Only with this redesign of working methods and business processes can the promise of the digital age be fulfilled. The design and introduction of new working methods 81 6 Realizing new organizational forms: integrating design and.
Contributors
Lisa Harris is Associate Professor in the School of Business and Management at Brunel University and Course Director for the eCommerce BSc. Her research interests lie in the management of IT-related changes, user participation and IT influence on work organization.
Guest foreword
Preface
In doing so, the book aims to show how organizations can embrace new technologies and business opportunities by creating productive, dynamic and sustainable workplaces that exploit the potential offered by contemporary forms of work flexibility. One consequence of the above is that the intended audience for the book spans disciplinary and professional boundaries.
Acknowledgements
1 Introduction
It calls for theoretically informed architects who are able to anticipate business developments and changes in the nature of the work. In part 3, 'Design and introduction of new working methods', a framework is presented that illustrates the need for more systematic and culturally sensitive approaches to the introduction of new working methods.
In this context, Harris also discusses the issues raised by 'clicks and mortar' businesses, particularly the issue of 'channel cannibalisation'. She describes how some companies have designed operations around a combination of 'offline' (physical, eg shopping centres) and 'online' (virtual, eg Internet) ways of interacting with customers.
2 Designing oases for corporate nomads
Work systems that emphasize the importance of the Internet and the growing role of work flexibility remain poorly defined and tend to focus on technology, knowledge management and the need to 'rethink' the organization of the future. 1992) ‘The New Society of Organizations’, Harvard Business Review, September-October. 1969) 'Role and Status in the Office', Architectural Association Quarterly, 1. eds) (1975) Office Administration Handbook, Chicago: Dartnell Press.
3 Organisational structures for eBusiness
There are also implications for how marketing departments are staffed in relation to the allocation of online and offline tasks and the additional training requirements required. 1999) "The organization of the future: strategic imperatives and core competencies for the 21st century", Organization Dynamics, 27: 45, July.
Workplace architecture and design
Advances in communication, both physical and informational, have challenged these concepts with the introduction of the 'transitional space'. As such, says van der Linden, 'construction is actually creating the context' and not the other way around, as was the case in architectural terms at the time.
4 The sustainable workplace and workplace design
Understanding that the 'workplace' depends on different locations and network communication is a crucial starting point for defining future requirements. It contains two key concepts: the concept of needs, especially the essential needs of the world's poor, which should be prioritized above all; and the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the ability of the environment to meet present and future needs. The authors have considered two case studies that illustrate the concept of the sustainable workplace.
We can explore these factors by analyzing new work methods in terms of the Maslow pyramid, presented in Marlow (1999) (see Figure 4.3). New working methods can improve employment, as well as the social integration of the individual. As we have seen, the effective use of human resources raises important questions regarding the design of the workplace.
5 Transition!
Or, in Berman's words: 'the traditions of this city are distinctly modern and arise from the city's existence as a symbol of modernity in the midst of a backward society' (Berman 1988: 285). Transitional spaces are 'the benchmark of our time' (Baudrillard and the global businessman spend more and more time in these transitional spaces, moving from one passageway to another and bridging thousands of kilometers. Rem Koolhaas sees the emergence of a new kind of being for whom 'the muffled sound of aircraft.
These issues – the re-engineering of the office – are now slowly being translated into an office design. According to the research, the level of (let's call it) 'the informationalization of a society' is measured by the number and speed at which words are produced and consumed. 2000) ‘The Multiple Dimensions of Metrics: Metrics and the Learning Organization’, IT Metrics, VI, 2, February: 1. ed.) (1987) Physical Science and Technology, Orlando, FL: Academic Press.
The design and introduction of new methods of work
6 Realising new organisational forms
In this section we provide a brief overview of the impact of teleworking and the available design options, based on their impact on the temporal-spatial structure. Knowledge of the impact of teleworking on the organization is necessary to guide the process of assessing the current situation and creating a design. The study was conducted when most of the pilot design was completed.
This brings us to the second aspect of self-reflection: assessment of the current situation. Finally, some comments should be made about the position of the pilot and the users in the pilot group. A combination of the learning objectives and the compelling nature of the design can help establish this foothold.
