Paper Topic:

“The Role of Technology in Shaping Organizations”.

The Role of Technology in Shaping Organizations

Technology , as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary , is the use of knowledge in a particular area , and the capabilities gained by doing so It is the interaction between science and society usage of knowledge to conduct tasks of value . Being a very broad term , technology includes everything from a simple stick used to light fire to a complex artificial intelligent system running on super computers for analyzing lets say , the impact of nuclear warheads . Technology , depending upon its usage , is both beneficial and harmful . The

usage however varies from d to field and individual to society

Among many things that have been created and designed by men , many are too simple for a second thought whereas others are too complex to even be understood by a single individual . Organizations , being entities (at least in legal terms , are arguably one of the most complex creations of mankind . Organizations are the result of coordinated efforts put in by individuals to use resources to achieve a common goal . The managing directing and leading of such a huge group of individuals and budgeting the use of resources is indeed a very demanding process , and like other walks of life , even organizations have prospered (or suffered ) at the hands of technology

Organizations used to be simple things . A leader with a few men working under him , the methods were reminiscent of monarchies dating as far back as Sumer and Indus Valley . Humans lived in groups cultivating the land around them . People not dedicated to agriculture however did other things like metallurgy , astronomy , arts and finance . These both were contributing to knowledge in one way or the other building canals for irrigation and accounting systems for record keeping with the head of the society holding responsibility for the distribution of resources among the rest . As generations passed , this cumulative knowledge and its application to day to day living grew . Gutenberg 's printing press further banished the barriers known to knowledge and allowed for its dissipation far across the face of the earth . People no longer just told stories , but had proof in the form of written scripts and artifacts and with this came a better understanding of everything and applicability of new skills to existing methods . Thus , organized societies grew ever more complex with a need for better management techniques

Technology has thus played an important role since the beginning of time and its usage in every walk of life can be seen today . Organizations that grew complex by the day needed a better way to do things . The industrial revolution heralded by Watt saw a completely new turn and proved that in to survive , organizations had no choice but to incorporate new technology in to compete in their respective markets . Henry Ford by bringing in the assembly production line revolutionized the way work was looked at . Toyota by popularizing Just In Time techniques ushered in the importance of managing time and costs Nike started outsourcing and...

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