Organizational+Culture+and+Technology

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= //Introduction to Organizational Culture and Technology// (Stephanie Lu) =

Organizations within companies have formed based on the years of experience that has taken place. The structure and function of how a company is managed is built through values and beliefs that have developed through time. Organizational culture is the way individuals relate and rely on during work process in a company. The relationship between diverse ideas and beliefs create a productive and repetitive sequence within an organization. In order to maintain organizational culture, communication is a key factor that either builds or destroys equilibrium in business.

Managing communication within an organization is not limited to face-to-face contact, but also through technology based social networks. Technology has been the root to business success because of communication networks inside and outside an organization. The relationship between culture and technology not only produces a successful business, but impacts the structure and function of an organization.

=I. Organizational Culture (Jimmy Chi)= media type="youtube" key="6AFn0vFtLC0" height="251" width="448"

__**What is Organizational Culture?**__
Organizational culture is the combination of values, assumptions, and experiences within an organization. It is built upon norms, attitudes, and beliefs within an organization that have developed over time. Organizational culture controls the manner in which the organization acts internally and externally.

__**Strong vs. Weak Culture**__
A strong culture consists of an organization highly aligned with its values, resulting in strong employee loyalty and cohesiveness. A strong culture leads to similar beliefs and behaviors overall. Organizations with a weak culture do not strongly influence the behaviors of an individual member. Weak cultures tend to be maintained through formal procedures over norms.

Strong cultures often result in "groupthink." Groupthink occurs when an organization is so focused on cohesiveness that individuals purposely avoid thinking that conflicts with the ideas of the organization. Individuals in groupthink environments may face negative consequences for introducing an idea that challenges the organizations views.

=II. Effects of Technology on Culture (Amy Smith)=
 * 1) ===**Effects of technology on:**===
 * 2) **Communication**
 * One of the most basic fundamental components of an organization is communication. Without communication it would be impossible for a company to survive; it has been described as the “glue that holds the organization together.” Companies are interested in ways of achieving better productivity all the while cutting costs and increasing their returns. The way a company communicates with its employees as well as consumers has a great impact on the organization. Technological advances have had the ability to both accelerate and complicate the communication process.
 * The use of the latest collaborative technologies allows organizations to dramatically reduce travel expenses. No longer does an employee of an organization have to make frequent business trips across state lines to attend important business meetings. With an internet connection, people on opposite sides of the world can communicate in real time as if they were in the same room. With less travel time the employee is free to increase productivity in the office instead of waiting in airports and hotel lobbies.
 * Electronic mail has become the primary source of communication among professionals today; it is much more efficient in terms of cost and time. Companies conducting business in a large office space benefit from the use of emails throughout the day by avoiding the need for employees to leave their work area to hand deliver work related materials. However, while it is a faster way of communicating it can be harmful to a business as well; there is no real emotion behind an email and sometimes the wrong emotion is conveyed
 * It should be noted that although these advancements in technology have had great impact on the way organizations communicate, they are not meant to replace formal face-to-face meetings. By enabling employees to share information, collaborate, and show presentations these advancements compliment face-to-face meetings by allowing them to increase productivity and work more efficiently between physical meetings (Persson, Denise).
 * 1) **Formality**
 * Since the birth of the internet anything that was once considered conventional in the business world has pretty much gone out the window. The internet allows airline companies to do online flight booking, banks offer online banking and bill pay, just about any product imaginable is purchasable online, and you could survive without ever leaving your house as long as you have an internet connection.
 * 1) ===**Effects of social media on:**===

1. **Corporations** 2. **Culture** 3. **Corporate Culture** >
 * ** Over the past decade the creation of social media websites such as Facebook, and Twitter have granted companies the ability to communicate with their customers more effectively. There is not a better or more cost effective way of engaging with the public than with the use of social media websites. These websites allow companies to have access to free advertisement while staying connected to their consumers and to not utilize them could be detrimental to a company **.
 * Before the social media networks exploded in popularity no one would have ever asked in a job interview if they would be allowed to access their Facebook or Twitter accounts during their work day. Well, it appears as though that question is not all that strange given the huge following these sites have. The desire of young professionals to use social media, mobile devices, or the internet in the workplace is strong enough to influence their future job choice, sometimes more than salary does, according to an international study published by Cisco. Young professionals also feel that they don’t need to spend a whole day in the office to get work done; therefore being able to access corporate networks from a home office could also be a deciding factor in accepting a job. The study revealed that more than two fifths of the nearly 3,000 college students and young professionals surveyed said that they would accept a lower paying job with more flexibility and freedom to use social media sites over one that was higher paying and had less flexibility. A clear indication of how the advancement of technology is reshaping our culture. (2011 Cisco Connected World Technology Report)
 * Executives may be fearful of allowing their employees to engage in social media networks; however, it has been shown that as long as there is a very clear set of guidelines and policies defined then these websites can be used to benefit the company. Employees can use social media networks as a marketing tool as well as a way of increasing business productivity.

