Essay #2: Reframing Technology
Bolman and Deal organize their book around the idea of framing, and they give many metaphors, examples, and comparisons in defining this approach. It is compared to a paradigm or a map, a mind-set or a general approach to problem solving. Managers work best, they claim, when they use a holistic approach, reframing problems in four different categories: structural, human resource, political, and symbolic. Leading a complex organization requires artistry to combine these approaches as well as an embrace of uncertainty. The best management needs a commitment not only to excellence but also to flexibility, dialogue, and open-mindedness. In this paper, I shall examine the general topic of technology through Bolman and Deal’s four frames, demonstrating how a manager can consider and implement technology in multiple ways.
Technology’s direct effects on organizational structure have been readily visible over the past twenty years. The ascendancy of personal computer networks over mainframes has accelerated the shift away from ponderous bureaucracies toward nimble networks. In other words, technology moves decision making closer to the immediate situation. The Wall Street Journal article about Captain Ayers demonstrated how even such traditionally rigid hierarchies as the U.S. military now see the value of empowering lower level decision makers and encouraging shared experiences throughout the organization. Because of this, technology has been one of the key enablers for eliminating layers of management and encouraging the use of self-organized teams and networks of individuals, moving toward Miles and Snow’s projected cellular form of the future. They discuss how each cell can continually reorganize and use technical, collaborative, and governance skills to customize and improve its output. These teams can even assemble over long distances to share expertise, which enhances productivity, as Margaret Wheatley notes, “…self-managed teams are far more productive than any other form of organizing.”
From a manager’s perspective, the freedom of self-managed teams and evolving groups can present an apparent problem of control. However, a manger can use the same tool of technology to enhance planning, oversight, statistical sampling, and quality control....
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...complishing their goals. A manager needs to ensure high quality technology so that the symbols it represents and the stories told about it remain consistently positive.
Bolman and Deal’s general approach of reframing gives managers a tool to be creative and step outside their traditional instincts. Viewing technology through multiple lenses helps a manager relate to his or her employees and see how each of them might view different benefits and challenges of new technology. Structurally, technology flattens an organization and aids coordination of teams. It also aids in the communication and individual development that a human resource perspective would value. A politically oriented manager would navigate and utilize the increasingly democratic power structure, and a symbolic manager would focus on the stories and unifying symbols of technology. Reframing the issue from all these viewpoints gives a manager a broad perspective on the opportunities of technology, while also helping spot potential conflicts and dangers. Bolman and Deal stress that management is an art that requires knowledge and flexibility; reframing a general topic like technology helps provide a manager with both.
This article deals with the topic of how organizations should go about implementing new technology systems. The article is built around Murphy's Law that, "Whatever can go wrong, will." When organizations implement new system a lot of know problems cannot be avoided and unforeseen problems arise with even grater frequency. Chew outlines seven points to help launch a new system with greater success since they are essential for long-term survival.
A great deal of information was covered this week such as, the necessity in which businesses need to effectively plan and set objectives, the strategies utilized and how they are executed to obtains results, and how managements decisions can potentially affect those results. Although each topic covered was found to be interesting and informational, there was something in particular that struck a chord, which was how business establishments have to be flexible and adaptable and in many instances plan and change their strategies of today, in order to keep up with the evolving technology of tomorrow. Something that one often thinks about is how individuals use technology today and how companies that provide that technology are adapting. For instance, author Richard Daft of the textbook, Management, 12th ed. brings to light the potential issues that Intel is facing explaining “As another example of an external threat, Intel, whose microprocessors power most PCs, is being hurt by the decline in demand for personal computers as more people turn to tablets and smartphones.” (Daft, 2016, pg. 259). After reading this, one wanted to take a deep look into what it is exactly that Intel intends to do to overcome this obstacle and found some
Information technology has advanced in multiple ways in society, where organizations has implement the structure into their work environment. Industries have outsource their manufacturing to other places in the world and rely on telecommunication to keep the marketing. The geographic distribution has changed significantly by reducing the distance it takes to complete an operation, due to information technology. These are just a couple of examples of how this advanced technology has reshape our society and continuing.
