IT has been viewed as a major contributor to productivity growth.However, in 14 studies that analyzed the IT use of more than 3,100 workers in 28 organizations in the United States, the writers discovered a dark side to IT use. Workers can experience "technostress"for a number of reasons. They feel coerced to multi task instantly on differentiated streams of information from different devices simply because information feeds come at them in the real time, remote work and restrain them all the time to their devices and workplaces, and short technology cycles and pressures from IT vendors, constantly altering interfaces screens, and functionalities.Paradoxically, even as they dream of escaping from IT, many employees also admit to feeling "hooked"to some of these stress-causing technologies.
Another part of the shallow side of IT is the danger of workers misusing organizational IT resources and provoking "assaults"of different sorts. To mitigate these difficulties, the writers imply that senior executives should support employees to be mindful about how IT is used by them and to develop a deeper understanding of the IT they use at work. The authors also argue that a firm's IT leaders have a particular responsibility to instruct their organization about pertinent features of IT systems and applications that could either exacerbate or mitigate their effects that are more negative. HR leaders, meanwhile, should start to measure the extent to which employees are experiencing "technostress"or technology addiction and develop plans that support responsible IT use. Luckily, the authors note, an integrated and holistic approach by HR leaders and an organization’s senior executives, IT leaders can help mitigate the most harmful consequences of the negative side of information technology.
The Dark Side of Information Technology case study solution
PUBLICATION DATE: January 01, 2015 PRODUCT #: SMR514-HCB-ENG
This is just an excerpt. This case is about TECHNOLOGY & OPERATIONS
Related Case Solutions & Analyses:
Fueling Sales at EuroPet
Cinepolis: Changes to a Family Owned Company
Sustainability at IKEA Group: Video Supplement
PerkinElmer – Developing Products in China for China
Aspen Skiing Company (C)
Louis Vuitton in Japan
The Cleveland Clinic: Improving the Patient Experience (Abridged)
Achieving Full-Cycle Cost Management
Executive Leadership and ITs Technical Details: Teaching Approach for Steelscreen.com and Beyond
First Mile Innovation (B): Social Capital Based Value Chain Aggregation – Business Model Design
