technology management
Technology Management Is Essential in Today’s Business Environment
January 4, 2012 | 
Author
Say the words “technology management”, and some people have a look of puzzlement on their faces – they have no idea what the term means. Basically, technology expertise follows the same course as other strategies applied in the workplace in order to further the success and sustainability of a company or organization: Planning, organizing, staffing, implementing and monitoring/evaluation. The one difference is that in technology management, you add the “technology” factor to the mix.
Nearly every individual today knows that technology is meant to make life simpler and more streamlined. Today, information technology management allows companies to make their business more competitive by utilizing available information technology resources. Corporations and companies of all sizes benefit through information technology management, as managers and business owners discover effective ways to utilize technology so that the operation and standing of the company is improved in a competitive business environment. Technology management is necessary in all divisions, including marketing and communications, development of products, process innovations and reporting efficiency. Through these strategies, companies are able to create value and remain competitive with a cutting-edge advantage.
Information technology management can be useful in all levels of business, from online websites and internal business functions to management of daily activities in the workplace. In the corporate environment, information technology expertise assists owners and managers in determining the markets they choose to operate in. Most businesses today have an online presence in the form of a website; those in technology management can set up such a presence, making ordering materials and other goods easier and efficient. In any business setting, forecasting production and projecting sales is essential; information technology also becomes useful in this sense, since many companies use software to create this data.
In any type of technology management, it is essential that an individual or team take responsibility for implementing and developing strategies that are functional, efficient and designed to make the everyday tasks of business easier and more efficient. At this point, efficient technology management requires that employees and management understand how these processes work, and how to use them in the most productive manner. In today’s business environment most tasks, communications and projects are made simpler due to the ease of transfer of information between departments and individuals. This means that good technology expertise often does away with time-wasting, needless activities that essentially cost the company money.
In the workplace, it’s easy for productivity and efficiency to suffer; time necessary to complete tasks and projects can be drastically reduced, resulting in an impact to the bottom line. Good technology expertise often results in an improvement in all aspects of business, including finance, accounting, research and development and human resources. Various software applications, programs and computers increase the productivity of individual employees, making many processes automatic, accurate and more efficient. In order to remain competitive in the business environment and stand apart from direct competitors, efficient technology management is an essential investment.
Posted in 
Tags: 
The Effects of Information Technology on Management
In today’s business climate, technology is advancing more rapidly than many organizations can keep up with. Frequently, a number of the larger corporations, and even small to medium-sized businesses as well, now hire technology consultants and highly educated technical staff to keep their organizations competitive and up to date with the latest technological changes and improved software and equipment that can make their businesses more efficient and productive. However, the advantages for these businesses that do stay informed and up to date with the latest technological changes is that they are able to increase revenues and profits at a faster pace and promulgate the overall success of the company.
Technology is quickly becoming a key factor in any type of business, and the latest technological innovations are what are leading to not only increased sales and exposure, but also less costly methods of marketing and advertising and greatly increased productivity. In manufacturing, many processes that were once performed manually or machines that were operated by manpower are now being operated remotely and run by automated processes. With decreased opportunities for employment in manufacturing and less skilled trades, many workers are gaining an education and expanding their own personal skills to accommodate a changing business environment.
In administrative functions, computers have offered the benefits of readily accessible databases of information and streamlined processes as well. Virtual offices and even telephone answering systems that operate as robotic receptionists have decreased the need for many positions here as well and offered businesses a more cost-effective approach to completing simpler office tasks. In terms of sales, the internet has helped open the doors for increased globalization and the ability to increase profits by reaching more people at one time. As a result, telemarketing and door to door sales calls have become not only unwelcomed by the general public, but also an outdated means of selling goods and services.
While the overall benefit to the end consumer is lower prices, businesses still reap the rewards of these decreased costs of operation and also greater efficiency and organization. For management, the increased reliance on information technology creates a number of issues. In terms of human resources, today’s human resources managers are searching for employees that are well trained with computers and know how to operate the latest technological equipment. In addition, a number of today’s top firms are hiring employees that telecommute or work from a remote location, and managers are now frequently managing teams from in front of a computer.
