Technological Change in Organizations Essays

Technological Change in Organizations Essays Technological Change in Organizations Essay Technological Change in Organizations Essay Name: Tutor: Course: Date: Technological Change in Organizations The term technological change in an organization refers to the process of integrating new and improved technology in organizational processes to increase the efficiency, performance and productivity of the organization (Jin 20). Recently, the organization I work with experienced this type of change. In this current competitive and global economy, technology plays a major role in determining the success of any organization. Organizational managers are starting to realize that technology is effective in the management of resources and they are starting to respond by incorporating it in their organizational structures. For instance, a majority of organizations now have departments like Information technology department, which is managed by a Chief Information Officer. In preparation for the technological change, the organizational management realized that it was their responsibility to facilitate and enable the technological change by first understanding the dynamics of the change from an objective vantage point (Lorenzi 97). The management further prepared for the technological change by educating the staff on the significance and implications of the change at hand. This was supplemented by frequent involvement and empowerment of the staff (Lewis 144). This step was important because the staff was able to understand the connection between the technological change and the objectives of the organization. The preparation process was concluded by the formulation of an implementation plan that was to be used in the implementation stage In the implementation of the technological change, the management applied a five-step change process, which was incorporated with a technological implementation plan (Paton 101). The first step by the management was acknowledging their responsibility to facilitate and motivate the change after understanding it from an objective standpoint. This step was crucial because it eliminated any resistance to change (Haddad 83). The second step involved creating a vision with core values that guide the future of the organization. The third step was managing the political dynamics of change by developing political support. The fourth step was managing the transition from the existing organizational state to the desired technological state. The final step involved sustaining the momentum needed to carry the change through to completion. The implementation of the technological change had a significant impact to the organization. Technological change enabled the organization to reduce its production costs through office automation and electronic documentation of information (Costa-i-Font 6). The technological change also enabled the organization to improve its communication channels by introducing new methods of communication like electronic mailing and web conferencing. Technology also enabled the organization to increase its productivity by introducing efficient and accurate methods of processing information. In addition, the technological changes played a major role in the expansion of the organization’s economic market, which was initially restricted to the local boundaries (Miner 450). In conclusion, the positive impacts that the technological change had in our organization is proof that change is important. Many organizations today realize that it is important to harness new technologies while at the same time change the organizations parameters in order to support more efficient and effective operations. The incorporation of new technology into any organization will always accompany change and it does not matter whether the structure of the organization is simple or complex (Lewis 21). That is why competitively dominant organizations in our global economy today are flexible to change. Costa-i-Font, Joan, Christophe Courbage, and Alistair McGuire. The Economics of New Health Technologies: Incentives, Organization, and Financing. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print. Haddad, Carol J. Managing Technological Change: A Strategic Partnership Approach. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications, 2002. Print. Jin, Zhouying. Global Technological Change: From Hard Technology to Soft Technology. , 2011. Print. Lewis, Laurie K. Organizational Change: Creating Change Through Strategic Communication. Chichester, West Sussex, U.K: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011. Print. Lorenzi, Nancy M, and Robert T. Riley. Managing Technological Change: Organizational Aspects of Health Informatics. Berlin: Springer verlag, 2003. Print. Miner, John B. Organizational Behavior: Foundations, Theories, and Analyses. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. Print. Paton, Rob, and James McCalman. Change Management: A Guide to Effective Implementation. London: SAGE, 2007. Print.