HCM 433 MANGEMENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR.pdf

Technology is a major influence on the general climate of the organisation and the behaviour of
people at work. The nature of technology is also a potential source of tension and stress and
affects motivation and job satisfaction. The systems approach should serve to remind managers
that activities managed on the basis of technical efficiency alone are unlikely to lead to optimum
improvements in organisational performance. It is important to maintain the balance of the sociotechnical
system. Changes to the work organization as a result of new developments in technology
must take account of human and social factors as well as technical and economic factors.
3. Information Technology
The importance of the effective management of technical change has been highlighted by recent
and continuing developments in information technology. The term ‘information technology’
originated in the computer industry, but it extends beyond computing to include
telecommunications and office equipment. Advances in technical knowledge, the search for
improved economic efficiency and government support for information technology have all
prompted a growing movement towards more automated procedures of work.
The impact of information technology demands new patterns of work organisaiton, especially in
relation to administrative procedures. It affects the nature of individual jobs, and the formation and
structure of work groups. There is a movement away from largescale, centralised organisation to
smaller working units. Processes of communication are increasingly linked to computer systems
with the rapid transmission of information and immediate access to other national or international
offices. Improvements in telecommunications implies that support staff need no longer be located
within the main ‘production’ unit. Modern methods of communication may reduce the
need for head office clerical jobs.
Changes brought by information technology relate to the nature of the management task itself.
Information technology bears heavily on the decision-making processes of the organisation and
increasingly forms an essential part of management information and corporate strategy.
4. Technology and Conditions of Work
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