Another aspect of increased information technology that affects today’s management is security. Hacking, phishing, and other online security threats can create real issues for any type of business, but today’s managers have to be prepared to deal with these kinds of threats, teach the importance of security to employees, and know how to react when security has been breached.
Technology, Time Management and ADHD
What concerns me is what technology may be doing to our brain. Read Gary Small’s book, iBrain, and you will have to agree that our brain is indeed evolving. Two brains that start off the same at birth can be drastically different at two years of age if one has been deprived of play, talk, touch, love, proper food and so on. That’s been known for a long time. What is more surprising is that the adult brain remains malleable – “neuroplasticity” is the term used – as we grow older, and it continues to rewire itself throughout life. That’s good news for old folks like me because it means you can become smarter the older you get. We used to think intelligence was 80% genetic and 20% environmental, but it’s actually the opposite.
The bad news is that chronic Internet users and high-tech users tend to have poorer social skills and less ability to focus, and take on traits normally found in people with ADHD.
Excessive TV, video games and other digital media has been shown to contribute to ADD and ADHD in both children and adults. About 5% of children in the U.S. have ADHD. But with the advent of technology, and our increasing addiction to it, this is changing. Psychiatric investigators in South Korea find that 20% of Internet-addicted children and teens end up with ADHD symptoms. Dr. Edward Hallowell, a psychiatrist in Sudbury, Mass., and author of several books on ADD/ADHD, sees a lot of patients wrapped up in this multitasking mania. Over the past decade he has seen a tenfold increase in the number of patients showing up with symptoms closely resembling ADD, but of the work-induced variety. They were irritable, their productivity was declining, they couldn’t get organized, they were making quick, off the cuff decisions – all because they felt pressured to get things done quickly. He gave the condition a name – Attention Deficit Trait (ADT). Several books on brain research indicate that high-tech gadgets, video games and even TV have been shown to contribute to ADD in both adults and children. Incidentally, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends zero TV for children under two, yet one in five American children under two has a TV in their bedroom.
An example of how our brains can be rewired is described in John Medina’s book, Brain Rules. A year 2000 study of London taxi drivers revealed that they had a much larger posterior hippocampus than men with a similar profile, but who did not drive for a living. That part of the hippocampus is responsible for a person’s navigational skills. As far as our brain is concerned, it seems to hold true that if we don’t use it, we lose it. Another example appeared in the Toronto Star (December 12, 2009) It was an article on handwriting, which seems to have been replaced by the keyboard, at least with the younger generation. It concludes, based on research, that handwriting works the brain differently and builds distinct cognitive skills. It reinforces reading and spelling, develops motor memory as it becomes automatic, teaches students to focus, and may help them remember what they learn. So as keyboards replace handwriting, new neural pathways are created and new cognitive skills replace the old.
The brain is evolving. That may not be all bad. But I do know that managers require social and interpersonal skills, intuition and creativity to be successful. And focus is one of the keys to accomplishment. We should think twice before allowing time with email and the Internet to crowd out time with family and friends.
Top achievers combine high-tech with high touch. They interact socially, participate in face-to-face meetings, and even use paper-based systems such as the day planners or simple note pads as tools to get things done.
I will never apologize for scheduling in a paper day planner or drawing mind maps on a scratch pad or scribbling an idea on an index card. And I’m becoming more convinced that it helps us remain well-rounded individuals. Much of your intelligence – and how well you do in life – seems to depend on what researchers call the “executive function” part of the brain. It is that part of the brain in the cerebral cortex that gives you the ability to control impulses, sustain attention, hold an idea in your head, plan, and prioritize and so on. And it’s those executive functions that appear to be weak in individuals with ADD/ADHD. Too much technology could weaken these executive skills even more.