The pace of change in the world of business has reached staggering heights. Organizations are therefore experiencing high demands for improvement in their performance amidst complex situations. Leaders find the modern ‘hard’ challenge of organizational effectiveness particularly appealing because it asks organizations to achieve a high degree of target. This is also where technology comes in where it can be a vehicle for growth and at the same time facilitate efficiency. This article focuses on use of technology to improve organisational performance , supported by several tools, approaches, and examples.
Understanding Organisational Performance
Key Metrics and Indicators of Performance
To appreciate the role of technology, it’s essential to first understand what constitutes organisational performance. Key metrics include:
- Financial Performance: This includes margins, top line figures, and return on invested capital.
- Employee Productivity: This measures employee output to show deployment effectiveness.
- Customer Satisfaction: Happy customers tend to buy again, becoming loyal to the company, fueling long-term growth.
Organizations may encounter performance challenges such as process inefficiency, lack of evidence-based decisions, and poor inter-team communication. This is where technology has the potential to make a difference.
Role of Technology in Enhancing Performance
Automation and Process Improvement
One of the most significantly technolizing factors in enhancing the performance of the organization is automation. The operations and processes involved in any business are machine-made procedures and also the possible during management processes. This equates to quicker installment and more effective cycles, contributing to the use of technology to improve organisational performance.
Table 1: Examples of Automation Tools
| Task | Automation Tool | Benefit |
| Customer support | Chatbots | 24/7 assistance |
| Data entry | RPA (Robotic Process Automation) | Reduced manual effort |
| Inventory management | Inventory management systems | Real-time tracking |
Data Analytics
At the present time, organizations are using data analytics as a key part of making decisions. In the current business environment, organizations with decision capabilities rely on real-time data for making time-bound decisions. Lorenzi’s model evaluates organizational performance by examining market conditions, customer behavior, genetic mechanism, operational performance, and technology use.
The organization can use advanced analytics tools to analyze customer segments, boosting engagement and sales with targeted marketing campaigns. Furthermore, trend analysis can be performed using predictive analysis which helps the organization in reshaping its policies on time.
Communication and Collaboration Tools
Without effective communication, the organization cannot achieve its predetermined objectives. Technological advancements enable remote employees to utilize various applications for teamwork and collaboration. Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom enable team communication and collaboration regardless of physical location.
Benefits of Enhanced Communication
- Increased Collaboration: Teams can share files, ideas, and feedback instantly.
- Flexibility: Remote work capabilities allow organisations to tap into a global talent pool.
- Faster Decision-Making: Real-time communication leads to quicker consensus and action.
Case Studies
Manufacturing Sector: Siemens
Siemens, which is engaged in the about electronics and electrical engineering all over the world, has willingly integrated the concept of Industry 4.0 to its production facilities. Implementation of IoT devices into their manufacturing processes has resulted in great improvements in efficiency and quality control as advanced Data engineering enables GEmS to the tenants for real time –( monitor and control their machines, predictive maintenance – avoid down time and machine failure.
Results: Siences has increased their production by 20 percent while at the same time decreased their operational costs by 30 percent as a result in their investment in technology.
Healthcare Sector: Kaiser Permanente
Innovation in geriatric practice has more focused on how technology can support each stage of the patient’s care journey and how processes can be streamlined within the organization. The introduction of electronic health records (EHR) has achieved improved accessibility of patients’ health information to authorized persons only by eliminating associated problems.
Results: HEALTH RECORD transmitting and sharing system EHR has improved the patient outcome, has minimised errors and administrative cost has dropped by over 20% also. Patients too, are able to communicate with their health care providers more efficiently, thus greater patient satisfaction.
Retail Sector: Amazon
Use of complex algorithms and machine learning as Amazon has done has changed the dynamics of retail business. The clients switch and receive rated services from Amazon, who suggest and persuade them to purchase other items or services based on the analysis of their behavior and preferences.
Results: Because Amazon employed this approach, Sales saw positive movements, with Amazon claiming a 29% increase in Revenue Year On Year due to the application of their targeted marketing strategies.
Challenges and Considerations
It is easy to see how technology can be advantageous, yet these advantages are not always easy to translate into practice for most organizations.
Resistance to Change
Some employees may oppose training on new technologies because they fear the unknown and worry about losing their jobs. To address this challenge, organizations can implement change management techniques that promote understanding of the benefits of the technology and provide training.
Cybersecurity Concerns
The more a society depends on technology, the more dangerous it becomes in terms of cybersecurity. Organizations with sensitive information should procure strict measures to guard the information from any form of hacking. This includes carrying out regular security assessments, providing adequate measures to the workers all around wach the use of greater security levels by the use of multi-factor authorization.
Cost Implications
There are also significant costs incurred when integrating technology into the operations of an organisation especially for small sized institutions. They must plan for these expenditures (or outflows) before the implementation of any technoclogical improvement. Investments in technology that can be acquired or expanded as the system demand increases on the other hand use of technology to improve organisational performance.
Future Trends
Innovation is a constant in the world of business, and it is argued that some trends in the near future will alter the way organisations operate:
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Affordable AI designs can dramatically transform operational management, including making data-driven decisions, handling customers’ demands without humans, and streamlining business processes. Unlike other organisations, those which embrace the uses of artificial intelligence should register higher levels of both output and client satisfaction.
Internet of Things (IoT)
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a system of interrelated device objects that allows organizations to capture and analyse data beyond any scale. This connectivity supports the real-time geographic area monitoring and control of operations, which helps in utilization and performance enhancement.
Remote Work Technologies
The COVID 19 pandemic has greatly reduced the improvement of technologies that enable working ‘within’ or ‘anywhere’ in the office. The current trend of Junior employees using more and more sophisticated devices which are easily accessible in the market means that there will be tools in the future of work which will improve communication, project management, and employee engagement.
Conclusion
Encouraging the gendered aspect of technology in the workplace greatly reduces business practices and enhances productivity levels. Most of the mechanisms greatly reduce an organization’s ability to face issues and more importantly improve performance, such as equipment and various technologies for communication, data storage, and processing, as well as transport and logistic networks. All these conditions cannot be met effectively without the use of technology to improve organisational performance, and change management efforts and control.
Multiprocessing and continuous improvement are at the core of any organisation that has longterm expansion goals. It is easy to accept looking ahead maintaining coherence between productivity and emerging technologies will be a significant concern. Those who effectively exploit technology will achieve better visions of the economy through effective technological innovations as time goes by.
Read more about Tech Trends on The Experts Tech.