Abstract
Organizational Informatics is the application of both Information Technology and Computer Science in handling an Organization’s matters. With the new developments in information technology and Computer Science, organizations have recorded increase in the ease of their operation, quick execution of tasks, and reduction in the operational costs.
The adoption of informatics in firms may also have adverse effects on manpower (Bloomfield, 2000). Goal attainment and supervision of staff has eased with the implementation of computerization and information technology in many organizations.
Deterioration in creativity in some industries and automation of humans are some of the adverse impacts experienced in Organizational Informatics. This dissertation seeks to ascertain some of the developments and extent of their impacts on the organizations (Nembhard, 2011).
Organization is a term that refers to a group of individuals who operate under a definite set of principles that guide them towards achieving a common goal. There are different types of organizations that may include institutions and other types of business entities. Informatics is the combination of computer science and information science (Bouwan, 2005).
Therefore, Organizational Informatics refers to the integration of information technology in handling different information related matters in an organizational setting. Organizational Informatics has a social aspect that one has to consider when analyzing various institutions.
One examines different types of organizations redefining their distinct characteristics to come up with the best information technology that best suits them. Organizational Informatics establishes the purposeful areas in the business to come up with the best ways of conveying information. It helps in enhancing the business integration of tasks in a fast and efficient manner.
Organizational Informatics broadly elucidates the diverse information-based products. It is vital to examine the different products used within an information domain (Pulver, 2009).
The organizational scope is broad, and as such, there is the need to establish a product that best fits a particular organization. The rise of many organizations having different time spans for change institutes the use of flexible information technology that incorporates changes.
Nature of Organizational Informatics
The Organizational Informatics tends to be problem-oriented, incorporating different rules and practices of the respective organization. The information technology of a given organization is structured to fit the functionality of the organization.
Organization’s information technology is always programmed to yield solutions to problems that an organization is likely to face. Different organizations have different problems; information infrastructure should solve the problems in an organization.
For Organizational Informatics to hold, one should hold on to the principle of framework dependency. Context dependency lays the assumption that there is a particular direction human beings have to follow regarding the occurrence of a certain event. It relies heavily on the extent of prediction.
It may not be the case because of the high chances of manipulation due to the nature of human thought. The information-seeking behaviors may vary from one person to another. There is a likelihood of having one problem facing different people and each following different directions in seeking information (Bloomfield, 2000).
Organizational Informatics being the application of information technology and computer science in organizations has greatly enhanced the functioning of organizations through an increase in interdependence among organizations (Borgman, 2000). There have been various reasons for governing different organizations, with all the reasons having the aim of enhancing success in organizations.
They also target to reduce the operational cost of the firms. However, this has recently caused a lot of contradictions. Research has shown that organizations with high information technology standards call for less labor than those without.
Over the years, firms that have notably applied information technology in their operations have recorded operational ease, as well as, increased productivity. Organizational doctrines and processes can also be clearly outlined with the use of information technology.
Many of the functions within organizations have been automated through the use of computers. In the accounting organizational environments, computation has transformed and eased through the use of computers (Bouwan, 2005). Computers have made the operations fast.
Calculations of large amounts of numeric data occur within seconds, unlike, previous times. Implementation of information technology has improved interactions between organizations.
Lesser labor is required due to the use of computers. The development of Informatics has fostered the development of the current organizations. The current development of social media being used as a tool for passing information to organizations has positively improved the passage of information.
The emergence and upgrading of information technology have fostered development in organizations. The older systems in organizations are always being replaced the newer ones that suit the needs of an organization. Integration system is also another better area under consideration regarding organizations.
Software like SAP has been used; it intensifies the passage of information across an organization while permitting many parameters to be modified. It helps in integration of operations of an organization having advanced administrative centralization to come up with the diverse parameters across the organization’s geographical locations having decentralized activities (Bloomfield, 2000).
The yields in organizations have incessantly enhanced following the integration of informatics. Incorporation of geospatial mapping application has also helped in tracking the locations of the organization’s manpower. Running any site on the internet on behalf of the organization is monitored following the use of IP addresses hence increasing transparency with the organizations (Bouwan, 2005).
The information passed to any method via a computer can be easily tracked, and thus minimizing the chances of passing malicious information in the organization. Organizations conveyance of information is thus efficient and effective with the application of informatics.
Organizational Structure
Organizations are structured differently. For this reason, the role of information technology varies. Organizations should thus redefine their roles and come up with the best method of passing the information that accomplishes their intended functions. Organizational Informatics plays a central role in making the functioning of different compartments within the organization easy.
