Organization follows Technology ? LO13448

Anne Brooks (anne@vistabrook.win-uk.net)
Sat, 03 May 1997 08:59:57

Replying to LO13386 --

>I had like to add a resounding YES to this discussion. That is,
>organization follows technology when it makes sense to do so. The rampant
>growth of electronic transactions in banking and trading has caused many
>of those organizations to follow that initiative.

IMO of course organisations following technology and probably for one
reason only - $'s or 's if you are in the UK. Coupled however with man's
thirst to do things quicker, cheaper, biger. (For man read organisation as
well as personal) Is there an example of a trade or industry that hasn't
followed technology to do things quicker, cheaper?

>The checkout lanes in grocery stores beep and blip instead of us hearing
>the cash drawer open with ceremony. Have you noticed any cash registers
>lately?

The person who invented the bar code and the 'beep and blip' check out
didn't do it because he liked the sound the machine made. It was invented
to get people through the system quicker - less costs with no sticky
prices to be put on each individual item and less staffing. Imagine going
into your grocery supermarket today and standing in the queue while the
cashier input the individual price of each product into the cash till!
Supermarkets that now have 20/30 check-outs would at least have to double
in size.

>The traders at the Toronto Stock Exchange have moved off the floor and
>onto the terminals in their offices. This is a step to having them work
>remotely. Not as much fun! No one promised that technology would be fun.

Why have the traders moved the floor of the Toronto Stock Exchange?
Probably not because they didn't enjoy the interaction and spirited
trading with their colleagues but only because the technology allows them
to be just those few seconds ahead of the rest of the world and get the
better/quicker deal and make more $'s. Soon they won't even need an
office, they can do it at home - less cost for the organisation - more
profit.

The technology of medicine seems to be just the same - no one is rushing
to find a cure for Aids just for humanities sake. People want to be the
first to have THE product - imagine the profits and spin offs that will
bring.

>Yet I must put in a promo for technology as a servant of the model
>organization. If I stop believing in that possibility, then why are we
>working so hard to improve organizations and their management
>techniques?One could imagine we just need a good technology forecast and
>then the future will be clear!
>

I too, however, find the technology irresistable - it seems to be
something you get 'sucked in to'. And I enjoy spending less time in the
supermarket and I enjoy having the opportunity to communicate with the
rest of the world from my own home.

Can you have the best of both worlds?

Anne Brooks
VISTA Consulting
Tel: +44 (0)121 457 8450 Fax: +44 (0)121 457 8428

Check out the Real Time Strategic Change Learning Community at its On-Line
Campus on the Web: http://www.rtscnet.com

-- 

Anne Brooks <anne@vistabrook.win-uk.net>

Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>