Effects Of Technology On The Organisations Structure Management Essay

Effects Of Technology On The Organisations Structure watchfulness EssayThis essay provide investigate the personal personal effects of technology on the transcriptions grammatical construction in reference to Perrows Study. In fact, the way Perrow analyses organisations looking into jobs delivered inside the business organisation, their capability to influence these roles to deliver various labours and the choice of outcomes accomplished (Perrow,1979). Perrow states that in order to better understand the variations in social organisation and the degree of bureaucratization, we essential understand the deal for organize. Tasks which argon not pro apparelablely understood makes such(prenominal)(prenominal) units difficult to bureaucratise is an essential organisational concern in 3DNet consummations during its transition to an innate grammatical construction due to vendor diverge eventually affects its incoming organisational strategic mental synthesis.Finally, analysi ng Perrows jut on the consequence of introducing a mixture of technologies into organisations (Perrow, 1986), in addition to Galbraiths cause that technology can be a main determinant of suspicion in the organisation and will facilitate easier understanding to the developing social organization of 3DNetworks (Robbins Bar pertlybornell, 2006).In short, in 3DNetworks Australia, both morphological change and proficient change are of equal importance, since structural change can affect technological change and the opposite is true. There is some limitations to certain arguments as well as being aware of the importance of its considerations by vigilance violence will aid in proving whether technology is the sole determinant of organisational structure or whether it is the only one of legion(predicate) factors.During my early months into employment, 3DNetworks duties occupied are in selling a new recall system of rules, pose it and maintaining that system for weigh of hist oric period. Since 3Dnetworks were aligned with only one vendor this meant the aforementioned(prenominal) shout system is deployed repetitively to businesses, creating succor of delivering systems for that one vendor. Such duties indicate a structure senior senior high school in Centralisation and Formalisation, yet the well-nigh economic structure was the mechanistic line of work inconsistency and problem solving were first gear due to high predictability like referred by Perrow. He anticipated that task variability and problem analysability were positively correlated (Perrow, 1986). It is odd to find cases deep down 3DNetwork where duties such as installing a telephone system for the like vendor having a few(prenominal) expectations experiencing problems which were not analysable carrying out that duty. more(prenominal) thanover, Perrow highlights in his theory the causes why duties performed with Single Vendor were implicit, predictable, rule and repetitive. 3DNetwor ks with various facts that the delivery and installation procedures were delivered with repetitiveness and all the risks were anticipated and mitigated. With such an approach, centralised and formal structure was advantageous since it guaranteed reduced training hours, en genuined more than profit and efficiency (Perrow,1979). As it is intelligibly obvious in the past year in 3DNetworks, moving from a single vendor to a multivendor technology will eventually scan into moving to a new complex structure over the years to come since the roles are moving to non terrene creating skepticism. Perrow and Galbraith typologies are the perfect fit for 3DNetworks since they both deal with the casuals of responsibilities. While Perrow analyses the effect of routines on the train of the tribe carrying the job out, Galbraith looks deeper into the blow of routineness on betters or the overall structure of the organisation. (Robbins Barnell, 2006).3DNetworks had to adapt, routinise and c hastise to change with efforts given to concern to reduce uncertainty in the future market than they are to allowing the organisation continually change and adjust in the interest of efficiency organisations deliberately or not, attempt to exploit the congruence between their technology and structure (taylor, 1990). This has resulted in a high aim of formalisation in terms of standardising the tasks so that the endueation of 3DNetworks is ordered across not only Australia, but in addition across Asia-Pac. Therefore, many of the practices employees look at in routine and repetitive work for example installing the telephone handsets. This portion of formalisation was vital for 3DNetworks since contracted employees reduced the bring for highly skilled permanent ones who were only hired to carry a small range of duties like small dourice projects.3DNetworks are presently endeavouring to control the outside influences since the mechanistic organisation seeks to stabilise and ro utinise its own business processes to establish internal efficiency (Robbins Barnell, 2006).This shows the significance influence of technology in the determination of organisational structure. The way in which technology has promoted aims of standardising employee behaviour is through the definite rules that specifically state what is expected and what is not (Robbins Barnell, 2006).Moreover, procedures that specify how to deliver, install and accompaniment a phone system simplifies job, training and increases efficiency. As defined in our textbook (Robbins Barnell, 2006, p220), the result on one study that looked at 14 medium sized firms concentrating only on the two extreme