Managing Technological Change examines how new workplace technology can improve performance - and how it can have the opposite effect when it is not properly planned and introduced with the participation of key stakeholders. It provides an overview and explanation of the steps involved in: - technology planning - implementation - acquisition, development - assessment Discussed are the theoretical underpinnings of each of these steps: - systems theory - industrial relations theory - concurrent engineering The methods for assessing an organization's needs and readiness for technological change are explored as are ways of identifying and eliminating organizational barriers to technological change, such as organizational culture, poor labour relations, and employee feelings of disenfranchisement. The final chapter addresses the necessity for ongoing evaluation and monitoring to ensure that the technological change continues to meet organizational, business and performance objectives.
Dr. Carol J. Haddad is a Professor in the School of Technology Studies at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan. She joined the faculty in 1993, after a distinguished career in industry and academe. Prior to her arrival at EMU, she served as a tenured faculty member at Michigan State University's School of Labor and Industrial Relations (1978-1990), and held senior positions with the American Society for Training and Development in Alexandria, Virginia and with the Industrial Technology Institute in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where as a Visiting Research Scientist she established and directed the Institute's first Labor and Technology Program. She has also been a Research Fellow at Wayne State University's College of Urban, Labor and Metropolitan Affairs. An active scholar, Dr. Haddad has been the recipient of over $500,000 worth of research grants and awards, and has published numerous articles, including several on Canadian sectoral training councils in the steel, automotive parts, and electronic and electrical industries. Professor Haddad's book on the management of technological change, published by Sage, emphasizes the benefits of strategic and participative approaches to technology adoption. Her current work is on the gendered dimensions of technology
PREFACE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS CHAPTER 1: TECHNOLOGY'S PERILS AND PROMISE: THE NEED FOR TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT Technological Change: Three Scenarios Lessons Learned The Need for Technology Management CHAPTER 2: STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP: A WORKING DEFINITION Strategic Technology Planning Participation and Partnership CHAPTER 3: AN INTEGRATIVE FRAMEWORK FOR TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE Technology Adoption Life Cycle An Integrative Systems Approach to Technology Adoption CHAPTER 4: ASSESSING THE NEED AND READINESS FOR CHANGE Technology Needs Analysis Readiness for Change Assessment Pragmatic Issues Inclusive Needs Assessment CHAPTER 5: ORGANIZATIONAL BARRIERS TO INTEGRATED CHANGE Identifying Organizational Variables What Influences Attitudes Toward New Technology? Overcoming Resistance to Change CHAPTER 6: DESIGNING AND IMPLEMENTING STRATEGIC CHANGE Social Constructivism and Technology Design Participative Technology Design Technology Implementation Design CHAPTER 7: TRAINING AND TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE Training's Contribution to High-Performance Workplaces Training Program Design Successful Training Partnerships Creating a Learning Organization CHAPTER 8: EVALUATING AND MANAGING CHANGE FOR OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE Conducting the Technology Evaluation Ongoing Technology Management Institutionalizing a Strategic Partnership Approach to Change The Strategic Partnership Payoff REFERENCES BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
"This book is essential reading for those practicing or studying technology management. It goes beyond rational technical introductions to technology management to include the social, human, and political world of organizational life. Organizations need to understand and address these dimensions if they are to succeed in improving their innovation processes, and also create a humane workplace." -- Richard J. Badham "Managing Technological Change presents an integrative, strategic, and participative approach to technology management from a multi-industry perspective." -- Jeffrey K. Liker "Managing Technological Change is the first volume that addresses the importance of including workers and their unions in the strategy management of technological change. It also contributes to the literature on this subject by moving beyond manufacturing and into the service and education sectors. This book should be of interest to scholars, students, and practitioners alike." -- Ulrich Juergens
