Globalization – ICT has not only brought the world a lot closer but also turned the world economy into one single system, which means that information can be shared quickly and efficiently breaking the unbreakable barriers between different cultures linguistics and geographical locations. Communication – with the help of ICT communication has become easier, quicker and cheaper. We can now communicate in any part of the world instantaneously. The internet has opened new doorways for fast reliable communication and even conferences through video calling without actually leaving the comfort of your office or home.
Cost effectiveness – Information technology has computerised all the business process thus streamlining businesses to make them extremely cost effective, increasing the productivity which gives rise to profits meaning bonuses for employees and for organisation leaving less room for human errors and delay in production. Bridging the cultural gap – Information technology has bridged the cultural gap by helping people from different cultures to communicate with one another, and allow for the exchange of views and ideas, thus increasing awareness and reducing prejudice.
More time – ICT has made it possible for businesses to be open 24/7 around the globe. Business can stay open any time anywhere, making purchases from different countries easier and more convenient. It also means that you can have your goods delivered right to your doorstep with having to move a single muscle. Creation of new jobs – Along with the above advantages the best one is that ICT opened new door for career developments, as well as created new opportunities in the field of information technology.
Disadvantages of information technology: Unemployment – While ICT created new jobs in the IT field it also crated job redundancies, downsizing and outsourcing, Which reduced or cut down a lot of jobs with the front line workers and mid-level jobs. Privacy – Although ICT made the communication a lot easier and more convenient, it has also raised the issue of invading privacy through phone tapping, hacking and other activities causing worries of safety through the private sector.
Lack of job security – Experts believe that the internet has made job security a big issue as the technology keeps on changing with each day meaning that the learning process should be on going to secure their jobs. Dominant culture – While information technology may have made the world a global village, it has made the dominate culture to overshadow the weak as US is blamed to have influenced the young generation around the world to adapt their culture and language as English is commonly as the primary mode of communication for business and everything else.
Importance of HR and ICT to work together It is vital for the integration of ICT in an organisation to be done through appropriate channel of human resource management because without the co-ordination of both its very hard to achieve results. In a study done by D. E. Villiger in 1985 where he studied the impacts of new ICT development program in Phonecorp a large US based telephonic company revealed in his analysis of the implementation of FACS (facility assignment and control system) in Phonecorp.
FACS was a computerised, fully automated information system for connecting new customers to the telephone network. Same FACS equipment was introduced in nine local loop assignment centres (LACs: where all order processing for new lines was done). Most of the centres which introduced FACS early in the process, experienced serious problems of all kinds, insufficient training of the LACs operators proved to be a major problem causing major delays in processes and missing the performance goals set. On the other hand the centres which installed FACS a few months later with their HR department provided sufficient training courses to the staff ran smoother, faster and efficiently.
In this fast age in time it’s very important for one to keep them updated with the new technology. ICT has emerged as a global phenomenon and brought along its new ways to deal things by ICT tools which could be used different processes of an organisation such as manufacturing, resource planning, office automation, computer supported co operated work, distribution, supply chain, enterprise management and much more. Through the fast technological advances in the field of ICT management can now transform their organisation by changing the way people work. Information systems have helped Human Recourse management to develop according to the new age by providing a new knowledge of e-HRM and HRIS human resource information systems.
The use of ICT includes new development within an organisation making better, faster and more reliable productivity, strategic planning and managerial models. IT is becoming more tactical partner of HRM, determining the factors that utilised in HR information for strategic decision making purposes. ICT give much more flexibility to the organisations HRM process. Transforming Human Resource’s Information technology has allowed HR activities to convert themselves enabling the employee to have a quick access to all the information required with the limitations of the organisation without actually interacting with the HR personal. Where also the performance of the work force can be evaluated through computer based systems, this new technology has successfully integrated in the HR structure changing the ways of HR process making them easier and faster.
Conclusion
After going through all the evidence and studies done by researcher in the field of HR and information technology we can conclude this paper by saying even then the markets have moved and ICT has changed the face of the earth in many better ways making life easier, faster and more efficient. But at the same time critics foresee a mixed future for ICT as it has brought good along with bad by downsizing firms more and more people replaced by machines. And also heavily rely upon this technology to live our lives we forgotten the ways of our ancestors who took a more safe approach for doing thing, which leaves me with a single question in my mind would life seize to exist the day I wake up without electricity?