cells-routine and non routine technologies and found support for Perrows predictions. Also, another study, covering 16 health and eudaemonia agencies confirmed that organisations that do set about diverse technologies and that the more routine the work that more promising it is that decision making wil l be centralised. These calm down Perrows predictions work that was high in routineness was associated with high formalisation, as evident in 3DNetworks.Furthermore, standardizing duties into process to simplify delivery of new phone systems will glisten at employees behaviour after clarifying the requirements and steps of how to install the new systems. Contingency theories like Perrow argue that most companies attempt to deal with influences on a routine, predictable basis. In 3DNetworks even though humprs believe it is the crush way to minimise the effects technology has on organisational structure, theorists who hold the inherent perspective note that various influences are important and can get a beneficial effect on the organisational goals and hence the structure of organisations. In both cases, incident theorists as well as those who hold vivid perspective provide support for the ideology supporting technology as a major determinant of organisational structure. (Borg atti, 1996)However, months into my employment organisational factors have altered 3DNetworks caller structure. The Only one vendor strategy with NORTEL Networks which 3DNetworks was aligned with, declared bankruptcy. 3Dnetwroks earn the urgency to look at other alternative Vendors. The IT market is lively saturated and having to introduce new vendors means that 3DNetworks has to skill up its current employees while retaining its current level of competencies. While deciding on the number of additional new vendors to partner with and the strategy moving forward, the company witnessed a reign of high profile resignations that affected its operations. With these departures, 3DNetworks lost personnel of high calibre, systems knowledge which resulted in being non-routine. Such incident is a part in Perrows ways of how technology identifies the key aspects of structure. Eventually, it became apparent non-routine technologies require great structural flexibility (Perrow,1986). This le ads us to the following conclusion, that the effects of structure private road technological change are multi directional and 3DNetworks non only does structural change drive technological change, but technological changes also have been driven by structural change. Since current round are adopting new technologies, unexpected and no-routine duties, this push for structural change led to the emergence of an organic structure. So it is noticeable that technology is a major determinant of changes in structure, particularly for organisations like 3DNetworks.3DNetworks is expected to be decentralised and delivering routine tasks became non-routine, such units became difficult to bureaucratise toward the end of the year. Moreover, differentiating the mental facultys duties to be completed are increasing and this will make it more difficult for the current employees to coordinate these new activities into the divisions and more resources is needed to apply in order to coordinate these activities such as training on new Vendor technologies. The existence of a higher(prenominal) interaction amongst all members began to emerge and slowly lower levels of formalisation became obvious. More discretion will have to be given to current lag to help them adjust to the non routines jobs of the new Vendors. The low formalisation, according to Perrow derives from an inability to economise rules about constantly set of problems (Perrow, 1979). 3DNetworkss restructure take a hops Perrows theory because current faculty began performing new ways of phone installations that were unfamiliar and constant as they were performing many tasks normally completed previously by a selected team. Soon the levels of authority became blurred. Hence, our organisational structure changed, becoming more flexible and losing a high degree of its division of labour which led to an increase in the leniency and emergence of an organic structure. (Robbins Barnwell,2006)In addition, many theories argued that becoming the non-routine organisation does not come for free. It comes at a significant price of pertinacious periods of personnel training, professional employees, confusion, wasted material and unpredictable outputs (Taylor,1990). The duties variability with seven-fold vendors strategy exerted pressure and consequences affecting performance across all staff in the 3DNetworks were obvious.Galbraith indicates the importance of the link between duties and information. As duties are progressively becoming uncertain, the new information required a sign off by internal stakeholders for the new various vendors to achieve the desired level of performance (Cyert March,1992). When 3DNA was aligned with Nortel, the routine duties of selling, installing and supporting a telephone system was all straight forward with programs in place that facilitated ease of delivery. Galbraith proposes the structure followed by any organisation is dependent on the reconditeness of the process information in place and has a direct impact on 3DNetworks change in structure. Due to task uncertainty arises the need to have process information as stated by Galbraith. sure staff began engaging with new unfamiliar tasks for two new vendors introduced by prudence. This was a challenge for current staff to cope with the current level of work and absorb new tasks for two new vendors at the same time. Current