Given the socio-technical relationship of an organization, people should learn to incorporate and administer technology in organizations. Organizational Informatics is an important trend because it simplifies human efforts, and its execution method of different roles is assured. Organizational Informatics also ensures efficient record keeping in microchips.
Organizational Informatics also explores information-based industries and the relevance of their establishment in the industry. Organizational Informatics has greatly enhanced communication within businesses. It has also improved the interrelationship between companies. Organizational Informatics application in different industries has led to increased productivity (Tracy, 2014).
Organizational Informatics aims at easing the functions within an organization. Initially, all the functions within the organizations were done manually. The communication within the organizations was mainly verbal or in writing. Incorporation of technology has significantly enhanced the functioning of the organizations. It takes a few seconds to communicate with employees within a given firm through the use of email.
Record management has also been boosted following the storage of information on computer hard drives. The retrieval of information has also been improved since there is no need for accessing very many files. It only calls for typing the name of the document in the search bar of the computer (Schwartz, 2000). The application of technology in organizations targets to effectively improve communication within different organizations.
Some organizations are business entities, and as such, communication is imperative in promoting business to business relationships. Use of emails and other forms of information technology-based communications improves placing of orders and paying for the same. For this reason, information promotes the sales of businesses.
Organizational Design
Organizational design explains the way the organization’s administration achieves the efficient combination of all the sections/departments to move in the same direction of achieving the set goals with respect to the uncertainty in the external environment. Organizational entails a critical examination of the workflow, administration, and duties allocation to ensure their conformity with the objectives of the organization.
A good organizational design creates an enabling environment for the execution of the tasks to achieve the goals of the organization efficiently. Organizational design aids communication, productivity and innovation within an organization (Nembhard, 2011). Different sections of the design can be linked together through the use of the appropriate communication channels to accomplish satisfactory performance.
Organizations should overcome the barriers to effective communication at all the times to ensure continued quality in all its undertakings. Organizational planning is a key to effectual design. Proper planning of the flexible design that totally utilizes the available labor and resources is essential in organizations.
The information helps in the accomplishment of the functionality of a good organizational design. Organizational Informatics has eased the functioning between different sections of the design. Quick dissemination of information has facilitated the implementation of various responsibilities of manpower in the organizations (Bloomfield, 2000).
Management Aspects
Effective organizational management entails; exercising authority, making things happen, prioritizing, using control, problem-solving, and decisiveness. Organizational Informatics has enhanced the organizational management aspects.
The managers in an organization can use control easily following the automation of the processes. Technology has facilitated the achievement of results within an organization through the use of systems that increase the ease (Tracy, 2014).
The exercise authority has enhanced with the application of information technology in the organizations. Automation of processes in organizations has boosted prioritizing of tasks that have led to increased yields. Technology has resulted in efficient problem-solving in organizations through the use of systems that precisely analyze problems and provide the way out.
Decision making is also another critical development trend in organizations following the application of Organizational Informatics. Management of organizations has been enhanced through the use of Organizational Informatics (Bloomfield, 2000).
Technology Infrastructure
Technology infrastructure refers to all the aspects involved in facilitating effecting of various organizations’ processes with the use of technical appliances. Technology infrastructure has eased the organization’s functions. Through the application of the relevant technology, organizations have seen betterment in information passage. Information processing in organizations has currently assumed a faster pace.
Use of computers and microchips has facilitated data storage and faster retrieval. Technology infrastructure has enabled bulk data transmission from one department to another within or outside the organization (Antonelli, 2009). It has also improved the organization’s public image through websites ads. Technology infrastructure has led to a reduction in the management costs within organizations.
Technology infrastructure is an important development in the management of organizations in the current world. It has made the organizations calculate their success in advance and, as a result, the establishment of their profit/loss. Developments in technological infrastructure have led to an improvement in surveillance in the organizations and increased productivity; as a result (Antonelli, 2009).
Information Infrastructure
Information infrastructure is also an important element in the understanding of Organizational Informatics. Information infrastructure refers to everything that facilitates the flow and processing of information. Information infrastructure is conscientious in planning all the aspects of any given type of organization (Borlase, 2012). It enables fast and reliable method of passing information to the organizations.
The information passed through computers can be recorded for future references. Incorporation of technology in information infrastructure has led to reliability in the means of communication within organizations. The passing of information from one section to the other is enhanced through the use of technology.
Organizations can also reach their customers with ease through the application of technical appliances. Information infrastructure boosts the organization’s performance and increases the overall output of the organization (Bloomfield, 2000).
