Managing empowerment and control in an intranet environment

An intranet increases in sophistication and complexity as it evolves. This evolution leads to an increasing need for control over the intranet. However, this is a contentious issue, as an intranet is deemed to be an empowering technology. Consequently, intranet control systems must balance empowerment and control so as not to negate each other. This paper investigates intranet control activities and their effect on users' perceptions of empowerment throughout the evolution of an intranet in Hewlett Packard (Ireland). The growth of the intranet is charted as a six-stage model that illustrates an evolution of purpose, control and empowerment. The control strategies for managing the intranet implemented at each stage are investigated, and their resultant effects on empowerment are evaluated. The study reveals the importance of balancing control strategies with empowerment initiatives in managing intranet environments. Based on the evidence available, the study recommends the implementation of specific controls at particular stages in the evolution of an intranet in order to achieve control systems that balance empowerment and control

Impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on construction projects

The changing face of construction projects has resulted in a movement towards the use of technology as a primary means of communication. The consequences of this rise in the use of information and communication technology (ICT) is a loss of interpersonal communication skills. A number of resulting issues within the human – electronic and human – human interfaces are identified in an attempt to define the efficiency of communication in projects. The research shows how ICT effects the social environment of construction project teams and the project outcome. The study seeks to confirm the need for further work in order to develop new forms of communication protocols and behaviour. An initial literature review was undertaken to develop a theoretical review of the impacts of ICT on construction project teams. This review identified a number of issues that were then tested in the field through an observation and two verification interviews. The research confirms the existence of tensions and conflicts in the human – electronic and human - human communication interfaces within the studies environment. It is proposed that the increasing use of ICT occur at the expense of soft system communication. The principal impact of this is a form of ‘human distraction’ which adversely affects the performance of project teams. There is limited theory exploring these issues that suggests the problems identified are not well understood and consequently indicates a gap in knowledge

Interdisciplinary working in service design: case studies for designing touch points

The paper argues that interdisciplinary design can be successful in services design. It offers information about 2 case studies in which interdisciplinary teams address design services problems. The paper explains the design method employed in the case studies. It also identifies “user design centred” as the main concept that drove the design approach. It explains the meaning of “user centred design”, of “services design” and highlights the importance of “interdisciplinary services design”. The paper also offers a framework for interdisciplinary working in service design. KEYWORDS: Service Design, Touch Points, Interdisciplinary workin

Impact Of Intranets On Employee Perception And Behavior: A Case Study In A UK Bank

This paper deals with the question of how intranets impact on employee perception and behavior. The study uses a five year longitudinal study following the evolution of an intranet in a UK bank to analyze how it changed the relationships between employees and between managers and employees. The discussion integrates two different research domains, the intranet literature and the organizational trust literature. Qualitative data is presented to show the impact of intranets on communication, sharing of information, collaboration, organizational bonding, feeling of empowerment, power distance and sense of closeness. The discussion uses three metaphors to convey the key findings: The Plumbing System, the Iconic Building and the Soap Opera. The main contribution of this paper is in using constructs from the organizational trust literature to better understand how intranets impact on employee perception and behavior

Investigating e-business practices in tourism :a comparative analysis of three countries

This study examined the behaviour of tourist companies in relation to the adoption of e-business technologies and applications. The study aimed to identify groups of companies with homogenous behaviour among three European countries (Greece, Portugal and Norway). Based on data from a European survey, the study employed two-step cluster analysis which revealed 14 clusters of common behaviour (five clusters in Greece, five in Portugal and four in Norway). These clusters were named as: Leaders’ ‘Technology Experts’, ‘Fast Adopters’ ‘Beginners’, ‘Late Adopters’. In Norway, the group ‘Late Adopters’ also included companies characterised as ‘Beginners’ in the other two countries. We suggest further investigation among European countries in order to reveal more groups of similar behaviour toward e-business adoption

Healthcare Organization Change Management Strategies to Guide Information Technology With for Information Technology Change Initiatives

As technology and organizations continue to increase in complexity, a willingness to implement change management strategies for Internet technology (IT) change initiatives is necessary in a healthcare setting. This multiple case study explored change management strategies that 3 hospital administrators at 3 different hospitals in the southeast region of the United States used to guide organizational IT change activities to avoid waste and increase profits. The conceptual framework for this study was Lewin\u27s organizational change model and Kanter\u27s theory of structural empowerment. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and a review of hospital documentation from the 3 hospitals. The data analysis process was completed by transcribing the interview recordings and coding the data using a codebook and data-management software. Themes that emerged from data analysis included strategies to increase digitization in all areas, improve communication with IT personnel, provide ongoing training, and encourage the gradual adoption of technology. The implications of this study for positive social change include the potential to provide hospital managers with successful strategies related to the use of IT in hospitals to facilitate improved patient care and community well-being

Autonomy and Empowerment to be Creative and Engaged in a Collaborative Culture

This document is an Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP). The purpose of the OIP is to address a specific problem of practice (PoP) at a private career college in Ontario (the College). The PoP at the College is the need for instructors to have autonomy and empowerment to be creative and engaged in a collaborative culture. An organizational analysis at the College determined that the present functionalist theoretical organizational framework and its hierarchical structure inhibit collaboration. After a comprehensive review of scholarly literature, this OIP recommends that a postmodernist theoretical organizational framework and a follower-centric approach to leadership using the transformational and authentic leadership theories be implemented. To substantiate the robustness of the recommendation, peer-reviewed articles and published books on educational leadership are chosen as they are established literature; over 200 references are used. A 3-pronged solution comprising defined autonomy, a collaborative council, and a community of practice is suggested. Kotter’s (1996) change process, congruent with postmodernism as well as the transformational and authentic leadership approaches, will guide the implementation of the change intervention. An implementation plan is developed and monitoring and evaluation strategies are advanced. Face-to-face meetings including one-on-one interviews, considered rich media, along with surveys and focus groups, are utilized to ensure optimal stakeholder engagement. This OIP then presents a communication plan that will inform and raise the awareness of stakeholders of the need for change while actively engaging them in bringing the change to fruition. Keywords: leadership, autonomy, empowerment, collaboration, functionalism, postmodernis

A systematic literature review of the use of social media for business process management

In today’s expansion of new technologies, innovation is found necessary for organizations to be up to date with the latest management trends. Although organizations are increasingly using new technologies, opportunities still exist to achieve the nowadays essential omnichannel management strategy. More precisely, social media are opening a path for benefiting more from an organization’s process orientation. However, social media strategies are still an under-investigated field, especially when it comes to the research of social media use for the management and improvement of business processes or the internal way of working in organizations. By classifying a variety of articles, this study explores the evolution of social media implementation within the BPM discipline. We also provide avenues for future research and strategic implications for practitioners to use social media more comprehensively