Information Technology is a fundamental change that is taking place in the nature and application of technology in business.
This change has profound and far-reaching implications for an organization. Information technology is driven by the demands of the new, competitive business environment on the one hand and profound changes in the nature of computers in the other. Information Technology systems come in the shape of many technologically advanced devices which help deliver important information to managers who in turn, use this information to make crucial decisions regarding the operations of their organization. This Information Technology can come in the form of computers, robots, sensors, decision support systems. The newest form of Information Technology which is being implemented on the market today is the use of handhelds to aid managers and subordinates in their day-to-day operations.
Is information Technology Flawless? Information technology ( IT ) is revolutionizing how businesses operate. Advanced information technology is becoming the single most powerful force shaping the structure and functioning of work organizations, plants, offices, and executive suites. However, this revolution has not been without casualties, such as systems not running as they were supposed to, millions of dollars lost in downtime and missed opportunities, as well as computer systems that intended to expand creativity productivity instead turned around and made unwanted organizational responses and remained sluggish.
These Information Technology systems usually fall short of their potential due to the failure to understand and manage the mutual influences of technology and organization throughout the extended implementation process. In recent years, many corporations have made major investments in the area of information technology. Despite these large investments, productivity and efficiency gains related to IT have been disappointing at times for many organizations.
Only now are there indicators that organizations are starting to see real benefits in productivity and profits from the information technology revolution. One reason for such a delay is that the IT revolution should be viewed at as a part of a whole re-engineering and refining process that is taking place at successful companies. Some of these refinements include quicker and better product development, a better sales system, improved financial controls, and predictions as well as better after-sales support. One suggestion why it may have taken so long for companies to see real benefits from IT; “Consider the introduction of the electric motor in the last century.
At first, most manufacturers kept their plants just like they did when they used steam engines and the gains from electric motors were small. It was only when firms realized that electric motors could be placed on individual machines that real productivity gains occurred”. ( Information Technology and Corporations. Pg. 11 ) Although many corporations expressed frustration about the length of time it has taken to achieve certain payoffs from Information Technology investments, all corporations posted significant benefits within their organizations resulting from Information Technology. It is very hard for corporations to measure productivity and profits due to advances in Information Technology since there is an overall acceptance of the potential benefits of Information Technology throughout the organization.
However, individual expectations for the various systems introduced have always been set at very high levels in the initial stages of implementation. This leads to frustration among staff, both at the operational and management levels. Once the systems are bedded in and debugged, the initial frustration has been replaced with still a desire for the system to do more.
What Happens if IT is not implemented correctly? The result of the poor coordination of IT development also has a range of symptoms, such as a low morale among employees, failure of the system by the employees, and also disappointing results of system use. Low morale among employees occurs when a technical system, whether is be the implementation of a new computer system at a company, or the implementation of handhelds to works as well, which would be though to enhance their performance, ends up decreasing performance and lowering morale as well, due to the employees resistance to technology.
Low morale may also be caused by an employees thought that his/her hard work and skill could be replaced by a newly implemented system of IT, which brought down the value of their skill.
