How The Information Age Has Affected Aspects Of The Organizational Design And Structure

By Author: Strategic Leadership
Total Articles: 7
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The organizational management structure that managers perfected in the 20th century is no longer viable in the current times we live in. There are a few changes that need to be done, in light of recent developments and technological advancement.
Communication is very fluid and the hierarchical structure may need to be reviewed to facilitate communication and improve efficiency in the organization. There are three areas that need to be addressed: these are human resource, management and the overall structure.

The Organization’s Structure

The old structure involved passing down instructions from the top to lower level management and down to other layers within the organization. This form of management was much simpler to execute because people understood how it worked and what was expected of them. Training of personnel was also simple given that the structure was clear and easy to define.

However, the information age characterized by instantaneous communication meant that those involved in business development efforts had to incorporate new structures. ...
... The employees at the local level need to be empowered to respond to the information that they receive locally. The hierarchical structure will slow down the decision making process, at a time when local information needs to be acted upon in a timely fashion.

Human Resource

Experts have suggested a more decentralized system that allows for information to happen at the point where information is collected. The management must ensure that there are mechanisms that will define how this is done at the different levels of the organization.
Attention must also be focused on the Human resource within the organization to enable them respond to new developments. There is more training for personnel particularly on the organizational management and structure, to ensure employees can respond proactively to any new developments, without necessarily having to contact their superiors at every stage.

Personnel must be motivated to take each and every task more seriously. Incentives and performance evaluation should track each task or piece of work to ensure that employees are motivated to take on every challenge they face at the work place.

The management processes must be reviewed and the process of decision making must not only be clear to the superiors, but also the personnel at the lower levels of the organization. The processes must also factor in how information is handled at the various levels. Adapting to these changes is what each company should do to ensure Smooth Business Development.