Organizational technology strategy: accountability, assessment, and emerging technologies

¶ … Technologies and Strategic Planning for the Organization

The objective of this work is to explore and define plans for organizational technology including managers and individuals in the use of new and emerging technology.

An organizational technology strategy should include the goals of providing timely access to information and should seek opportunities to improve work processes. Further, technology projects should have an emphasis on data integration. Technology strategies for the organization should include the deployment of secure and reliable information systems. The organizational technology strategy should deliver the services in a responsive and cost effective manner and leadership should actively lead information technology strategy planning and deployment across the organization.

CURRENT TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT

Accountability and review are both extremely important components in a successful strategy. Activities involved in accountability and review include: (1) improving the communications of progress updates; (2) Application and refinement the use of performance measures; (3) Communication of the results of measured performance; (4) Reporting progress to multiple audiences including council, users, and technologists; (5) Monitor and report on the implementation of the strategic plan; and (6) Reviewing and refinement in a manner of updating the strategic plan on an annual basis.

MANAGING CHANGE

The work of Allan E. Alter, entitled: "Innovation Makes Emerging Technologies Pay Off" published in the CIO Insight Journal (2005) relates that 5.4% of corporate budgets are specifically spent on innovation" and "73% of it departments are involved in new product and service innovation." Alter additionally states: "28% of companies are early adopters of information technology and 68% of companies have received significant payoffs from adopting emerging technology." (2005) Finally Alter relates that 64% say that emerging technologies "play an integral role in supporting corporate innovation." (2005) Alter reports a survey conducted among corporations and states that the most important finding is: "Emerging technology doesn't make companies innovative, instead, innovative companies makes emerging technology valuable. Not only are innovative companies more likely to be early adopter, but it executives at innovative companies are almost twice as likely to report significant payoffs than those who work for companies they do not consider innovative." (Alter, 2005) it is critically important to note the statement of Alter (2005): that companies who are innovative:

don't depend solely on incentives and culture; they rely on process, too. Companies where emerging technologies pay off are far more likely to have procedures and processes for quickly implementing promising new technologies. Such companies are also twice as likely to measure the business value of a new technology after they deploy it. Finally, innovative companies are far more likely to deploy new technologies. Of the 30 emerging technologies we surveyed, just one -- speech/voice recognition -- has been deployed more frequently by companies that are not innovative. Usually, innovative companies are at least twice as likely to deploy any of these technologies; in some cases, such as grid computing and self-healing computing, the ratio is as much as 9 to 1 or 10 to 1. Given that innovative companies are not only more likely to deploy emerging technologies, but are better at implementing them, it seems they are in a good position to use it not only to remain innovative, but to maintain a sustainable competitive advantage, in years to come." (Alter, 2005)

The work of Bean (2004) entitled: "Emerging Technologies Still Emerging" that "new technology can give your company an edge but with the it downturn still more down than up, it may be awhile before the sector gets hot again..." (2004) Bean states that in the "wake of rampant investments in new technology products and firms during the late 1990's and early 2000's, Fortune 1000 (F1000) businesses are showing greater caution than ever when it comes to incurring potential risk. With tens of millions of dollars in software investments sitting around unused, underused, or with companies no longer in existence, but F1000 buyers are looking to take the safe route." (2004)

The work of Gavin Williams entitled: "Dynamic Computing Benefit and Pitfalls" states that dynamic computing is an approach that combines a series of best practices along with smart technology, helping enterprises be more agile by automatically scaling up or down, depending on the real-time business needs. As the enterprise changes, dynamic computing helps enterprises bring new capabilities online more quickly and in a more cost-effective way. Thus, companies are able to run very tight and lean with technology that adapts to their needs." (2008) Examples provided by Williams of dynamic computing include the ability of the organization to "react to sudden spikes in demand rapidly and efficiently in an automated fashion, ensuring consistent availability of critical business processes. With the ability to 'expect the unexpected', the dynamic computing systems of a global bank were able to detect a surge in demand instantly. Rather than failing the service level agreement, the company was able to automatically bring additional capacity online to cope with the demand. They were also able to track for subsequent actions like billing." (Williams, 2008)

Another example stated by Williams includes the use of 'one-click scaling' by a "division of the investment banking department in the Tokyo branch of a bank with the intention of expanding a pilot program to other offices on a global scale. The transition was achieved seamlessly with no downtime for any of the existing users with the automated it systems kicking in during the roll-out. Another possibility in the area of retiring old applications is collaboration Williams states: "Rather than switching the functionality off all at once, the collaboration platform is kept operational but steps are put in place to accelerate its decommissioning. Services are automatically scaled down and moved to a lower SLA with higher cost for support, all without interfering with any live transactions running on the application. When the last user logs off the old system, the Business Collaboration Manager sends an email to the it department confirming that it is no longer needed." (2008) Williams finally state that dynamic computing can enable innovation through enabling it departments to shift "from a 'light on' operation to a proactive, forward-looking approach." (2008)