Our four-frame analysis (Figure 3 above) reveals that TM, like any other modern large corporation, places heavy emphasis on the structural frame. Other frame elements are also present, for example, career development and training programmes are evidence of HR frame use, as well as deployment of a re-branding exercise and other symbolic rituals to provide symbolic frame elements. We may also make inferences that the political frame is also in play from agenda-setting, ambiguity and uncertainty caused by the rationalization and reorganization leading to scarcity of resources and internal conflict, and signing of a collective agreement to denote bargaining and negotiation.
Every organization uses different business strategies in order to remain in business. Some adopt customer- centric strategies; some uses strategies to maximize their profit. For a long time, many organizations have made quality as their selling point.
In any organization, effective management is difficult to achieve and maintain. Analyzing organizations from multiple perspectives allows people to better understand the system and potential issues involved and to identify solutions. Bolman and Deal utilize a four-frame approach focusing on the structural frame, human resource frame, political frame, and symbolic frame.1
“Human beings have always functioned in face-to-face groups. While the use of teams is on the rise the Wall Street Journal reports that two-thirds of American companies employ them – the face to face aspect of normal working relationships is changing. Electronic communication and digital technologies give people a historically unprecedented ability to work together at a distance.” (Lipnack, J., & Stamps, J., 1997).
Boutellier and Henizen (2014) suggest that technological advancement develops a lot quicker than our social and political development, often it grows before the safety standards and security can be implemented to protect users. Hancock and Hoffman (2015) build upon on this stating the people that use technology do not get a chance to understand the true potential and fully exploit the technical equipment because of the speed that it is updated or replaced that forces an organisational change. According to Allen and Lewis (2001) reflection can be beneficial in changing circumstances and help plan for the future; additionally they state that reflection empowers a pre-emptive approach to undetected opportunities and will help avoid becoming a victim of circumstance. Relating this to the dynamic cyber environment, OSINT operators may not actively reflect and might find it challenging adapting search techniques for new social media software and technological hardware updates which may jeopardise their future employability. The research suggests that important issues may arise in both organisations and people from technological development and change that may be mitigated through the use of reflection techniques. A department like OSINT section may need to evolve every time there is technological or sociological development in their specific field equally the personnel within it will need to have the capacity to be able to implement this
Working at the same organization for the past 26 years, I have experienced new leadership and new employees and many reorganization plans. It has been an amazing advantage to witness a new evolution of a changing environment and how it has impacted the organization’s culture in different ways of communication, a new generation of people entering the workforce, and changes in procedures in employment strategies. Throughout my years of employment, the college has experienced a dramatic impact on advances to technology and new work structures that has changed the culture of the college. Information and New Communication Technologies Technology can help foster a culture of collaboration and teamwork.
In the article entitled “The Human Side of Enterprise” by Douglas Murray McGregor , McGregor stated that industry has fundamental know how to utilize physical and technology science. The conventional view of management consisted of three propositions which are called Theory X (Shafritz & Hyde,2012).
value, to capture value and to deliver value. With the slogan "you press the button, we do the
...gy not likes leader, concept, and culture; it is an accelerator for the company. Good-to-great companies used technology as an accelerator of momentum, not a creator of it. None of the good-to-great company began their transformations with pioneering technology, yet they all became pioneers in the application of technology once they grasped how it fit with their three circles and after they hit breakthrough (Collins, 2001, p.162). Before become a pioneer in the application of the technology, we have to do the external and internal scanning to see is it the technology fit our long term strategic and hedgehog concept.
Organizations use teamwork because it increases productivity. This concept was used in corporations as early as the 1920s, but it has become increasingly important in recent years as employ...
To remain competitive and employable in the twenty-first century workplace, society today must conform to the changing demands. Technology is one of the principal driving forces of the future; it is transforming our lives and shaping our future at rates unprecedented in history, with profound implications, which we cannot even begin to see or understand.
Keeping up with technology is difficult, tiresome, and firms find it very costly to keep at pace with it. Technology rapidly and constantly keeps on changing. Being at par technologically requires extensive research and strategic analysis of acquiring new innovation. Enforcing new technology requires staff retraining and in some cases making employees redundant.