Q: 19 Impact of IT on organisational structure, power, jobs, supervision and decision making.

The Information Age

The advent of the mobility, people being attached to their information sources 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, is still a relatively recent occurrence. With the progress that is being made, there is no telling what is in store in the future, but we are already more than several light years away from where we were just 20 years ago. On the job, workers are able to access the information they need within 2 seconds instead of 2 to 7 days. These technologies have all but obliterated the need for post offices or even the expense of overnight mail due to highly sensitive documents that can be encrypted (electronically scrambled) and digitally signed. Also, due to increased security measures, it is virtually impossible for outsiders to access sensitive or private company information. Hacking and computer viruses seem to be on a huge downward spiral.

1. Organisational structure: The manner in which you delegate roles, power and
responsibility within an organization defines an organizational structure. As information technology fuels the global economy, it also fuels the formation of new, innovative and technology-centered organizational structures such as the networked organization. A networked organization is where geographically dispersed groups of individuals, groups or organizations come together for a common purpose. Via information technology, these organizations can interact and collaborate as though they all were co-located in a downtown high rise. Only the scope and mission of the networked organization limits the number of individuals, groups and organizations.

Function

Network organizations manage themselves based on mutual responsibility and mutual interest as opposed to following orders. The leader is often a visionary whose vision and presentation of that vision is responsible for forming the group. Team members interact, collaborate and figure out the best way to work together as opposed to serving in predefined roles or job functions.

Considerations

The perfect example of a network organization is an open source software development project or project team. Open source software is software built by the free will professional contribution of software engineers all over the globe. They are not paid, so they generally contribute to build professional credentials and for a feeling of contribution. Another example is the newly formed Income Reengineering Business Development Network (IRBDN). IRBDN links professionals from all walks of life and professional disciplines over the Internet. Each contributes part time or spare TIME to carry out the IRBDN mission objectives

2. Jobs: Information technology has significantly advanced the way businesses do business
and the way people do their jobs all over the world. Data, information and research are available at the speed of light, and workers everywhere have access to it. Be it on the Internet, on a company intranet or on a mobile phone or some other type of electronic device, the technology is farther along now from than ever before, with new advances progressing daily.

At-Work Technologies: Software

From agriculture to zoos, thousands of different types of technology are at work and in place to help workers get their jobs done faster and easier and without having to haul down heavy boxes for what used to amount to hours of visual inspection looking for documents or files. Software technologies have also made it possible for people to work from home or to work remotely just about anywhere and also to do their work in a much more efficient and independent manner. For instance, in the garment industry, preproduction (or CAD, computer-assisted design) software packages are used to make digitized dress and clothing patterns. The patterns are then marked up with computerized fabrics that cut the time and wasted materials for physical sampling by about 30 percent.

At-Work Technologies: Hardware and Peripherals

In all environments, no matter what the industry, software technology would be nothing without the tools that make it all possible. These tools include computers and monitors, printers, scanners, digital cameras, web cameras, video cams, handhelds (personal digital assistants or PDAs), printers, digitized faxes, mobile phones and hard line phones, copy machines, duplicators, intrusion alarms and monitoring equipment and microphones.

Specifics on Available Technologies

Information technology on the job is available for many different types of uses and applications, web based or off line. Some of these technologies include e-Commerce (the ability to shop, keep inventory, keep track of returns and deal with customer service issues); e-Learning (the ability to go to school and earn a certificate or degree without having to leave home); day trading (the ability to self-purchase stock and stock options without having to physically call a broker); voice-over-Internet protocol (VoIP--the ability to plan meetings and see, talk, hear and speak with people thousands of miles away and all over the world by using inexpensive hardware and software); and also by the use of wireless communications such as cell phones and PDAs.

3. Decision making: Functions of management including planning, organization,

analyzing data and making decisions regarding both goals and employee motivation or direction. These functions apply to most management jobs and can affect how successful a manager is. The higher the level of management, the broader functions tend to become, even as managers continue to specialize in particular areas. There are few factors that affect these

management functions across the board like technology and technological improvements, especially regarding the development of online communication.

Training

Training is a vital part of many management positions. Managers need to pass standards and experience down to other employees on a regular basis. Thanks to new technological developments, many managers can use online programs to train employees even when they cannot meet them in person. Managers can also organize online databases of training information for employees to use whenever they need to. This is known as e-learning, a rapidly growing field with many different facets that is changing the way many organizations train employees.

Field Communications

Managers must often be in direct contact with employees to give them updated information or instruction on their current tasks. This is especially true of sales managers and other positions where action is important and decisions can affect the success of the business. Technology has allowed these managers to communicate effortlessly with employees across long distances through mobile applications. Sales teams can now talk to managers in the field and also send relevant documents by text, instant message and email through their phones.

Collaboration

Collaboration is one of the key aspects of cloud computing in service-oriented businesses. Once managers had to gather teams together and pass documents around from person to person to receive input. Now employees can all log into a single program, work on a document at the same time and send it along to the next step. These programs contain detailed log-in information so managers can trace mistakes properly and correct problems with greater accuracy.

Data Analysis

Technology has revolutionized the way that managers analyze data and make decisions based on it. Computer applications can now immediately produce results on sales, marketing plans and the business's relationship with consumers whenever managers want the information. Data management systems are more complex and more intelligent than in the past. More and more managers are using online systems to track not only their company but also their competitors and to learn what consumers are saying using applications like Twitter and Facebook.