Conundrums of Information Technology: Amiss Ambrosia

SriNarayan Ojha

 

There are innumerable types of Information Technology (IT) products such as computers, DVD players, LCD or DLP projectors, photocopiers, cell-phones and so on. The underlying commonality is that all these machines take in information as the exclusive raw material for processing. This is a significant departure with respect to all the machines pre-dating such gadgets. The significance and power of IT comes from the special characteristics of information which is intangible, reproducible, non-consumable, distributable and manipulable.
The Encyclopedia Britannica says: "A renascence of logical studies came about almost entirely because of Boole and DeMorgan." George Boole made significant contributions in several areas of mathematics, but was immortalized for two works in 1847 and 1854, in which he represented logical expressions in a mathematical form now known as Boolean Algebra. Boole's work was all the more impressive because, with the exception of elementary school and a short time in a commercial school, he was almost completely self-educated. Another British mathematician, Augustus DeMorgan, formalized a set of logical operations now known as DeMorgan transformations. Unfortunately, with the exception of students of philosophy and symbolic logic, Boolean Algebra was destined to remain largely unknown and unused for the better part of a century, until a young student called Claude E. Shannon recognized its relevance to electronics design.
There has been dramatic progress in the realm of Information Technology within a very short span of a few decades. Significantly, the dynamism of IT has also been a driving force for innovations in many disciplines and our life-style by making it possible to perform works in ways that were not previously possible. A first step in understanding the role of this technology is simply to look at the functions it can perform. Interestingly, the functions of IT can be summarized to six basic data processing operations: capturing, transmitting, storing, retrieving, manipulating and displaying data . The entire history of computing since the advent of digital computers has been about performing these six functions faster and more efficiently through an amazing sequence of technological breakthroughs. A useful metric for the rate of technological change is the average period during which speed or capacity doubles or, more or less equivalently, halves in price. For storage, networks, and computing power, these periods are around 12, 9, and 18 months, respectively . Such is the growth rate within the information and communication technologies (ICT) industry in recent years.  “To put this in perspective, if automobile technology had improved at the same rate since 1960, a new car would cost less than an entry fee to the cinema hall, and we could drive through the length of our own country on less than a litre of petrol or diesel.” There is a closing gap between introduction of technology and its diffusion or penetration as shown in the following Table. This is a delight to the liberal world and chagrin to repressive governments.