=III. How Information Sharing Affects Culture (Michael Dickson)= Sharing information has become crucial in creating an efficient and productive workplace. The ability to communicate quickly and accurately has allowed functional areas within an organization to collaborate with ease. The adverse affects of information sharing are amplified with the introduction of the internet. Today's businesses are capable of going global overnight. With the globalization of even small businesses the communication process has powerful affects on a company's culture. There are three general principals that the communication process adheres to in the way it affects organizational culture.

__Cultural Blending__
Technology has increased the ability for two people to communicate and interact. It has also increased the ease with which information is shared. As two people meet and share information they are also sharing their social norms and heuristics with one another. As this happens a new sort of social understanding is reached. This is known as blending. The new blended culture is adopted on both ends, but more universally by the corporation within which they operate. With the expansion of business into the global market place, corporations are relying more and more on diverse teams of individuals from all over the globe. Today, it is not uncommon for a company to have teams comprised entirely of individuals who never actually meet. This type of interconnectivity helps to drive the development of a corporation's culture because of the influence the individuals have over one another.

__Change of Norms__
As companies rely more heavily on up-to-date information and global workforces, it is becoming more common for employees to spend time working outside of physical headquarters. With so many ways to transfer information quickly and accurately, there is less of a need for a brick and mortar operation. One group of thinking believes this type of technology development has blurred the line between business and private life. It is becoming more common for individuals to work from home or on the road. This sort of change takes away from the formality of business practices which may or may not be appealing in the developing global markets.

__Fluidity__
The general consensus by researchers is that the more fluid, or flexible, a corporation's culture is the more likely it is to adopt technology implementation in a positive and synergistic way. Technology essentially seeks to aid in the performance of core job functions. If employees clash with the technology it can have a negative impact on the end result. Today, corporations are dependent upon their employee's ability to use and understand technology. Generating and sharing information is imperative in the day-to-day business activities that drive corporate decision making. This reliance upon information technology has created a new workforce that values analytical decision making and formal modeling, and is supported by an extensive network of individuals who understand the performance and management of the complex systems that enterprises are utilizing.

Management should bear these principals in mind as it implements new technology and policies. The policies that management chooses to create and enforce should reflect the culture of the organization. As such, the technology that management chooses to employ should support these policies. These changes in policy and technology demand a more tailored employee, while making others obsolete. The profound affects of technology on an organization's culture should be taken into consideration, especially if management is looking to protect or develop the culture of the firm.

=IV. Impact of Technology on the Culture and the Workforce (Jinkyung Choi)=

__**How Technology Shapes the Workforce and the Organizational Culture**__
In recent years, the arrival of new technology has had a great impact not only on an organizational level but also for individuals in the workforce. In addition, development of new technology has helped individuals to prepare for a variety of job requirements so that they can be ready for rapid changes in the corporate world. These changes in the workforce eventually affect how organizational cultures are formed. For instance, individuals use corporate emails to communicate in the workplace instead of talking directly to each other when appropriate. Therefore, it is safe to say that development of new technology affects the culture of the organizations in the long run.

__**Skills**__ [[image:http://beyondplm.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Picture-30.png width="410" height="268" align="right"]]
When job skills are discussed, people usually talk about four groups of foundation skills: Basic skills, thinking skills, people skills, and personal qualities (Jones). Among many of these skills, the discussion will take place specifically on communication skills and networking skills from the people skills group because those two skills are among the most important matter when organizational culture is involved and discussed.


 * __Communication Skills__: The organizational culture is all about sharing attitudes, customs, beliefs, values and written and unwritten rules among groups of people within the organization. To do this, individuals need to develop strong communication skills that are of various levels and forms. With the creation of internet few decades ago, several different forms and ways of communication have been developed and now used on a regular basis. E-mail, for instance, has allowed people from all over the world to work on a particular project together and share thoughts and opinions in an effort to come to a better outcome.


 * __Networking Skills__: "Culture is combination of shared values, attitudes, assumptions, beliefs and behaviors. Culture is grounded in assumptions about how people interact (Dau, 2010) ." Ever since concepts of social media have been brought into society, it was sensed that a new generation of networking would be introduced and that it would have a powerful impact on how people interact and network in an organization. Individuals in the workforce adopt social media such as Linked-In, Facebook and MSN Messenger to network with others and expand their social influence.

