Abstract
Technology’s use by employees and an organization’s management can present challenges which require strategic actions to address. In seeking to demonstrate the process, this analysis discusses the challenges and solutions for an organization that has challenges in technology management. In that respect, the several issues and events that could have led to the situation for the organization have been identified to include:
- Employees’ poor technology related skills.
- Technology system failures.
- Frequent system updates.
- Technology security related issues
- Compatibility issues
- Software vulnerability
- Internal threats relating to employees
- Inadequate resources including lack of adequate finances
In that respect, the analysis has identified several strategic actions that can be applied to address the poor technology management as being
- Finance sourcing
- System evaluation
- Acquiring compatible systems
- Suitable system update
- Recruitment of skilled technology system support staff
- Employees’ technology skills and ethical training
Those strategies have been recommended with an aim of achieving several objectives which can be summarized as achieving
- Technology’s compatibility with the organizational functions
- Uninterrupted operations when using the technology system
- Employees understanding of the system’s operations
- Ethical use of the system in order to ensure data and information security
- Efficiency in information access in order to enhance operations and systems management
Finally, the analysis has identified the strategies’ implementation to be a responsibility of several departments and being in need of an estimated budget of $740,000. In addition, the six months period during which there will be a systematic implementation of the strategies has been identified to begin on 1st January 2014 to 30th June 2014 when the objectives should have been achieved.
Introduction
Technology can be a source of operational efficiency as well as operational challenges depending on several factors. Thus, a review of efficient technological application is necessary with the modern day business operations that highly rely on technology systems. In that respect, this analysis seek to demonstrate how strategic management can be applied in identification of issues affecting technology management as well as in establishing and implementing suitable strategies and techniques in order to address the issues. To achieve the objective, the analysis refers to an organization that has been faced with poor employees’ technology management as well as technology use challenges and seeks to explain the issues that could have led to the situation. In addition, the analysis identifies suitable strategies and a timeframe strategy for the problem solving.
Body
- Issues, concerns and incidents leading to poor technology management
Although technology is supposed to enhance operations in various organizational functions, it has some risks that could impact on efficient operations. In that respect, the causes of poor technology management has been as a result of a number of factors including
- Poor employees’ technology related skills. Employees lacked adequate skills to deal with the complex technology systems which resulted to challenges in handling the system’s demands hence lapses in some critical operations.
- Technology system failures were also a great cause of poor management as it resulted to numerous disruptions on working schedules as well as loss of critical management information. This resulted from poor quality of technology systems and installation problems.
- Frequent system updates have been undertaken as a means of keeping the technology system up-to-date. However, such frequent updates resulted to changes that have disrupted employees operations and efficiency as they are required to frequently learn new system management skills which are too demanding.
- Technology security related issues were a cause of concern over the technology systems use with employees having concerns over the effectiveness of the system to secure critical information and data that is considered confidential and some being trade secrets. (Lucey, 2005)
- Compatibility issues with the system presented challenges in that some operations failed.
- Software vulnerability has also been a cause of poor technology operations as well as management with the problem causing system disruptions that presented limitations to information access hence a limited capacity to manage the whole system.
- Internal threats relating to employees have also been a cause of system compromise with some unethical conduct in system’s use causing challenges like compromise to data and information that is crucial to technology management.
- In adequate resources including lack of adequate finances to retain highly skilled workforce that can effectively address the system issues. This resulted to reliance on outside support services that are limited in response and system knowledge. (Gaynor, 1996)
- Strategies and techniques for improving technology management
In a bid to address the concerns and challenges facing technology management in the organization, a number of strategies and techniques need to be applied with a focus on specific concern or issue. Such strategies include:
- Finance sourcing for the purpose of funding the system updates and skilled manpower recruitment and maintenance.
- System evaluation in order to identify the compatibility and operational weaknesses that needs to be addressed. (Gaynor, 1996)
- Acquiring compatible systems that will enhance effective operations for technology management by employees and the management.
- Suitable system update should be undertaken in order to have compatible and reliable software that will effectively support management’s operations. (Ward, 1995)
- Recruitment of skilled technology system support staff that will be responsible for maintenance and review of the systems operations.
- There should be employees’ technology skills and ethical training in order to enhance effective and secure use of the system that minimizes system disruptions as well as supports efficient utilization of the technology system’s management capabilities.
- System security enforcement by establishing crucial information security systems meant to reduce security breach cases that could be disrupting operations. (Lucey, 2005)
In that respect the strategic actions will be focused on achieving a number of technology management objectives including achieving
- Technology’s compatibility with the organizational functions
- Uninterrupted operations when using the technology system
- Employees understanding of the system operations
- Ethical use of the system in order to ensure data and information security
- Efficiency in information access to enhance operations and systems management(Gaynor, 1996)
- Six months’ improvement timeframe strategy
Within a period of six months in which technology management should be improved, there is a need for a suitable timeframe strategy that features an address of all issues and concerns in a systematic way that is efficient in cost and time management. With that respect, the order of the suitable actions, timing, responsible departments as well as estimated budget is as presented on the table below.
With a budget of $740,000 and coordination between several organizational departments, the issues causing poor technology management will be addressed beginning 1st January 2014 to 30th June 2014. The strategies will begin with finance sourcing and system review in January and will be completed with a review that will establish the strategies effectiveness in achieving the objectives. The process will be systematic with effective scheduling in order to effectively utilize departmental resources in finding solutions. (Ward, 1995)
Conclusion
The discussion has clearly demonstrated that technology systems can present and also be faced with some risks that could result to a challenge in its management as well as be a cause of poor operations in an organization. Such issues range from organizational structure issues, system related as well as those issues related to employees and their conduct. In that respect, solutions to poor technology management requires strategies that are specific to the issues’ cause. In addition, the strategies implementation requires an effective schedule that presents a flow of actions in a manner that is comprehensive in providing solutions to all sources of poor management.
References
Gaynor, G. (1996). Handbook of Technology Management. New York: McGraw/Hill
Professional.
Lucey, T. (2005). Management Information Systems. New Delhi: Cengage Learning.
Ward, J. (1995). Principles of Information Systems Management. New York: Rutledge.