Table. Rate of Penetration of New Technology

The major directions for the improvements, which the experts believe to continue for at least a few more decades, include: greater miniaturization, speed and portability; greater connectivity and continuing convergence of computing, communication and infotainment; and better software techniques and interfaces with people. Finally, we shall have ubiquitous access with "Anyone, Anywhere, Any time, Any device."
Based on several extensive survey reports, the experts have identified certain basic pitfalls in application and management of IT in the real world and these include: unrealistic expectations from this technology, difficulty in building, modifying & maintaining information systems, difficulty in integrating systems that are built for different purposes, organizational inertia & problems of dealing with change, and genuine difficulty in anticipating what will happen.
Computer technology has always received more than its share of speculation and hype. The technology must be considered at its face value as a powerful and valuable tool and not a magic system. When applied thoughtfully, these tools can bring important benefits, when mis-applied, they can waste colossus amount of time, effort and money. Hardware and software vendors often add to the confusion by claiming that they “sell solutions.” Addressing a real problem usually requires the organizations to do something differently and this usually requires changes in at least several parts of the work system while incorporating the better usage of IT. In other words, technology is almost never a solution by itself.
Today it is much easier to build IT-based systems than it ever has been, but the task is still difficult. The IT still has a long way to go in terms of convenience of implementation. This fact is illustrated by the enormous effort that went into the solution of Y2K problem. Another important factor is presence of many competing standards for the hardware, software and their networking. One survey exploring the success rate for information systems identified that the factors most strongly associated with successful implementations are user involvement, executive support, clear statement of requirements, proper planning and realistic expectations. A Gartner Group survey of 1375 IT professionals in September 2000 found that roughly 40% IT projects fail to meet organizational requirements, that the average cancelled IT project is scheduled to last 27 weeks and is cancelled on week 14, and that project team members are keenly aware of a projects doom six weeks prior to its cancellation. Even though the software engineers apply the textbook methods of System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) including the system requirement studies (SRS) or one of the alternative methods, there is no guarantee that the implementation project will succeed.
Another intricate area of maintenance of IT infrastructure is integration of existing system(s) with a new system. In 1994, the Clinton administration decided to implement an effective Medicare insurance information system for US to help reduce fraudulent medical claims across billion bills a year. GTE was hired and their intensive SRS found that the work requires integration of 72 separate systems built and operated by different insurance companies. The team members of the project were required to understand each of the 72 systems and then define commonalities that would help integrate them. In 1997, the US administration found that the project was behind the schedule and over budget and hence asked GTE to cancel the project. But, by then, the exchequer had already lost about tens of million dollars!
The software professional are often characterized by their allegiance to the profession rather than the organizational goals, their eloquence lies with language of the computers, their interest is fulfilled by recognition of their technical elegance rather than conformity to the organizational processes, they are more concerned about maintainability of their product rather than quick solutions and they would like to be more involved with the computers rather that the humans. This leads to a discernible communication gap between the IT staff and the system beneficiaries, which is conveniently overlooked by the decision makers. Obviously, many CIOs are not seen as organizational leaders. They come miserably below the CAO and CFO in terms of relationship-building endeavors. Even though, their leadership style is considered honest and logical, colleagues find them less “supportive” (tend to avoid pursuing consensus and encourage involvement) more “commanding” (inclined to get things done rapidly) and less “inspirational” (averse to pursue change by creating excitement).
The technology-driven organizational changes exact a price. The changes in one part of system may lead adverse impact in another part such as staff positioning, power structure etc. and often we are prompted to look at the consequent problem from a technological angle and seek a technology remedy to it. Far worse is the fact that such negative impacts of technology are inseparable and may at times be unforeseeable. Organizational inertia and resistance to technology-driven change may arise due to many other factors as well. In some instances, the time and effort spent on overcoming inertia may far exceed that required for project implementation.
The technology implementation also leads to some of its usage in unanticipated areas. In 1876, neither Graham Bell nor the Chairman of Western Union , when offered exclusive patent rights of telephones, were sure about the utility and business prospect of telecom system. In 1950, Thomas Watson, CEO of IBM had postulated that “the worldwide demand for data-processing computers is less than 50 machines. ” It is even argued that ICT growth also enabled the dark sides of computing such as privacy intrusions, data destructions and easier means to spread moral perversions and ideologies. Computer crimes, viruses, Trojan horses, phishing and so on are some of the unwanted uses which the inventors of this software-driven technology had never anticipated to come by. The hearsay is that the computer-based infidelity is as old as the era of Blaise Pascal. In 1658, Pascal created a scandal when, under the pseudonym of Amos Dettonville, he challenged other mathematicians to a contest and then awarded the prize to himself!
