Discussion: Technology Use in the Workplace and Its Challenges

Just look at what’s out there today in workplace technology, computers and laptops with their desktop applications, wireless PDA’s, e-mail, voice mail, and don’t forget all the web applications, such as blogs, Wiki, and Google Doc’s, today’s companies have at their disposal
New technology has been rapidly increasing in use in today’s businesses. Most companies see the use of new technology as a way to increase profits, and to remain competitive in today’s global market place. Much of this new technology of the last few decades has been in the handling of information, known as information technology or IT, things such as e-mail and cell phones. However, in the last decade, many new and innovated technological web based applications came about, gained popularity, or both, such as Twitter, Facebook, and others.
Many businesses find that workers are no longer tied down to a desk in their offices. With much of the technology today, one could say, many workers can take their offices with them where ever they go. This portability has allowed many people the opportunity to work from home and still be in contact with the office. This new technology also offers the opportunities for a worker, to the people across the hall, to across the globe, to work together as a team for a common purpose; this is called a virtual team. Each individual on the virtual team can live and work anywhere in the world at any time, because communication between team members with the new technology, does not have to be in real-time, such as voice mail, e-mail or a blog. Nerveless, if team members across the globe wish to communicate in real time, there is such technology as teleconferencing, video conferencing and others.
A business using the new information technology for meetings and teams, across the building, state, or globe, can save the cost of travel and accommodations. Members don’t have to; many times, change their schedules, travel, or leave their office. However, the challenges with new technology can be many. Computers do not always work right, servers go down, routers go on the blink, the power goes out; push the wrong button, how do I get back where I was? Same goes for doing a project as a virtual team and using this new technology. Everyone one on a virtual team can be on a different schedule, the time to receive an answer to an e-mail or comment on a blog can take awhile; there is not an instant answer, compared to real-time, such as using a cell phone or instant messaging. This will cause a virtual team project to move slower many times, than a team that meets face-to-face. Another challenge is that much of the communication technology is done in written form, such as e-mail, IM’s, or a post on a blog. A person cannot read the other person’s body language using this technology, and this can lead to misunderstandings, of course using video conferencing can reduce this problem.
Of course, the big advantage of the new and innovated communication technology is the amount of time and costs it can save a company compared to face-to-face meetings. However, this technology is not without its problems. But when everything is taken into account, the cost savings compared to the challenges, this new technology is the way to go.