staff had to be skilled up and certified to enable 3DNetworks engage with these vendors.Galbraith also articulated that an organisation should adopt a structure that allowed it to process information stamp down to its needs at an acceptable level of organisational performance (Robbins Barnwell, 2006). However, in 3DNetworks, staff were overwhelmed by the business process and the touchstone of information they had to absorb in short notice and it seems like management in 3DNetworks had failed to plan to adopt with this situation and there were very few resources to assist w ith gaining the right information to complete the new tasks which lead to uncertainty. at a time again, it was noticeable the influence of technology on determining organisational structure.In Short, 3DNetworks management failed to recognise effectiveness of organisational structure and thus a more appropriate structure requires the voluntary cooperation of members and actions that promote a positive environs inside the organisation. Where this is achieved, high formalisation could have existed .This may also been seen to be present as it is possible to predict the behaviour of organisation members in non- routine situations (Robbins Barnwell,2006). Rather, they allowed low formalisation to emerge under the belief that high formalisation could not co-exist with non routine tasks. The transition to reduced formalisation proved to mitigate interest in the job, however, the responsibility of having to complete non routine tasks not contract in the job description created confusio n and job dissatisfaction. Hence, many more organisational problems that could have been avoided existed under the emergence of the newly adopted structure.On the some other hand, what managers must recognise is the limitations of the measures of technology which easily gets confused by the effects of structure (Borgatti,1996). For example an organisation may not have apply a mechanistic model and people experienced much uncertainty in what would normally be considered routine tasks. This notion is evident in 3DNetworks presently, as the changing nature of the company has left contracted staff completing tasks that are normally completed by highly paid subject matter experts (SME) and thus seen as routine in the eye of the managers. However, the departure of these managers has meant contracted staff are now carrying out these routine tasks with a high degree of uncertainty. This has however, ultimately led to the distinguishing finding which is that the effects of structure drivi ng technological change are multi directional (Perrow,1986). Not only does structural change drive technological change, but in 3DNetworks example, technological changes also have driven structural change. As the credence of new vendor oriented tasks, by contracted staff brood the changes in organisational structure (Borgatti, 1996). Thus, technology is a significant factor in the determination of organisational structure.Structure and ConclusionThe Conclusion summoned from this analysis to set future direction is the perception that companies are not the same, they vary to the type of tasks they engage in and thus differ in structure (Taylor,1990). Also the environment is not predictable and uncertain Environmental uncertainty or task predictability is the basic independent variable influencing the design of the organization (Galbraith, 1970). In fact, it is suggested inwardly 3DNetworks to align their management practises constantly according to their current environment with t he suited types of technologies. This will guarantee staffs knowingness of duties and the evolving structure, as this failed to be achieved presently and is performing destructively on the organisation. In turn, if these changes are adopted, 3DNetworks management may be in a better position to define more conservatively the nature of their organisation and determine what types of management practises work and which are likely to fail.Since routinisation strengthens predictability and centralisation, Perrow acknowledges that individuals will attempt to routinise all tasks over which they have authority because routinisation simplifies duties and increases efficiency. Perrow also argues the pros and cons of non routine and routine form of structures and believes that each carry equal benefits depending on the types of tasks performed. As there is no one best way to manage and to be effective, planning, controlling, organising and leading must be tailored to particular mint faced by organisations (Perrow, 1979). Therefore, considering such organisational challenges are important to alert management to Perrows argument and try to eliminate the idea in managers minds to execute routinization of tasks and structures in times of error.After all, Perrows theories will always be a usable reference to understand the organisations structure and the ways technology effects reflect upon dealing with non routine and routine tasks. This will raise the importance of awareness of tasks among 3DNetworks management team and will ensure they can determine the positioning of roles and the extent of goals that could be achieved with certain new technologies. This is also important as identifying a companys goal is critical to understanding structure because goals affect structureOn the whole, the investigation above addresses organisational issues through the exploration of other contingency theories and pragmatic facts to conclude that technology might be one of the most sign ificant independent variable in determining Organisational structure, but for sure is not the sole determinant of that structure.