The benefits of technology in the workplace have been well documented. Research indicates that technology is the single most effective way to enhance employee performance, reduce costs, improve quality, and make us all more productive.1 It’s no surprise that many organizations are incorporating more technology into the workplace, with approximately 65 percent of the average Fortune 500 company now using some form of technology.
Organizations need to understand why they are using technology. Does it make sense for their particular business and industry? Is it a necessity? What are the benefits and risks of this technology? Once they have a better understanding of the risks, benefits, and impacts of technology, organizations can make smart, informed decisions about technology.
In this chapter, we’ll cover these questions and others as we review the impact of new technologies on individuals and organizations. First, we’ll examine the benefits of new technologies and how they impact individual employees, from both a functional and a personal standpoint. Then we’ll examine the risks of using ข่าวเทคโนโลยี and how they impact individuals and organizations. Finally, we’ll identify the most common considerations for making technology decisions, and we’ll outline the process for evaluating new technology to ensure that it’s the right fit for your organization.
What Are the Benefits of New Technology?
When new technology is introduced to the workplace, organizations generally have one of two general goals: to add a new tool that’s required to maintain high performance or to provide a new way to improve an employee’s performance. As we’ll discuss later, both of these approaches have benefits and drawbacks.
First, we’ll examine what types of benefits new technology can provide, and we’ll look at a few examples of how technology has enhanced the way we work.
Technology’s Role in Enhancing the Way We Work
Some forms of new technology can enhance the way we work and benefit the organization as well as the individual. These include
New technology to increase our productivity
Mobile technology to improve our productivity
New technology to increase safety
New technology to save time and increase efficiency
New technology that enables us to work remotely
New technology that allows us to customize our workspace
New technology can improve the way we work. We can customize our workspace to provide the right amount of physical space for the right type of work. We can enhance our personal skills with new technologies, such as video gaming and virtual training. We can learn new skills through technology, such as video or voice dictation, and we can use technology to increase our productivity.
We all need a balance between our physical and mental needs. We’re more productive when we’re physically relaxed and mentally alert. For example, when we’re physically and mentally tired, we’re more likely to fall asleep at our desks. We can easily focus on the task at hand when we’re physically and mentally alert, but we lose focus and begin to struggle with a task when we’re physically and mentally tired.
