Location Value

Understanding that location value is a critical factor to organizations with regards to people and technology is what this chapter strives to achieve. Location value can be synonymous with power. It can represent power of position, power to generate revenue, power to leverage resources, and power to serve as a catalyst for change. As with any source of power, it has the ability to provide an asset or to be a liability. The location value of people and technology in the workplace can serve as asset or liability depending upon placement. Maidique and Hayes (1984) also noted that “organizational agility seems to be associated with organizational flexibility–frequent realignments of people and responsibilities as the firm attempts to maintain its balance on shifting competitive sands” (p.21). Making the necessary realignments of people requires knowledge of their location value within the organization. This chapter addresses examples of technology location value, which includes capital expense, engineering expertise, and infrastructure changes against people location value, which includes cohesiveness in assigned environment, organizational culture, and career development. The author suggests that there seems to be reluctance on part of the organizations to fully commit the same resources for people location value as they do for technology location value.

People as Technology

Chapter 3 introduces the concept of people as technology and describes technology development and people development within organizations. The relative value of people and technology is situational. Thus, competitive advantage and value are created from employee and technology development and the appropriate interaction of employee and technology within the organization. This chapter explores how these development initiatives may or may not relate to one another. The purpose of this chapter is to (1) examine some challenges of management to recognize similarities and differences between people and technology development, and (2) to leverage similarities and differences to create strategic advantage for the organization.

Modification Value

Modification value of technology has been studied for centuries (Babbage, 1835). Machines were expected to be maintained to the extent that they were capable so that organizations could retrieve the money that they spent to acquire the equipment. If modifications were conducted, they were done only to the extent that it was less costly than replacing the equipment. Modification of people within the context of the five values model is to look at how the person grows and changes not only through activities provided by the organization, but also activities that people use for self-development including education that may or may not align with their current jobs. The key for the organization is to understand that some employees want to grow and change and how do they adjust to these employees’ need or convince the employees to adapt their new knowledge to the goals of the organization if feasible. The purpose of this chapter is to: (1) introduce the concept of modification value; and (2) compare technology modification value including upgrades to equipment, slight modifications, and investment to ensure value is derived from the piece of equipment to people modification value, which includes growth and change, job enrichment, and organization development.

Maintenance Value

Individuals bring their own expectations into every situation. If their expectations are not understood up front, it does not matter how much communication or information they receive, the intervention will not succeed. Maintenance value requires that the organization and the employee understand what formal knowledge the employee needs in order to perform his job so that in the end customers are satisfied with the product or service they receive. The purpose of this chapter is to: (1) introduces the concept of maintenance value, and (2) analyze and compare examples of technology maintenance value, including preventive maintenance systems and process, and investment in new tools with people maintenance value, including training and development

People, Technology, and Strategic Human Resource Development (SHRD)

Technology and people are present in all organizations. The struggle of comparing people to technology and respectfully integrating people and technology in the workplace has been a debate since the industrial revolution occurred in America (Swanson, 1982; Swanson & Torraco, 1994). Effectively managing and developing people and technology is essential to enhancing competitive advantage for organizations. Strategic Human Resource Development (SHRD) is a relatively new and evolving field. This chapter explores the extent to which SHRD has the potential to tackle the challenges of integrating and enhancing the relationship between people and technology in the workplace.

Using the Five Values to Expand Performance and Workforce Inter-Personnel Diversity

Individuals possess unique characteristics that contribute to their location, use, maintenance, modification, and time value. The exponential capability that exists within these values and the diversity that each individual possesses brings extensive opportunities for organizations. However, organizations must be able to recognize and leverage each person’s contribution for added success. The objectives of this chapter are to explore how the five values can be used to expand performance and workforce inter-personnel diversity.

Time Value

Within organizations, time is essentially equal to money; or is it? Should it be that employee output is equal to money as opposed to their time on the job? Time is an important resource that is often directed but not measured accurately relative to cost for the organization or the individual. Organizations also face issues related to the length of time employees choose to remain with the company, and/or they may employ downsizing/rightsizing strategies of their own. Time value is used to determine depreciation rates for technology and is easily reconciled from a cost perspective by employers. Time is measured in a continuum despite efforts to segregate its value in the workplace (Taylor, 1911). The purpose of this chapter is to: (1) present the concept of time value; and (2) analyze and compare technology time value including life span of equipment and depreciation of equipment expense with people time value including length of time in position and downsizing/rightsizing.

Cultural Initiatives

Organizational cultural initiatives are not limited to the internal culture of the organization but are influenced by the external culture within which the organization operates. Organizational culture is a relatively new type of organizational analysis that is borrowed from the field of anthropology. It first was described as an organizational unit of concern by Pettigrew (1979). Competitive organizations maintain their competitive advantage through their ability to effectively ?leverage high technology and people in the workplace. High technology and people do not exist in a ?vacuum. How has the environment or culture influenced the use of technology and people? The purpose of this chapter is to: (1) review the cultural initiatives including embedded in environment, adoption of cultural norms, leadership by inspiration, and evidence based management; and (2) present an analysis of issues and concerns related to managing people and technology in an environment that focuses upon a cultural perspective within the organizational process.

Behavioral Initiatives

Organizations that operate within the behavioral perspective often focus more on the technological impact within the workplace environment rather than employee roles. They have been accused treating people as if they are technology since the feelings and emotions of the individual are not valued. They fail to appreciate the intrinsic worth of the individual (Lepper, Greene, & Nisbett, 1973). Behaviorists are “interested only in what can be observed directly” (Martinez, 2010, p.6) and since the internal feelings and emotions of people cannot be directly observed, it often goes unacknowledged. It becomes a matter of controlling employee behavior as opposed to understanding their behavior. The purpose of the chapter is to: (1) review behavioral initiatives and how technology has impacted the workplace environment; (2) employee behavior within organizational culture; and (3) examine how organizations that use the behavioral perspective align their people initiatives with their technological initiatives and goals.

Cognitive Initiatives

Organizations that operate within the cognitive perspective use cognitive initiatives to develop people and technology within the workplace. The cognitive initiatives that are most popular in today’s workplace are teaching, learning, procedures and processes, and motivation. These initiatives are used to accomplish effective execution of organizational goals. Teaching and learning are often combined, but in this book, they will be explored separately. The objective of this chapter is to discuss ways that organizations that focus on the cognitive initiatives of teaching, learning, procedures and processes, and motivation in the workplace can succeed in the competitive marketplace through its people and technology development.