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Many predicted with a good margin of approximation the impact of the digital and technological age, especially in the corporate sphere.
Today it seems that we are living in a science fiction movie. We interact with smart screens in a variety of devices, we chat instantly with professionals from all nations, we give orders to virtual assistants that operate from our laptops, vehicles and even speakers. Data and information are generated and exchanged at the speed of light, we carry out all kinds of financial transactions in front of the computer or screen in a matter of seconds.
Technological advances impact corporations to such an extent that they make it a dogma to allocate a large part of the budget to investment in technology , research and development. According to randongaille.com, the main advantages of using technology in organizations can be summarized as:
- Better controls and traceability of processes
- Significant savings in time and effort
- Communication improvements
- Collaborative and synchronized work
- Sophistication of the human factor
With all this… Does technology really have disadvantages in business?
Unfortunately yes! The main disadvantages of the use of technology in business have to do with costs, dependency, the displacement of the human factor in organizations, and the limitation in interpersonal relationships, let’s examine these questions more in depth.
Disadvantages of using technology in organizations
For richescorner.com “there are always negative effects that come from good things” technology in business does not escape from it. Obviously the positive factors of technology in business outweigh the negatives, however let’s take a look, it is always good to be vigilant and take precautions if necessary.
Implementation and upgrade costs
The cost of automating and technifying a task is probably the number one disadvantage related to technology in business.
For example, a simple laptop, a code reader, or accounting software can cost several hundred and even thousands of dollars. Not only that, companies cannot buy their technology just once and not need anything else, but must constantly update it to stay ahead of technology standards and improvements.
In addition, having technology means that a company must pay software, hardware, and network professionals to provide maintenance, tuning, and monitoring services.
We can affirm that making an initial investment in technology and not investing continuously in updating is to become obsolete in a matter of months.
Displace the human factor
The technology in business makes processes more efficient, reduces operation time. Automation allows a colossal number of transactions to be processed in moments saving time and investment in administrative staff.
Instant communication and connectivity displace correspondence services. Automated customer service centers. Great for companies but what about employees?
The impact of technology on workers is significant, a non-traumatic solution is to train them in other tasks, redefine their roles and seek to develop new skills.
Technology creates dependency
As technology advances, those who seek access to confidential information for fraudulent purposes also evolve and gain more scope. So automating and computerizing processes creates a certain vulnerability that must be overcome with investment in cybersecurity.
Too much technology can make employees depend on it to get their jobs done. Brandongaille.com alleges that technology in business upgrades skills for employees at the expense of others.
Some employees may overreliance on their business technology to complete tasks and services to the point that any failure leads to a failure.
The technological dependence can lead to employees to overlook mistakes that could determine whether the tasks if made manually. This applies especially in the case of verifications or quality controls.
A fully online business cannot fully process orders if the business server fails, and factories can stop production if a robot or sophisticated equipment on the assembly line breaks down. Dependence? Absolutely!
Limit interpersonal skills
Why speak aloud if you will have Messenger or WhatsApp. Why a meeting when you have Skipe? For the elegance of a corporate memo if you have Yahoo or Gmail. The impact of technological changes in the workplace spikes and spreads.
As a result of technology in business, personal and face-to-face interaction is lost. Employees can become true islands and social skills degrade. Not to mention the excessive use of social networks at work.
All of the above demands a certain intervention from the management level who must promote opportunities for personal meeting and group interaction.