The Role Of Technology On Job Related Parameters

Statement of the Problem

Disucuss about the Role of Technology on Job Related Parameters.

The debate on how technology affects the productivity of organization has gained momentum in the recent past. The proliferation of technology in the 21^st century, according to scholars, is the reasons why some businesses perform better while others are stagnant. Technology development is one of the major influence of today’s organizational strategic decisions (Oh, 2015). However, the fact that some organizations have adopted new technology systems yet their performances have not improved is clear evidence that availability and the quality of organizational complimentary resources are significant in enhancing the effectiveness of technology. Misperceived interactions concerning complementary resources and the new technology can be detrimental to the organization. This is because business operations do not work independently, but work jointly to conjure up high performance and give the firm competitive edge (Ratna and Kaur, 2016, p.124). Firms with more technological capabilities are more likely to adopt new technologies and use other complementary assets to gain substantive level of business variety that is needed to restructure the traditional business strategy. As early as 1950s, technology has been fundamental in reducing costs, improving operations, improving communication, and enhancing customer service (Derks and Bekker, 2010).

This paper explores the impact of technology on organizational performance, productivity, job satisfaction, and work-life balance (Sasva?ri, 2012, p.114). The first section of the paper highlights the statement of the problem and rationale for the study. The second segment captures objective of the study, followed by literature review. The subsequent segment focuses on the methodology, including research tools and techniques that will be employed in the study.

Statement of the Problem

The proliferation of technology has significantly increased over the past two decades. The period has been earmarked by advancement in digital computing, telecommunication, and social technology, which strengthens organizational communication and networking via internet. Currently, data is widely inter-related and readily available. There is need to explore how advancements in technology influence job related aspects like performance, employee satisfaction, Work-Life Balance, and productivity. Considerably, a number of recent studies only focus on the relationship between technology and productivity, which is why the research explores on the aforementioned parameters. 

Aims and Objectives of the Study

The aim of this study is to assess the impact of technology on selected job related aspects. The paper provides in-depth analysis on the selected parameters to conceptualize the importance of adopting new technology systems and the risks associated with ignoring innovation ideas. 

Aims and Objectives of the Study

Main objectives

To explore influence of technology on job related parameters

Specific objectives

1. To understand how technology enhances productivity
2. To find out how technology affects work-life balance
3. To explore how technology influences job turn over and working relationship among employees.

One of the models that encompass technological advancements is Innovation Diffusion Theory (Wani and Ali, 2015, p.101). The theory focuses on exploring how innovative concepts and technological systems permeate social systems. According to Innovation Diffusion Theory, change should not be about transforming individuals. Rather, change should be about reinvention or evolution of products and behaviours to make them become suitable for individuals’ performance. Diffusion in this context refers to the process by which technology spreads between organizations. Innovation diffusion theory emphasizes on four major components of technology implementation: innovation, time, social systems, and communication systems. Another theory that describes the concept of adoption of innovative ideas and technology is the Theory of Reasoned Actions. The theory was developed by using Expectancy Value Models, which is based on the psychology of individuals (Otieno et al., 2017, p.4). According to Theory of Reasoned Actions, adoption of new technology is largely dependent on behavioural intentions. Behavioural intentions are influenced by individual’s attitude and perception about performance.

Scholars agree that technology affects the organizational performance by influencing job satisfaction. Job satisfaction refers to the “favourableness or unfavourableness with which employees view their work” (Ratna and Kaur, 2016, p.2). In essence, job satisfaction reflects the degree of the employees’ agreement towards rewards that the job provide compared to what they expected. In most instances, job satisfaction depends largely on the nature of work place environment. Usually, employees express their level of job satisfaction through their attitude towards compensation schemes, employment supervision, and relationship with colleagues. Other factors that affect job satisfaction include health, age, social status, and organizational recreational facilities. According to Jena (2015, p.117), job satisfaction is correlated to the life satisfaction and job turnover. Advanced technological systems like Virtual Reality (VR), Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM), and Internet have the efficacy to make employees work ‘smarter’ and improve production of high quality products and services. These systems not only enhance high performance but increases job satisfaction.

Ratna and Kaur (2016, p.3) define performance as “accomplishment of a given task measured against present known standard of accuracy, completeness, cost, and speed.” Applying technology within ethical limits improves both organizational performance at both individual and group level. Technology also reduces employee workload, albeit it creates unemployment by reducing the number of individuals performing a given task. Most organisations employ advanced technological systems to evaluate employees’ performance, manage human capital, and to update emerging trends in the global market. Outsourcing and increasing demand for better service performance have substantially steered technological trends more integrated, scalable, and powerful systems (Nawab et al., 2015, p,43).

Literature Review

Another factor that influences adoption of technology is productivity growth. Polder et al (2010) observe that productivity is one of the most considered aspect of “long-term economic prospects.” This is because rising productivity is euphemism of rising standards of living. Considerably, advancement in technology is the key to improvement in productivity. Companies use both human and capital assets to improve productivity growth.

Technology also affects employee’s Work-Life Balance— “a comfortable state of equilibrium achieved between a person’s primary priorities of their employment position and their personal lifestyle” (Ratna and Kaur, 2016, p.4). At minimum, employees’ career demand should not inhibit their ability enjoy satisfying personal life beyond the business ambience. New technological systems improve work-life balance by reducing workload, enhancing efficiency, flexibility, and reducing work stress (Murari and Tater, 2014, p.110). Today, employees can work from home or make presentation of reports even when they are in remote places.