Technology has not only brought increased standard of living, it has also brought along competition among nations seeking dominance in the new world order. The developing nations are also trying to bridge the digital-divide, which is expected to be easier to catch-up on than the industrial revolution. All nations seek the production or adoption of new ICT that facilitate sustainable development. However, digital technology comes with its own downsides and risks. For example, unforeseen electric power outage (in developed economies) leads to chaotic or paralyzed situations while such failure lasts. It is a truism to acknowledge that computing advances and strengths are accompanied by corresponding levels of vulnerability. Developing countries are greatly benefiting from ICT not only from the deployment for social integration and educational purposes but also from commercial returns. India is the classic success story of creating wealth through ‘outsourcing’ – the offshore contracting of computing jobs to cheaper but highly skilled labor markets. But, we need to listen this story from a different time zone as well. The CIO Insight's latest survey on IT outsourcing discovers that as the use of outsourcing and offshoring increases, so, too, does outsourcing's toll on IT personnel and their productivity. Forty-five percent of respondents to this survey say that fear of losing jobs to outsourcing has had a disruptive effect on their IT organizations, an increase from 39 percent last year. How does outsourcing disrupt an IT organization? The simple answer is the FUD factor: People who are afraid of losing their jobs are less productive, either because they are feeling anxious, or because they are less motivated to put in extra effort. "Why would I bust my butt for my company if I know they are going to outsource my job and get rid of me?" asks Jay Jamrog, executive director of the Human Resource Institute, in St. Petersburg, Fla., a not-for-profit organization affiliated with the University of Tampa.
According to Tom Weakland, a managing partner in the global sourcing practice at DiamondCluster, low morale makes people less careful, or thorough, and that results in project delays, budget overruns, and post-implementation breaks and bugs in code. "Whereas you might have a great relationship with Joe, who sits right next to you in a cube, when suddenly "Joe" is writing code in Bangalore, you are not going to call him as proactively, or get him involved as much. You will treat him differently if you are afraid of losing your job, or if your friend lost his job," Weakland says. Marcus Courtney, president of WashTech/CWA, in Seattle (an arm of the Communications Workers of America), recalls his days as a contract worker at Microsoft Corp. Time-zone differences made collaboration difficult, Courtney says, when he tested code written by developers who were thousands of miles and several time zones away. Transferring knowledge between employees and the outsourcer is another trouble spot, he adds.
Open, honest communication is the first and most obvious solution to the problem. But sometimes what CIOs have to say-no matter how honestly, openly or thoughtfully-isn't what IT professionals want to hear. So what else should CIOs do to keep their staffs motivated and productive when they outsource? HRI's Jamrog says: IT professionals are most likely to remain committed and motivated if the company continues to train them to do the sort of innovative, creative work that is less likely to be outsourced, offers them challenging, interesting projects to work on, and if their supervisors inspire and coach them. "They [IT professionals] will be very loyal and committed to a supervisor who treats them well, is inspiring and motivating, and communicates with them honestly and openly. In other words, a leader."
New ICT have impacted the development of new economic paradigms such as just-in-time (JIT) delivery and TINA (there is no alternative to globalization and liberalization). Notable world bodies such as the UNESCO and several professional organizations are assisting nations, particularly developing nations to acquire or develop both the infrastructure and the expertise necessary for ICT. For example, Nigeria has received financial and material (in the form of ICT derivatives) aids worth millions of dollars towards the conduct of her 2005 census. Also, Paradigm Lingua, the author’s award-winning word-processor and translator for Nigerian languages has impacted electronic publishing in Nigeria .
Funded, focused organizational or institutional research and development leads to new break-throughs, new patents, new products, new trademarks, new markets, new clients, new awards, etc. The competition is stiff but the rewards are often satisfying. However, not all new technologies are well received or become successful. A technology can only be described and its significance appreciated in the context of its uses and its users. New ICT means that fore-runners must create new standards, governments must introduce new regulatory practices (such as cyber law for Internet crime, copyright enforcement for protection of intellectual property, etc.), companies must re-train workers and acquire new products/services especially if the existing system becomes inadequate, colleges need to revise curriculum and, consumers must make new choices. New studies would also normally be required to assess the environmental and sociological impacts. For individual workers in the ICT sector, advancement and perhaps survival is synonymous with continual skill acquisition . New occupations and job titles have been created. Even e-literacy or computer literary has become a prerequisite for job applicants in the developing nations. For researchers, sifting through materials from electronic libraries is a new daunting task, not finding those materials in the first place from physical libraries or ordering and waiting for paper prints! Homework, assignments and projects can be researched, written (typed) and produced (printed) on the computer desk at home, school or a business centre (cybercafé). This is facilitated by new web services such as Google® Scholar and Google® Answers from the developers of the Internet’s most successful Search Engine. The former allows a free search of scholarly publications across various institutional and publishing repositories while the latter is a venture whereby ‘Google® experts’ provide answers to a subscribers’ question for a fee.

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