Information Technology Affects And Change Organizations

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Contents

changed the business landscape

Q.1. Discuss how information technology affects and change organizations.

Answer: The information technology (IT) radically changed the business landscape. Although corporate cultures and business strategies influence the use of IT in organizations, most of the effect is stronger in the other direction. It gets serious strategic options and creating opportunities and problems that managers need to address many aspects of your business.

Some of the key impacts of technology and the implications for management on:

Business Strategy - collapsing time and distance, so that e-commerce

Organizational culture - promoting the free flow of information

Organizational Structures - companies, networking and virtual reality

Process management - process support complex decision-making processes

Work - radically the nature of management and professional work is changing now

The work - you work from home and on the road, such as teleworking allows.

The Impacts

New opportunities for innovation in products and services. Services are to be delivered in person usually now be delivered over networks. The most important factors are:

• Resequencing: including parallel processing databases

• Simultaneity: Provision of information is now available on multiple systems (eg OLE)

• Extension: Get 24 hours a day, 365 days per year of service

• Portability: in service and products closer to the user

• Reuse: The use of the information for a specific purpose (eg, transactions) and recorded with another (e.g. customer orientation).

Organization Culture

New types of IT, such as e-mail and groupware to significant changes in the way information flow around consumer groups, and between them and their customers and suppliers. It can accelerate the development of innovative and open cultures. But experts warned that Davenport and research companies such as Reuters, the idea that "information is power", there are still confirmed in many large or group without war; our experience shows that many new systems will not be accepted by users because the system developers have not adapted the cultural department or consumer group, which uses the new system.

For many years it was argued that to allow the control of the computer more space and flattening of the courts. Finally it's happened, but. Because of the many initiatives such as BPR (Business Process Reengineering) and the desire to reduce costs verify that promotes the results of decentralization centralization ambivalent. Many companies have centralized room operations (efficiency), and at the same time, decentralized operations. It is now clear that the computer allows a greater variety of structures. In particular, it allows the structure more flexible and fluid - networked, distributed teams and teams that come and go with the changing needs (e.g. also the virtual).

Management Processes

it is fast. At a time when it supports unstructured processes and business process advances This provides a more efficient way to access information from various sources, including the use of external information in the databases and over the internet. However, the systems group decision support operating in a conference room to improve decision making, but he has someone to help expert facilitator, groups must have mastered the technique of structured discussion.

Work

IT is dramatically changing the nature of professional work. There are few offices where professional do not make use of personal computers, and in many jobs involving extensive information and knowledge based work, the use of the computer is often a core activity. Becoming effective not only requires traditional skills of organizing, thinking, writing etc., but knowing how best to use the power of IT for researching sources, accessing information, connecting to experts, communicating ideas and results, and packaging the knowledge (asset) for reuse. One aspect of this is the need for hybrid managers - people who are competent at both their discipline and IT.

The Workplace

As it reduces the effect of remote means, creating different versions of the reorganization. At a basic level, it can provide greater flexibility in the office, which allows the exchange of the table and the degree of independence of the location in the building (which will increase as the CTI (Computer Telephony Integration ) and the wireless PC become more firmly established. at another level, it allows the dispersion of the team, reduce the cost of travel and travel. has also created mobile professionals, and allows people to work effectively at home. teleworking for a more detailed discussion of these aspects.

How do managers use information to make decisions?

Managers are constantly forced to make decisions, solve problems. Decision making and problem solving is an ongoing process of assessing situations or problems, consider alternatives, make decisions and measures. Sometimes the decision-making process is extremely short and spiritual reflection is essentially instantaneous. In other cases, the process can take weeks or even months. All decisions will depend on the information available to the right. To the right people at the right time.

The decision process includes the following steps:

Define the problem.

Identify limiting factors.

Develop alternatives.

Analyze alternatives.

Choose the best solution.

The implementation of the decision.

Ask a monitoring and evaluation system.

Define the problem

The decision process begins when a manager identifies the real problem. The precise definition of the problem affects all the following steps, if the problem is ill-defined at each step in the decision process is based on an incorrect starting point. One way a manager can assist in determining the real problem is able to separately identify the symptoms of the problem.

Situations of concern are obviously in an organization can generally be identified as symptoms of underlying problems. (See Table 1 for examples of symptoms). All these symptoms indicate that something is wrong in an organization, but did not identify the root causes. A good manager not only treat the symptoms, seeks to uncover the factors that cause these symptoms.

Identify limiting factors

All managers want to make the best decisions. To do this, managers must have the ideal resources - information, time, personnel, equipment and accessories - and identify limiting factors. Realistically, managers operate in an environment that is not normally available to the ideal resource. For example, you have the right budget or lack of precise information or additional time. So you should choose satisfice - to make the best decision possible with the information, resources and time available.

Develop alternatives:

Time pressures often cause a manager go after considering only the first or obvious answers. However, a successful problem-solving for a thorough investigation of the problem, and rapid response can not lead to a lasting solution. Therefore, a manager and superior thinking, several alternatives to a problem before making a quick decision.