Darks et al (2012, p.82) explored the impact of work-related smartphones on daily recovery based on the aspects of the work-related effort, which is susceptible to work-home interference (WHI). The results from the findings show that smartphone users do not encounter more overall WHI compared to the non-users. Observations from the control group show that there is a positive relationship between psychological detachment, control activities, mastery, and relaxation. This implies that when employees are connected to work by smartphones in the evening hours, they are likely to succeed in recovering (Reyt and Wiesenfeld, 2015, p, 716)

Madanchian and Taherdoost (2016, p.1078) examined how wireless email devices, Blackberry in particular, have been integrated into the daily lives of employees and its subsequent social impact. Results from the study show that Blackberry communication exudes three significant dualities that have “conflicting consequences for work and lives of Plymouth members: continuity and asynchronicity, engagement and withdrawal, autonomy and addiction,” which makes it difficult for members to disengage from work and socializing with colleagues (Madanchian and Taherdoost, 2016, p.1080).

Ratna and Kaur (2016, p.5) explored on employment relation systems of Korea, China, and India based on the technological advances, economic liberation, improved communication, and institutional integration. Findings from the study satisfy the notion that global work practices are quintessentially dynamic. Scholars continue to analyse the benefits and demerits of this phenomenon in both developing and developed countries, and whether industrial relation systems of different countries are converging or diverging,

Darks and Bekker (2010) also studies the impact of email provided by smartphones and private computers in light of Job-demands resources (JD-R) framework. Findings from the research were interpreted to demonstrate that the concept of email communication is ideally a resource or demand, and as such, it complicates facilitates employee’s working life. Smartphones enhances flexibility of employees. However, they also facilitate long working hours, which increases risks of disturbed work-home balance.

Behringer and Sassenberg (2015, p.295) researched on the factors that determines acceptance of the new technology in an organization. They identified psychology of employees, quality of technology, and design process of technology as the main factors that influence technological acceptance. The findings can offer significant insight that can be used to predict acceptance of technology in an organization. According to Arh et al (2012, p. 374), the discovery of great changes in organizational functions— via technology— has been a continuous process over the past decade. The author compartmentalized fish factories into three technological levels: low, middle, and high technology. High technological factories are characterized by highest job strain with lowest decision-making authority by employees.

Dhewanto and Sohal (2015, p.352) underpinned his research on how information technology and concomitant changes affects in working milieu affects shifts in labour demand in light of skills and wages, which are the main causes of income inequality in the United States. The findings from the study shows that there is direct relationship between IT and new work organization, including more decentralized decision-making, increased job responsibilities, as well as more self-managing teams. Ideally, firms that implement technological systems without implementing complement changes are lesser productive compared to firms that invest in implementation of all complementary resources. The results from the study highlight the significance of organizational changes influenced by technology in addressing wide range of employees’ demand (Pirzada and Ahmed, 2013, p. 97)

Madanchian and Taherdoost (2016, p.1080) examined the significance of information technology in organizational operations and impact of communication technologies on the performance of business. The author concludes that the proliferation of technology compels firms to adapt, acquire, and learn the new way of doing things in order to sustain competition from the rivals. The author also notes that IT grooms work place and has significant impact on work relationship.

The research will rely on secondary data to analyse the relationship between dependent and independent variables. Secondary data refers to pre-existing data that other individuals or organizations have originally collected and maintained. The main reason for using secondary data is limited time and high cost of collecting primary data. Secondary data are also convenient for detailed and longitudinal studies (Saunders et al., 2016, p. 149). Prior to data collection, the researcher will consult with the professor to ascertain the feasibility and the effectiveness of using different methods of collecting secondary data.

Secondary sources could be based on “content analysis, secondary analysis, or systematic review” (Saunders et al., 2016, p. 283). Content analysis focuses on forms of communication; examples include books, websites, paintings, newspapers, and TV images. In this study, books and recent newspapers will be used to analyses the relationship between technology and organizational performance and job satisfaction. On the other hand, secondary analysis focuses on quantitative data that other people or institutions have collected. The paper will rely on findings from questionnaire and interviews on the recent journals that are relevant to the topic of discussion. This will include using different firm’s data on overall performance after adopting an automated machine, manufacturing-aiding machines, and software technologies. Systematic review or meta-analysis is conducted by combining and investing findings of other research that are related with the topic under discussion. Similarly, the researcher will review secondary data on the impact of technology on organizational performance and job satisfaction over the past 10 years. Besides performance and job satisfaction, the data collected will focus on matters of flexibility and work-life balance. The data will be analysed by using SPSS Syntax because it is efficient, easy to communicate and considerably accurate (Saunders et al. 2016, p.321).

To observe research ethics, the researcher will observe data protection arrangements to ensure that the information is not distorted. The researcher will obtain multiple secondary sources from the different organizations in order to underscore reliability of data. According to Frankfort-Nachmias et al (2015, p.152), using multiple data sources provides springboard to improve data reliability and coverage. The study will also use published case studies to obtain data

Secondary data will presented in Likert Scale to present the collected data

Table: Likert scale

Case Studies of Correlation between technology and job satisfaction and performance will be presented in the following format:

Table: Case summary presentation

Correlation between parameters and respondents will be calculated using MS Excel.

Conclusion

The study has assessed the impact of technology on job related parameters based on the available literature. Studies show that proliferation of technology has improved organizational performance by enhancing efficiency. Technology also improves productivity by increasing output. Similarly, technology enhances job satisfaction by improving efficiency of employees. On Work-life balance, technology is significant in promoting flexibility of employees, which in turn improves job satisfaction. The paper has also discussed various techniques that will be used to collect secondary data and analyse the collected data.

Gantt Chart

References

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Darks, D., Ten Brummelhuis, L. L., Zecic, D., & Bakker, A. B., 2012, ‘Switching on and off: Does smartphone use obstruct the possibility to engage in recovery activities?’ European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, Vol.23, no.1, pp.80-90. doi:10.1080/1359432x.2012.711013

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