Organizational Design and Technology

2656 Words11 Pages
Organizational Design and Technology Scarlet Wharton Grant Park, Illinois Abstract In the textbook, Jones (2012) defines organizational technology as “the combination of skills, knowledge, abilities, techniques, materials, machines, computers, tools, and other equipment that people use to convert or change raw materials, problems, and new ideas into valuable goods and services” (p.240). In describing how technology impacts organizational design, the textbook and other required readings discussed the theories of Joan Woodward, Charles Perrow, and James D. Thompson, each of whom offered a way of explaining how technology influences optimal structure of organizations. This paper will describe how technology (as defined by Jones, 2010) can increase organizational efficiency. It will also compare and contrast the technology models and theories of Woodward, Perrow, and Thompson. It will then explain the concepts of technical complexity, task, variability, task analyzability, and task interdependence. It will then apply those concepts to the operations of a large insurance firm, a drive through coffee house, a videogame production company, and a solar technology company, by identifying the types of organizational structures you would expect to find in each of the four types of organizations, and finally, it will explain why. Keywords: Jones, organizational technology, combination of skills, knowledge, abilities, techniques, materials, machines, computers, tools, equipment, convert, change raw materials, problems, new ideas into valuable goods and services, technology, impacts organizational design, theories, Joan Woodward, Charles Perrow, James D. Thompson, optima; structure of organizations, increase organizational efficiency, compare and contrast, technology models and theories, concepts of technical complexity, task variability, task analyzability, task

More about Organizational Design and Technology

Open Document