The Good And The Bad Of Management-based Systems in Organizations

With the great advancement in computer-based and online-based information technology in the current years, business managers are becoming more dependent on technology when making and implementing decisions. Systems that have contributed to work efficiency in businesses have been developed and often the managers have little or no say in their development. But surprisingly, many managers have experienced success with such systems and have effectively used them to increase productiveness within the organizations they are running.

Technology Expectations from Managers

What exactly should managers expect from computers and technology in general except the usual storage of the piles of reports that increasingly grow every day on their desks? Computers are more efficient when it comes to listing receivables and carrying out other roles within an organization, but is that all that should be? Should managers expect more? Of course, they should; in the past, there have been promises and speculations about the technology’s role in management.

There have been impressive advances in basic information retrieval, processing, and the display technologies. Managers have expected the best from any technological system in place and often they haven’t been disappointed, especially if they have utilized its advantages to the full.

Limited Automation

But despite all such advancements many management functions are currently not automated, and it is evident that with most of these management functions, automation cannot be done. This makes the manager, a very important figure in business because no app will replace the manager in the end. This is unlike what happened to many manual functions within organizations when technology took over.

Great Hope for Management

There is also hope for managers because apps are being specifically developed to help support the managers in companies and not replace them. More organizations are embracing the use of decision support systems to enhance their managerial efficiency further. For example, many organizations are adopting the use of time clocks online to manage timesheets for their employees in real time and also to finish their payrolls in the shortest time possible.

Unfortunately, as much as more appealing and practical applications are developed for managerial effectiveness; there are still a few drawbacks that prevent others from benefitting from the use of such apps.

Unfamiliar To Most

It is unfortunate that managers and technology users in most organizations only know very few of those effective systems that are currently in the market. With such widespread unfamiliarity, various innovative systems have been created and run by internal or outsourced professionals and not by the users of the system or their superiors.

The Concentration on Technical Aspects

Many of the technical experts who create such systems have a tendency of concentrating too much on the technical functions and characteristics. The problem with this is that these technical experts are so focused on the technical aspect that they fail to create aspects of the systems that individuals in the workplace can benefit from.

The Risk of No Implementation

The most practical systems that management should, in fact, find useful, have in most cases ended up not being implemented. This often happens when the motivation to use the system comes from a source that isn’t the potential user.

There is a lot that support systems do to help management in the organization, and their impact is felt when there is a tremendous improvement in interpersonal communication, individual learning, increased problem solving and efficiency in organizational control. However, sometimes the users of these systems have valued them not for the reasons the systems were put in place initially but for other reasons completely different like workplace politics.

One thing is evident; management has experienced the great benefit of such systems. With their work efficiency improved and productivity in the work environment increased. The managers are increasingly becoming expectant and embracing new technologies to help them become even better in a competitive setup.