SOCIAL CONTRACT

The work of Edward M. Rizzo and Leslie a. Worsley entitled; "Emerging Technologies and the Internet Enable Today's E-Workforce" states that with the changes occurring in today's workforce "management requires a new way of thinking. The tools driving organizational effectiveness shave changed drastically in recent years in order to meet the needs of an ever-evolving workforce." (2001) a larger percent of the workforce is comprised of professional employees whom are "more mobile, and there is a growing dependence on temporary or contract employees to ensure adequate staffing levels." (Rizzo and Worsley, 2001) Rizzo and Worsley state that to this end more and more employers are depending on emergent technologies in facing staffing challenges including the Internet. While "traditional businesses have prevailed...the Internet has nevertheless transformed some of the fundamentals of the workforce management and marketplace." (Rizzo and Worsley, 2001) the Internet provides the means of delivery of management solutions "directly to the corporate desktop via a Web browser. This new approach has many names - outsourcing, netsourcing, application hosting, application service providing (ASP - but they all mean the same thing: flexibility." (Rizzo and Worsley, 2001)

Another application that may be used in keeping track of employees tasks and productivity are 'data collection terminals' which is critical to achieving operational excellence and improving employee productivity. Included in data collection terminals are: (1) Touch-screen Kiosks; and (2) mobile computing devices. Touch-screen kiosks "provide a bridge between the organization and the workforce, both capturing workforce information and extending organizational information back to the employee. Mobile computing devices such as Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) "are widely accepted as tools or contact and task management. However, workplaces are beginning to realize that these devices have capabilities that extend much further." (Rizzo and Worsley, 2001)

Also stated as an emerging technology becoming more popular in use is 'biometric' technology while "once the exclusive province of ultra-secret, high-tech government facilities and science fiction movies, is ever increasingly one of the most pervasive and popular technologies used for efficient and accurate data collection." (Worsley, 2001) it is related that many organizations shy away from institution of biometric technology due to the association with "fingerprint reading, criminality, or the FBI. However, biometric technology is available in less intrusive forms including voice recognition, iris scan and hand geometry readers." (Rizzo and Worsley, 2001)

GLOBAL ISSUES

In order to smoothly deploy any technology across the organization the manager must necessarily consider 'Device Relationship Management' (DRM) which is a "...new genre of software infrastructure...designed to facilitate predictive maintenance and improve revenue streams from consumables and support, as well as monitor usage of network printing devices. DRM solutions encompass remote diagnostics and remote data monitoring, and can be implemented to scrutinize usage within the enterprise as well as establish real-time communications between the enterprise and suppliers of repair and maintenance services for networked copiers and printers." (InfoTrends, 2008) InfoTrends offers ten steps to building a DRM Sales Strategy, which include:

1) Making the determination of which elements of a DRM solutions already exist in the product and service portfolio "and aggregate those elements into a cohesive offering;

2) Using the 80/20 rule, schedule executive-level discussions with the 20% of customers who account for 80% of business;

3) Based on the assessment of the product and service portfolio and key customer needs, make a determination of where the organization falls on the continuum of DRM offering and if weak, focus toward expanding them;

4) Once having consolidated an array of DRM elements into an aggregated offering that meets the largest part of the requirements of the customers, develop a compelling presentation for customers that articulates that value offered in this area;

5) Test this presentation with key account executives;

6) refine the message and presentation based on customer feedback;

7) provide incentive to sales force to sell the DRM solutions and measure their results;

8) Invest in a strategy to advance offerings along the DRM continuum;

9) Ensure that the market messages and sales force is kept aligned with development efforts of DRM; and 10) Extra additional revenue from DRM customers by adding advanced DRM-enabled services such as automatic replenishment of consumables and periodic assessment of device utilization across the enterprise. (InfoTrends, 2008)

The work of Steven Johnson (2003) entitled: "Emerging Technology" published in the Discover magazine states that: "In his classic novel, Cat's Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut explains how the world is divided into two types of social organizations: the karass and the granfalloon. A karass is a spontaneously forming group, joined by unpredictable links, that actually gets stuff done - without ever discovering what they are doing...while a granfallloon is a 'false karass', a bureaucratic structure that looks like a team but is 'meaningless' in terms of getting things done. Everyone has undoubtedly experience both types of networks according to Johnson who state that for the largest part of the last 40 years "computers have been on the side of the gransfalloons, good at maintaining bureaucratic structures and blind to more nuanced social interactions. But a new kind of software called social-network mapping promises to change all that. Mapping social networks turns out to be one of those computations problems - like factoring pi out to a hundred decimal points or render complex light patterns on a 3D shape - that computers can do effortlessly if you give them the right data." (Johnson, 2003) Johnson states that Kurt Vonnegut has developed a software he calls 'in-flow' which maps social networking for organizations and illustrates the flow of information and Johnson states: "They look almost like images from a chemistry textbook -- dozens of molecules strung together in an intricate shape, each one representing an employee. The links between each person are a way of visualizing the flow of information through a company. "The maps show how ideas happen, how decision making happens, who the real experts are that everybody goes to," Krebs says. They show the karass buried inside the granfalloon." (2003) Johnson relates that social mapping is not only for the corporate sociologist because this type of software was used by Krebs of Amazon.com "to analyze the social networks visible in book-buying patterns on Amazon.com by tracking the people who bought this book bought these 'other books' feature. " (2003)

SUMMARY & CONCLUSION

Today's organization must stay open to new and emerging technological solutions in all areas of conducting business including providing solutions, data aggregation, collaboration between departments and employees and customer relationship management solutions. Integration of new technology will require device relationship management and other technology offerings for customer and for employees as well. Technology is an ever-expanding and ever-changing aspect of the business organization, which provides the organization with the potential to continually increase efficiency, operability, and profitability.