7 Structural legacies and flexible work
Despite the relatively high adoption of flexible work arrangements in other developed economies, the fact that such work styles are less evident in the Japanese workplace needs to be explored. By now, it is a well-established fact that job descriptions in Japanese companies are very vague (Iida 1998; Yashiro 2000). Job system (shokumu) Job content and scope of responsibilities are clearly defined Status system (shokuno) Clearly defined individual 'status' in the organization Rank system (shokui) Clearly defined actual hierarchical classification.
As we will see in the next section, the dominance of the status system also affects conventional training practices in the Japanese organization. Nevertheless, OJT and job rotation are still at the core of Japan's skills formation in the business context (Ministry of Labor 1999a). Several case studies show that it is possible for certain individuals to be successful in teleworking even in the absence of organizational support.
Rethinking knowledge networking and virtual
Reasons for low usage can be attributed to bad user interfaces, unreliability of the media and the poor reputation generated by such experiences, although quality may well have improved in recent years. An important contribution is made in the chapter by introducing the reader to media richness theory. The authors argue that the 'premature' implementation of video conferencing can lead to a permanent rejection of the technology.
Once these fundamental issues are addressed, a successful implementation of video conferencing is more likely, as the technology's success is measured in the savings in time and effort it produces, especially in terms of travel. However, more emphasis is placed in the chapter on approaches to studying reality. The chapter reminds us that researchers and practitioners in the general field of eBusiness and virtual work must master a wide range of research approaches, as well as be appraised of the fundamental methods and epistemologies that underpin their work.
8 Networked knowledge
In doing so, it must be coded, and the form of coding requires and relies on the selection of 'relevant' factors and outcomes. The theories of knowledge generation by the individual discussed above depend on considering the psychological context of knowledge and meaning generation, ie. then why should we treat the new physical environment of the ICT system differently.
The GP records the event and their learning needs; the system encourages them to manage their learning. A version of the system for dentists has been developed and is currently in beta testing. In support of the psychological context, the physical context must also be designed to suit the user's needs.
9 An explorative study of
We also asked respondents to compare video conferencing with telephone conferencing and face-to-face meetings. As one of the respondents said, 'the visual impression of the speaker is part of your interpretation.' All the comments related to the benefits of video conferencing are in line with MRT. One respondent said: 'Small talk is important for social interaction and for building good relationships – removing this is a disadvantage.' Some respondents also said that it was difficult to verbalize views when discussing complicated matters in video conferences.
1997) 'The impact of videoconferencing meetings on the pattern and structure of organizational communication', Singapore Management Review Participation in videoconferencing meetings: user disposition and meeting context', Information and managerial information richness: a new approach to managerial behavior and organizational design', in L. 1998) 'Testing media richness theory in the new media: the effects of cues, feedback, and task equivocality', Information Systems Research Teleconferencing as a technology to support cooperative work: its possibilities and limitations', in J. A study of the effects of communication mode on perceived information quality', The Journal of Product Innovation Management. Steinfield (ed) Organizations and Communication Technology, Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications Rational and social theories as complementary explanations. of communication media choices: two policy-capturing studies', Academy of Management Journal Genres of organizational communication: a structural approach to studying communication and media', The Academy of Management Review.
10 Potential research methods for studying a virtual workplace
According to Aulin, however, it is necessary to limit this interpretation so that what is called 'self-direction' in the human mind is the total intellectual process. Metrics define what a research area is trying to achieve. the second' or subsequent constructs, models, methods or instantiations for a given task must provide significant performance improvement, evaluation is the key activity for assessing such research. With 'no decisions', the debate process is presented to participants as if no decision-making point is possible.
The instrument may include virtual technology, and the rules specifying acceptable interactions between community members and the division of labor (i.e., the continuously negotiated division of tasks) could employ a kind of virtuality (Turoff 1997). Higgs (ed.) Metatheories in philosophy of education, Johannesburg: Heinemann. 2000) 'Research questions guiding the selection of an appropriate research method', in HR Khanna (eds) Groupware: Technologies and Applications, Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall Contextualistic research and the study of organizational change processes', in E.
Index