Learning
In the context of organizations; learning can be defined as the transfer of knowledge (information) to personnel. Organizational Informatics has facilitated learning. Organizational learning is attained through acquirement, distribution, elucidation, and storage of information. Learning enables efficient information processing reciprocating effectual functioning and performance of organizations (Schwartz, 2000).
The emergence of many challenges in the information dissemination within the organization has cultivated the stakeholders’ decisions aim at ensuring continued learning. Adoption of new technology in organizations has also called for advancement in the knowledge of personnel.
Learning in organizations can also be attributed to the inventions of newer information systems. The need for the organizational best performance calls for learning to enable discovery of the best practices (Kirwan, 2013).
Remembering
Remembering can be understood from the concept of organizational memory. Organizational memory can be defined as the process of reconstituting the past projects processes into the present ones.
Remembering makes an organization to avoid duplication of efforts and as well as enhancing reliable decision making through access to the same information by all the personnel. Computers have improved the memory of organizational processes and storage of information (Schwartz, 2000).
Sense-making
The information that is transmitted within an organization should be measurable in the domain of sense-making. Organizational Informatics has improved the conveyance of sensible information.
The development of the technology has made the information systems to adopt a better method that ensures the data is well examined to hold meaning. Use of different software has facilitated sense-making in information (Kirwan, 2013).
Significance of Information
Information is an important aspect in organizations. Information can also be defined, as the transfer of data from one person to another within the organization or from one firm to another (Pulver, 2009). The use of modern Organizational Informatics has eliminated the chances of data/information distortion from one person to the other.
Information is only passed through the use of internet/system supported platforms making distortion an error of extinct. Information systems improve the communication within different areas in the organization. The passage of information is fast through the use of emails in the organization leading to a more rapid handling of tasks in the organization.
The information enhances the decision making in the organizations. An organization that has up-to-date information can comfortably make its decisions concerning different issues that need an appropriate action (Nembhard, 2011). Organizational Informatics helps the managers to make the appropriate decisions through the use of systems that integrate information and calculate the outcomes of each decision.
Organizational Informatics also provides alternative decisions on particular situations. Information also improves the operations of an organization. Availability of necessary information that can be applied in different organizational scenarios improves on the organizational activities. Organizational Informatics has led to the reformation of the organizational operations and improved performance.
Sharing of information in Organizations leads to coordination of efforts towards achieving the set goals. It also enables the passage of knowledge concerning the handling of the organizational matters/procedures.
Computerization of the organization’s operations has cultivated improvement in related information processes that have led to high-quality work. Computer systems are precisely programmed to tackle specific tasks, and thus reducing the chances of failure in attaining the desired results.
Computerization has fostered record-keeping by different agencies. The entire firm’s related information is stored on the hard drives or sometimes in microchips.
The filing system is maintained for reference. Electronic storage of information makes retrieval easy; saving the time that could be otherwise have been wasted trying to go through all the hard copy files. More time is saved and can be dedicated to undertaking other productive tasks in the organization. Computerization, therefore, makes work easier and improves information storage and retrieval (Bouwan, 2005).
Conclusion
Organizational Informatics has aided in improving the passage of information within an organization. Organization’s success can be ensured through the betterment of its communication. Proper and easier methods and tools of communication have increased the ease of the passage of information from one party to the other.
The dissemination of information in an organization is a parameter that enables effective and efficient goal attainment. Use of internet in organizational settings has improved communication within various departments. It has also led to the absorption of the best labor force in organizations and thus increasing the productivity of the organizations.
Computerization of organization functions has resulted in increased ease of carrying out operations in the organizations, and, as a result, an increment in the yields of organizations. Organizations have also been able to increase their output significantly while at the same time, also experiencing greater efficiency.
Management and data handling in an organization have also improved. Initially, the management of an organization that had numerous formal was hectic. Currently, adoption of SAP software has made management easier since organizations can be managed in one central position irrespective of the many decentralized locations within a large geographical area.
Hiring and placement in organizations is currently not a great deal, following the application of information technology. Currently, discoveries in the area of information have led to the emergence of different software dealing best with the problems of various organizations. Adoption of computer science in organizations has to a large extent improved the speed, quality and lowered production cost in the operations.
There are improvements in the organizational design through the use of efficient information in the modern organizations that has led to the practical accomplishment of the organizational goals. The management aspects in organizations have also enhanced through the use of appropriate decision making.
The objectives of the organizations are attained with ease following through embarking on the principles of learning, sense-making, and remembering in organizations. The use of the best technologies in organizations has simplified information conveyance and data handling that have seen the enhancement of organizations. Informatics has improved all the aspects of the modern organization and made goal attainment an easier task.
References
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