One of the most popular methods for the development of alternatives through brainstorming, where a group works together to generate ideas and alternatives. The underlying assumption of brainstorming is that group dynamics is thought-provoking - ideas from a person, no matter how small, can generate ideas from others in the group. Ideally, this transfer of ideas is contagious, and overflowing with many suggestions and ideas. Brainstorming usually requires 30 minutes to an hour. Special rules are followed in these brainstorming sessions:

• Focus on the problem at hand. This rule is very specific debate and avoid the tendency of the group with the events that led to the current problem to overcome.

• Learn all ideas. In fact, the ideas presented more the better. In other words, there are no bad ideas. Encourage the group to offer free thoughts on the subject, is important. Participants should be encouraged to submit ideas for ridiculous as it sounds, because such ideas creative thinking can be triggered by a person other.

• Do not evaluate the ideas of other users spot.All studies should be delayed until all the ideas are presented, as well as groups agree on the best ideas.

While brainstorming is the most widely used technique for the development of alternatives, managers can use other means to find solutions. Here are some examples:

• Nominal Group Technique. This method involves the use of highly structured game, complete with an agenda and limits discussion or interpersonal communication during the decision process. This technique is useful because it ensures that each group member has equal input into the decision process. It also avoids some of the problems, because of the pressure to conform, the domain group, hostility and conflicts that plague one spontaneous unstructured interactive forum, how can brainstorm.

• Delphi Technique. With this technique, the participants never meet, but a group leader uses written questionnaires in order to make the decision.

Regardless of the technique used, the group has. Decision distinct advantages and disadvantages when compared to individual decisions Below are some of the advantages:

• Groups with a broader perspective.

• Employees are more likely to be satisfied and to support the final decision.

• Opportunities for discussion to help answer questions and reduce uncertainty for decision-makers.

These points are disadvantages:

• This method can be less than a person makes the decision on his own.

• The decision could be a compromise rather than the optimal solution.

• People to be guilty groupthink -. The tendency of members of a group on the prevailing views in the group

• Groups can have difficulty performing tasks, because the group not as a person makes a decision about what to confusion when it comes time for implementation and review of the decision.

The results of dozens of studies on individual or group results show that not only the groups to make better decisions one person prone, but also that groups of artists tend star even inspire greater productivity.

Therefore, the two (or more) heads better than one? The response is dependent on various factors such as the nature of the task, the capacity of the members of the group and the shape of the interaction. As a manager is often the choice between taking an independent decision or are others in the decision, you need to understand the advantages and disadvantages of group decision making.

Analyze alternatives:

The purpose of this step is to decide on the relative merits of each idea. Managers must identify the advantages and disadvantages of each option before making a final decision.

The evaluation of alternatives can be done in several ways. Here are some possibilities:

• Identify the advantages and disadvantages of each solution.

• Conduct a cost-benefit analysis of each alternative.

• Weight of each factor in the decision, the relative ranking of the ability of each alternative to meet each factor, and then multiply by a factor to give a final value for each alternative.

Whatever the method used, the manager must evaluate each solution based on its

• Feasibility - Can it be done?

• Effectiveness - To what extent should solve the problem situation?

• Consequences - What are the costs (financial and non-financial) to the organization?

Choose the best solution:

Analyzed according to a manager all the alternatives, decide the best. The best solution is the one that produces the most benefits and the least serious drawbacks. Sometimes, the choice can be very simple, since most of the advantages and disadvantages of safer alternatives. At other times, the best solution is a combination of several alternatives.

However, sometimes the best solution is not always obvious. It was then that a manager has to decide what the most. Feasible and effective, with the door to the lower costs of organization (See above.) Estimates probability analysis, where the chances of success of each alternative occurs, often come into play at this point in the decision process. In such cases, an administrator simply selects the alternative with the highest probability of success.

The implementation of the decision:

Managers are paid to make decisions, but they are willing to pay to get the results of those decisions. Positive results should follow the decisions. All persons involved in the decision you need to know. Its role in ensuring a positive outcome to ensure that employees understand their roles, the director carefully the development of programs, procedures, rules or guidelines to assist in the troubleshooting process.

Ask a monitoring and evaluation system:

Ongoing activities should be monitored. An evaluation must include information about how the decision is made deliver what the results are, and what adjustments are needed to the results that you determined when the solution was chosen to receive.

For a manager to evaluate your decision, you need to gather information in order to determine their effectiveness. He solved the original problem? If not, it is closer to the desired situation to what it was at the beginning of the process of decision making?

If a plan does not solve the problem, you need to find out what was wrong. A manager can this by achieving the following questions:

• Have you selected the wrong choice? If this is the case, one of the alternatives that can be generated in the process of the decision may be a good choice.

• Have you selected the correct answer, but properly implemented? If this is the case, a manager only concentrate on the implementation phase, to ensure that the solution is to be successful.

• If the original problem incorrectly? If this is the case, the decision-making process must start again, beginning with a revised identification phase.

• Is the solution enough time to successfully? Otherwise, the manager must give the process more time and think later.