For last few decades, technology continued to develop and play important role when an organizational culture was formed. Due to its rapid development, individuals in the workforce adopted various ways to communicate and network that it eventually brought about a new generation in terms of communicating and networking in the workplace. These changes had powerful impact on how organizational culture was formed, and it continuously will in the future.

=V. The Future of Technology and Culture (Tobin Abraham)=

**__Integration of Technology in the Workplace__**
When asked to identify what they perceive to be "workplaces of the future," people often think of companies like Google, Microsoft, and Apple. What these three companies have in common are their technologically advanced working quarters. Every year, companies spend millions of dollars to design and implement technologies and software that will 1) integrate all workplace systems within the company and 2) enhance the overall employee experience by simplifying a variety of work-related tasks. Ever-evolving and ever-improving technology allows employees to work more efficiently while being able to complete tasks at speedy rate, ultimately leading to quality production.

While many tasks in the workplace have already been simplified, companies like Microsoft continue think of ways to simplify day-to-day interactions with peers, fellow employees, and workplace technologies. The video below shows what Microsoft believes the future of technology will be and how it will influence the both social and workplace life.

= = =media type="youtube" key="RWxqSEMXWuw" height="251" width="448"

**__The Effect of Technology on Workplace Culture__**

 * **__Effect on Workplace Rules:__** The technology that continues to have the largest impact on most modern companies is the internet. Most large and small companies use the internet and communicate through the use of internet applications (like e-mail). While many employees use the internet for the betterment of the company, others use the workplace internet for their own pleasures (like checking sports scores or playing games). Not only is this a waste of company time, but it leaves company computers vulnerable to viruses and other types of malware. In fact, a study released by Websense Inc in 2005 revealed that the misuse of internet in the workplace cost business over $178 billion dollars . To counter this, companies have started to implement rules to prevent the misuse of internet and the wasting of company time. Technologies are being adopted to monitor the usage of company internet and to determine whether or not employees are working efficiently. As new technologies (ex. Facebook and other social networking applications) continue to emerge, companies must determine what could be useful to them and what could be detrimental to their efficiency. Viruses are becoming more advanced, but so are the security software designed to prevent malicious attacks on company computers and servers.[[image:Future-Computers-Year-2050.jpg width="300" height="200" align="right"]]
 * **__Effect on Overall Culture:__** Like teenagers, most business like to "get with the times." No company wants to be behind the technology curve or lose potential business due to lack of technology. Most companies may make minute adjustments in their use of technology from year-to-year, but every so often they adopt radically new technologies (like the Internet during its introduction in the 90's), thus changing the corporate culture altogether. As time progresses, the use of technology will continue to change a company's norms and its fluidity (as the fluidity of an organization increases, "the greater the potential for core work functions and policies to generate a positive organizational synergy." ) As the ability to access information from various locations becomes easier, day-to-day operations will change and the way employees communicate and interact with one another will also change. Technology can either allow employees to be more interactive and accessible to each other (through the use of communication methods like instant messaging and video conferencing, thus creating a more "open" company culture) or cause employees to become too dependent on technology (and not dependent enough on each other thus isolating themselves and creating a more "closed" company culture).

=VI. Tips for Managers (Jimmy Chi)=

= //**Conclusion**// (Stephanie Lu) =
 * Understanding the organization’s culture is very important. Observe group interactions with the eye of an outsider who has never seen the group before. See what employees become emotionally affected by; these things are what they see as important to them. Examine the layout of the workspaces; see who has more space and how the furniture is arranged. It is even possible to survey small groups of employees about their corporate culture using indirect questions such as “What is the one thing you would like to change about your organization?” or “What kinds of people fail in your organization?”
 * Incorporating social media into an organization’s culture requires executive //support// and //involvement//, as they control the resources necessary to the success of social media implementation.
 * Watch out for unrealistic expectations when implementing social media into an organization’s culture. Often, a corporate culture needs to change before it can engage in social media, which can take years to successfully incorporate.
 * Constant communication across all levels is important for the maintenance of strong corporate culture. Conflicts can be quickly resolved, and employees can be aware of changes in the organization early on, as well as what is expected of them.
 * Achievements should be celebrated, and failures should be accepted to an extent. This generally motivates employees to perform at their potential.
 * A successful organizational culture must be generally consistent. Change should be periodic and should adapt accordingly to changing conditions.

The enhancement of technology has significantly advanced in order to accommodate the rapid growth of future development within companies. Decision making and future business relationships rely on technology to help communicate and correctly produce successful outcomes of all business goals.Technology has not only provided aid outside company networks, but also within the atmosphere of the companies' employees and staff. The use of social based technology has allowed organizations to have diverse cultures and create an unlimited boundary between the individuals in a company. The relationship between company values and beliefs allow the structure and function of the organization to continue to grow in success.

=VII. References=