., Sala, S., & Petti, L. (2018). Positive impacts in social life cycle assessment: State of the art and the way forward. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 23(3), 406-421
Ramanathan, U., Subramanian, N., & Parrott, G. (2017). Role of social media in retail network operations and marketing to enhance customer satisfaction. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 37(1), 105-123
Shalley, C. E., & Gilson, L. L. (2017). Creativity and the management of technology: Balancing creativity and standardization. Production & Operations Management, 26(4), 605-616. DOI: 10.1111/poms.12639