- Introduction
- Successful planning in complex organizations
- Essential elements of an organizational planning process
- Evidence of the presence of elements in organizational environment
- Organizational reliance on computer technology
- Comparison of a school to a local private business or a public agency
- Effects of elimination of computers from schools and other organizations
- Complete school technology plan for technology integration
- Conclusion
- References
Introduction
Organizational planning acts as a pivotal instrument for driving organizational success. Planning entails the integration of essential tools by the management within any form of organization, with the goal of enhancing effectiveness and efficiency measures.
Complex organizations such as schools, large private businesses and public agencies have adopted and integrated technology to aid in the running of the organizational processes in the recent years, a step that has played a very significant role in the running of these businesses. The discussion on this paper focuses on the essential elements of organizational planning.
It is also crucial to establish the organizational reliance on technology, in regards to a comparison between a school and a private business or a government agency. A complete school technology plan for technology integration will also be presented.
Successful planning in complex organizations
Successful planning within any form of an organization depends on the effectiveness in the implementation of the essential planning elements. However, most organizations in operation in the current world are often paralyzed in one way or the other, a factor that makes it difficulty for the effectiveness in cooperation towards the achievements of the intended organizational goals.
The environmental scan recently done by researchers and scholars has indicated that 50% of the complex organizations often face rampant challenges in a bid to implement new strategies within their organizations. It is therefore for every institution to be taught of the best elements for effective organizational planning (Hunnicutt, 2007).
Essential elements of an organizational planning process
The interplay of essential elements in planning provides a fundamental ground for continuity. First, every organization at its inception must develop a vision/ mission statement of the outcomes they anticipate for in their operational lifetime. This is essential in aiding the integration of the foundational philosophies at any time deemed necessary. Secondly, every organization must have objectives or rather the goals that have driven the essence of its formation.
The objectives often spell the intentions of the organization in its immediate and external environment. The goals act as a tool for organizational and employee motivation. There is always a strong linkage between an organization’s objectives to the availability of opportunities.
Thirdly, timelines assignment to needed projects is also a long-term component in planning. The element spells the period of anticipation in which an intended project should be accomplished to eradicate organizational growth delays. Every comprehensive plan should indicate the period of initiation of a project and the accomplishment season.
A results-oriented plan also incorporates roles and responsibility assignment to the team members executing any plan implementation as a critical element.
The management within any organization is often charged with the division of labor, therefore it should be done with a lot of caution. This has a rationale of letting the employees practice in their well-suited areas to affect the planning process and spearhead the achievement of planning goals.
The fifth essential element is an itemized budget for the intended project implementation. This useful tool ensures effectiveness in the utilization of funds. It is also crucial in prioritizing for projects handling processes. More over, marketing and communication strategies are a long-term essential component of effective planning. These are useful in the selling of planning ideas to the core employees of an organization.
They are also essential in setting a stage for the accomplishment of the organizational intended goals. The other useful essential element is the evaluation of the planning processes. The component aids in the provision of the effective strategies that can enhance room for change of processes implementation to ensure effectiveness in the planning processes within a sound organization
Evidence of the presence of elements in organizational environment
The recent research findings have presented the challenges that are encountered in organizational environments in a bid to integrate the essential components of effective planning. My organization is an example in integrating these elements in the planning processes with the aim of enhancing productivity. The mission statement in it is to become the best global organization in the experience economy industry.
The goals are also well spelt, and the marketing and communication strategies are well laid via integrated marketing communication models. However, the timeline results for planning, the evaluation process and the issue of roles and responsibilities have always posed a major challenge in their execution. The planning processes need be revisited to enhance these areas.
Organizational reliance on computer technology
The recent years have seen the reliance on computer technology become core in every type of an organization. Some organizations have even made computers to be the main scheduling instruments, such that their elimination implies distortion of every kind of a plan.
The most complex organizations like schools and hospitals have had their work simplified due to their adoption and integration of computers in management and the execution of daily operations. However, some organizations schedules are often more complicated, leading to their reliance on computers more effective (Shelly, et al., 2007).
Comparison of a school to a local private business or a public agency
A school is a complex organization with complicated day-to-day operations that need high effectiveness and efficiency measures. A private organization or a government agency is also complicated in regard to the operations that are run on daily basis. However, a school system is more complicated than any other organizations.
The running of all these organizations would be adversely affected when computers are eliminated in the operations. The keeping of all records within these organizations is a rationale for the utilization of integrated technology.
The performance of marketing and communication has been eased by the use of these computers. The devices are also extremely useful in the performance of the most complex calculations in regard to the maintenance of organizational budgets. The speed with which the operation of the organizations takes place is a long-term rationale for reliance on technology. The multiple roles that computer performs cuts down the costs within an organization since the number of employees needed are few (Shelly, et al., 2007).
However, schools have very large populations that attend the institution on daily basis, therefore the computer systems are utilized in the keeping of daily attendance records. The large figures of people in schools inclusive of students, teachers, and the subordinate staff entail a complex filing system if the task was to be handled manually.
On the other hand, private organizations like a supermarket or government agencies like a hospital are not as complex in terms of populations recording. The irregularity of the populations that visit the organizations is not as complex in recording as compared to a regular institution.
The schools have made computer services to be their reliable source of information for curricula development. For instance, today libraries may not serve as a significant role in learning like the internet systems that provide a broad category of sources. The internet is an all in one library source that does not need complex efforts to obtain.
