Throughout history, great revolutions have taken place in the development and progress of human civilizations in different historical periods. These revolutions have been accompanied by fundamental changes in the social structure of human societies. The progression of each era may not be the same shape and size as it is today, but it certainly was something that people needed to make their lives easier (Pouspourika).
These revolutions went from the agricultural revolution to the industrial revolution, respectively, and now we are in the period of the technological revolution, which has fundamentally changed the human way of life, business and communication with others. According to ‘The Future of Jobs’ report by the World Economic Forum, "we are in the midst of a fourth phase of industrial revolution, with technology rapidly developing in areas like 3D printing, robotics and artificial intelligence"(Sharman).In such a transitional environment where most jobs have been replaced by new technologies and the world is undergoing a fundamental transformation, managerial positions are also evolving (Pouspourika). Therefore, management practices have changed accordingly to meet the challenges of this transition.
In traditional managerial functions, managers must always be available and on hand to deal with organizational and employee issues. Today, with new technologies for many management tasks in the workplace, adhering to a fixed location is not efficient anymore, instead, it is important to build fast adaptation and innovation skills using remote technologies (Grant). The age of the Internet needs to change the skills of managers in line with technology to be integrated with all organizational systems. According to Dukes, the traditional role of the manager as the custodian and controller is no longer so decisive in the age of technology. Instead, successful managers are those who are more in tune with modern, entrepreneurial and creative technology. Thus, tactical management and as soon as possible problem-solving management have now replaced the old systems of management procedures, financial control and long-term planning.
Advances in technology have made it easier for managers to perform specific managerial tasks and functions than in the past. Nowadays, the existence of special management software helps business leaders stay organized. Not long ago, managers had to carry a lot of manuals and paper documents. But today, with the help of technology, managers can easily carry a large amount of information with them, only using a small and light hardware (Grant). Likewise, traditional board meetings had to be held in rooms, internal and external communication between organizations and companies was difficult, and sometimes even not held due to timely and convenient transportation problems. But nowadays, operational and communicational issues such as employee relations, management with subordinates, management with superiors and most importantly managers' relationships with their counterparts in other companies are fast and integrated, that this in turn contributes to the profitability of the company's business (Dukes). As Prasad states, employers and managers can also use "project management software" to control the quality and quantity of work and easily monitor the activities of employees and the workplace. This useful software helps managers to track project progress more easily at each stage of goal completion and to provide stronger solutions to continue.
Another important role of technology is to create security in the workplace. Undoubtedly, maintaining information security in any organization, institution and company is one of the most important challenges for a manager. The implementation of information protection technologies in the workplace assures managers that information is only accessible to the right people and makes it almost impossible to disclose company information (Prasad). As smart hackers today use technology to steal companies' sensitive information, the use of special encryption and face recognition software with high security, plays a vital role for management systems. According to Grant, the use of technology in customer satisfaction is another important function in the present age. In today's business world, managers of organizations and companies attach great importance to customer satisfaction to achieve the desired economic results. The impact of technology in this regard is a great help to managers to improve decision-making, facilitate online communication with customers, provide digital integration and increase the speed of business (Dukes). In addition, in today's competitive world where being fast is more crucial than being big, one of the challenges for managers is constant change in decision. Factors such as shortening the life of products and services, rapid growth of markets, increasing changes in the tastes of consumers, etc. have led to shortening of the expiration date of managers' decisions (Prasad). Therefore, to increase the speed of decision-making, managers in any field need to use special technologies and software.
In conclusion, in the age of technology, organizations and institutions face dynamic and changing environments. Integrating the management system and the technology system is one of the most important tasks of executives and managers of human resources and other branches of management in any institution. If managers do not make timely decisions about the entry and adoption of emerging technologies and do not adapt themselves and their workplace to new technologies, they will definitely be eliminated in the world of competition. A skilled manager must adjust to the challenges of technology and provide the necessary infrastructure for his/her work and that of the workers. In my opinion, human beings are the center of modern developments, and in order to achieve economic and social goals in all institutions or organizations, we must pay attention to the proper management of human resources.
Works Cited
Dukes, Elizabeth. “5 Ways Technology in The Workplace Has Improved Our Lives.” iofficecorp. May 24, 2019. https://www.iofficecorp.com/blog/5-ways-technology-has-changed-the-modern-workplace
Grant. “How Does Technology Affect the Work Environment Today?” Small Business. March 16,
Prasad, Amit. “10 Ways Technology Has Reshaped the Modern Workplace.” quickfms. Oct 8, 2018. https://www.quickfms.com/blog/how-technology-has-reshaped-the-workplace
Pouspourika, Katerina. “The 4 Industrial Revolutions.” Institute of Entrepreneurship
Development. June 30, 2019. https://ied.eu/project-updates/the-4-industrial-revolutions/
Sharman, Jess. “Four phases of industrial revolution.” thenbs. Dec 5, 2017.
Comments