Information Systems and Organisations

1. Information Systems and Organisations Lecture 8: The 21st Century Organisation

2. Scope and Coverage • This topic will cover: • Technology and changing organisational forms • Commitment and control – managing distributed work • Evolving working practice and the network organisation

3. Learning Outcomes • By the end of this unit students will be able to: • Understand the way in which organisations and work are changing under the influence of technology • Critically analyse working practices and control in the 21st century organisation

4. Contents • How technology is changes working practices and possibilities • Contemporary and future organisational forms • Changing relationships with the organisation • Management of distributed work • Emphasis – People, Organisation and Technology

5. How Technology Changes Work • Most work in organisations is co-operative in nature at some time or other • Eason identified important ways of characterising such work in terms of: • participants relative power and influence • division of labour • The classification scheme is on the next slide

6. Classification Co-operative Work Classification, (Eason,1996, p40)

7. Examples • Type A – Local division of labour and equality e.g. decide amongst each other who does what • Type B – Local division of labour and managed contribution (team members + supervisor) e.g. fast-food restaurant • Type C – Predetermined division of labour and equality e.g. team of equal professionals • Type D – Managed team of specialists

8. Transformation of Work: Time + Space e.g. A ‘traditional’ seminar ( 1 B ) ... becomes an on-line forum ( 4 B ) Time-space and power-work type classification transformation. Based on Hassall 1999 page 40.

9. Technology Effects • Automating work • De-skilling and up-skilling work • Distributing work • Changing discretion of individuals when doing work • Changing times when work can be carried out (whilst travelling perhaps) • Changing location and synchronism of work tasks

10. The Organisation – Flow of Value Added

11. Outsourcing Secondary Activities

12. Concentrating on KEY Primary Activities

13. Organisation - Part of Business Networks • “If the corporation embodied capital in the industrial age, then the b‑web does the same for the digital economy. In b‑webs, internetworked, fluid, sometimes highly structured, sometimes amorphous‑sets of contributors come together to create value for customers and wealth for their shareholders. In the most elegant of b‑webs, each participant focuses on a limited set of core competencies, the things that it does best. • Business webs are inventing new value propositions, transforming the rules of competition, and mobilizing people and resources to unprecedented levels of performance. Managers must master a new agenda for b‑web strategy if they intend to win in the new economy.” • (Tapscott, Ticol and Lowy, Digital Capital, p17)

14. Challenges for Management • Relationship between people and their work changing • Home-working, hot-desking , mobile and other forms of work emerging • Blurring in online world between work and social spheres • Competitive pressures • Need to be able to manage networked contributions and distributed work

15. Managing Distributed Work Organisational characteristics Societal Individual characteristics FIT Outcomes Work characteristics Organisational Individual Technology characteristics Based on, Boddy, Boonstra and Kennedy (2008), page 229.

16. Replacing or Complementing Skills • Consider a call centre: • The IS can automate more of less of the call handlers task • Amount of discretion and skill will depend on what the IS allows and the flexibility it provides • Consider a modern garage company that services cars: • Computerised diagnostics can quickly isolate engine faults, speeding the repair process • Repairs fitting/replacement parts still a manual process

17. Human Contribution and Management May enhance managers role Enhance human contribution MANAGERS Information Systems Limit human contribution May diminish managers role Based on, Boddy, Boonstra and Kennedy (2008) figure 8.5 page 225

18. The 21st Century Organisation • Flat Structure • Networked business • Distributed working • Automation using IS where possible • IS to enhance and control human contribution • Partnerships with both Suppliers and Customers • Concentrating on core value creating activities

19. References • Boddy, D., Boonstra ,A., Kennedy, G. (2008) Managing Information Systems : strategy and organisation 3rd ed. FT Pearson. ISBN-13: 978-0273 -71681-5XXX • Tapscott, D. Ticoll, D. Lowy, A. (2000) Digital Capital, Harnessing the Power of Business Webs, Nicholas Brearley Publishing, ISBN 1 85788 209 1. • Hassall, J C, 1999, Developing Performance Models for Co-operative Information Systems in an Organisational Context, Doctor of Philosophy, Aston University, July 1999

20. Lecture 8 – The 21st Century Organisation Any Questions?