On the other hand, no complicated information is needed in a hospital or supermarkets, just the performance of calculations as well as documentation processes are very vital. More over, students must utilize computers in their projects that are complex to handle manually, making computers a mandatory requirement in the schools. Today, the examinations processes are handled using the computers at the schools, but without them, these processes will be hard.
Generally, the complexity and multiplicity of tasks within a school renders a school needier in technology than in any other organization. Thus, the school is found to more reliable on computers than the private organization or the government agency (Shelly, et al., 2007).
Effects of elimination of computers from schools and other organizations
There are a vast number of effects on the organizations whenever computer technology may be eliminated from their operations. The delay in the performance of all operations is a long-term impact of computers elimination. The measures of effectiveness in handling all responsibilities impacts negatively on an organization since complex fundamentals are difficult to handle manually.
The aspect of accuracy in financial management systems would also be very complex, especially today when economic standards have risen for every organization to handle huge amounts of money. The cost-efficiency would greatly be affected since no person can handle multiple tasks, thus more personnel have to be employed to handle specific tasks.
Reduced performance and productivity would also be experienced due to reduction in operational speed in the manual method of handling tasks. Communication breakdown is also anticipated as well as the closing of worldly information from access by the organizations. Marketing is also hard for all organizations with the elimination of computers and documentation complexities are encountered in the organizations.
More over, elimination of computers from the private organizations and the government agencies may pave way for increased corruption and theft cases. This arises due to complexities in keeping and understanding written records in books. Therefore, computers are an essential requirement in every form of an organization (Shelly, et al., 2007).
Complete school technology plan for technology integration
School Description
W. T White High School is an autonomous public secondary school located in Dallas, Texas (USA). It is component of Dallas Independent School District, and the enrollment of students is in accordance with grade-9 level requirements. It serves a large number of students while the administration consists of many members at the faculty level. The school is in need of technological advancements needed for enhancing its survival in the current dynamic world.
Goals and Strategy
The integration of technology in the school is aimed at enhancing learning, administration, as well as teaching methodologies. The other goal is to instill technological knowledge that will improve literacy of the students at W.T. White High School, and to equip them with the required skills for their preparedness of the 21st century. The third goal is to endow with a school that is network enabled in order that our students may have access to computers at a ratio of one computer for five students.
Fourth goal is to ensure the availability of internet facilities to the students that will suffice as a resource for their academic needs, develop a curriculum software that enhances the level of education as well as enhance a an improved classroom learning environment. The last goal is to ensure implemented technology is at the rate that responds to the process of evaluation with an intention of composing an environment that is productive and supportive so that the technological goal may be attained.
Professional Development
At W.T. White High School, our strong belief holds it that the fundamentals of technological success are based on the foundational and operational staff. Proficiency in faculty representatives acts as a success instrument in matters concerning technology integration in the school and the educational system.
To enhance staff cooperation, training is taken as the first crucial stage to address in order to enhance implementation success. The technological plan of the school must also provide an emphasis on priorities in regard to financial support to enhance professional continuity in the schools staff as well as faculty.
Assessment of Needs
Today’s volatile and dynamic society demands people that have a sound foundation of skills in technology, since this will improve their functional nature.
The students at White school utilize computers in almost all their learning and handling co-curricula activities. They must be acquainted with knowledge in word processing, internet use etc, since they can use these facilities to request for guidance and learning materials from the teachers via the campus network.
The educational system for grade nine also requires students to type their academic papers and the filing of all the documents needs be done in an electronic way. Most of the classes have students that are needed to produce research projects that are multimedia and there are in need of the internet services.
The current service that needs be integrated is the internet that is needed to provide a networking ground for all students, enhancing sources for academic excellence as well as to ease the communication strategies (Cennamo, Ross and Ertmer, 2009). The timeline for the implementation of the integrated system is two years.
The Budget
The support for the budget for W. T White High School has its basis on the income obtained from the tuition money as well as the fundraisers that support annually. The school needs about $200,000 for the accomplishment of the intended implementation of integrated technological system, to be accomplished in two years time.
Evaluation
The W. T White High School must develop a model with which to evaluate their environment that is ever changing. The evaluation process is crucial since it monitors the success levels in regards to projects at hand, helps in the adjustment of plans for action as per the requirement, seeks for new sources of continuity funds, and ultimately ensures that the learner is the final beneficiary of the intended project.
Inventory
The W. T White High School needs 4 servers within the school, and 10 routers for internet access in addition to 12 CSU/DSU for internet access.
Conclusion
Organizational planning plays as a pivotal instrument for driving organizational success. Effectiveness in the correct organizational procedures is accomplished via the application of essential elements of planning. These are inclusive of vision, objectives, roles and responsibilities, marketing etc. Additionally, reliance on computers has drastically increased in the recent years in every form of organizations in the recent years. Elimination of computers in organizations today would act as a major drawback, especially in complex organizations like schools.
The reason is that research has it that schools rely more on computers than any private organization or government agencies. The adoption and integration of technology is done via generation of a step-by-step technological plan that explains all the goals and purposes of technology in planning.
References
Cennamo, K., Ross, J. and Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use: a Standards-Based Approach. OH: Cengage Learning.
Hunnicutt, D. (2007). Carefully Crafting Your Organization’s Wellness Plan: The Essential Elements That Can Take Your Program from Good to Great. Wellness councils of America. Web.
Shelly, G. et al., (2007). Teachers discovering computers: integrating technology and digital media in the classroom. OH: Cengage Learning.