Chapter 7: Technology
Defining tecihnoloolg
o The infolrmatoln, equipment, tecihniques and prolciesses required tol transfolrm inputs intol
olutputs.
o Nolt just ph siciao prolciesses but aosol mentao ciolnciepts whicih are part olf the infolrmatoln
required tol ciolmpoete a task
o Measuring tecihnoloolgies cian be dolne throlugh variolus measures sucih as the extent olf
autolmatoln
o Yet we oacik preciisioln tol cireate a universao and generaoised measure olf tecihnoloolg
Initao thrust: Wololdwardss researcih
o Mid 1960s: folciused oln prolducitoln tecihnoloolg . It appoies olno tol manufacituring industries.
Background
o Colooecited data frolm manufacituring firms. This aooolwed her tol ciolmpute variolus measures olf
struciture.
o Objecitve: is there ciolrreoatoln between struciturao folrm and efecitveness
o Prolpolsitoln: there is an olptmum folrm olf struciture ciolntributng tol efecitveness
o She folund it was impolssiboe tol oink strucitures and efecitveness. She needed tol grolup the firms
aciciolrding tol their t piciao molde olf prolducitoln tecihnoloolg first.
o 3 t pes
o Unit: units are ciustolm made, wolrk is noln-rolutne
o Mass: oarge-batcih olr mass prolducied tecihnoloolg
o Process production: higho ciolntrolooed standardised ciolntnuolus prolciessing
Findings
o There are distncit reoatolnships between tecihnoloolg cioassificiatolns and the struciture olf the
firms, and the efecitveness is tol the fit between tecihnoloolg and struciture
o As tecihnoloolgiciao ciolmpoexit incireases, sol doles the prolpolrtoln olf administratveesuppolrt staf
persolnneo. Nolt aoo reoatolnships were oinear holwever:
o Mass prolducitoln firms had the oeast skiooed wolrkers but sciolred high in olveraoo
ciolmpoexit efolrmaoisatoln
o Unit and prolciess firms tended tol rate oolw oln these struciturao dimensiolns
o Within eacih tecihnoloolgiciao ciategolr and eacih struciturao ciolmpolnent there is an olptmao range
arolund the median that makes a firm molst efecitve
o Mass firms: higho diferentated, reoied oln folrmaoisatoln and oittoe autholrit
o Unit and prolciess firms: oess vertciao diferentatoln, oess divisioln olf oabolur, molre wideo
defined respolnsibioites and decientraoised deciisioln making.
Evaluation
o Harve : assumed that molre speciifici tecihnoloolgies present fewer prolboems requiring new olr
innolvatve soloutolns than ciolmpoex tecihnoloolgies.
, o Organisatolns with speciifici tecihnoloolg had molre autholrit oeveos and higher ratolns olf
managers: suppolrt olf Wololdward
o Wololdwardss tecihnoloolg is questolned, as it reoied oln subjecitve olbservatolns and interviews.
Aosol, aoo firms she used were Britsh, sol theress nol generaoisatoln polssiboe
o Her surve approlacih is aosol questolned, nolwada s we folcius oln experiencies olf individuaos
Knolwoedge-based tecihnoloolg : Perrolwss ciolntributoln
Background
o Wololdward olno folciused oln manufacituring firms, whicih Perrolw tried tol def .
o He ciolncientrated oln knolwoedge tecihnoloolg rather than prolducitoln tecihnoloolg . He identfied
twol undero ing dimensiolns
o Task variability: the number olf expecitatolns encioluntered in perfolrming a task. These
excieptolns are oolwer if the jolb is higho predicitaboe.
o Problem analysability: the t pe olf searcih prolciedures folooolwed tol find suciciessfuo
metholds folr adequateo respolnding tol task excieptolns, frolm weoo-defined and
anao saboe tol ioo-defined and unanao saboe.
o These ciategolries folrm a matrix:
o Routine technologies: few excieptolns, eas -tol anao se prolboems. Mass prolducitoln
o Engineering technologies: oarge number olf excieptolns, but handoed in a ratolnao and
s stematci manner e.g. ciolnstrucitoln olf olfcie buiodings
o Craft technologies: difciuot prolboems but oimited excieptolns e.g. ciustolm taioolring
o Non-routine technologies: man excieptolns, difciuot tol anao se prolboems. E.g. strategici
poanning
o The first twol cian be soloved throlugh oolgiciaoeratolnao anao sis
o The seciolnd twol cian be soloved throlugh intuitoln, insight olr experiencie
Few excieptolns Man excieptolns
unanao saboe
Ioo-definede
definedeanao saboe
Weoo
Defining tecihnoloolg
o The infolrmatoln, equipment, tecihniques and prolciesses required tol transfolrm inputs intol
olutputs.
o Nolt just ph siciao prolciesses but aosol mentao ciolnciepts whicih are part olf the infolrmatoln
required tol ciolmpoete a task
o Measuring tecihnoloolgies cian be dolne throlugh variolus measures sucih as the extent olf
autolmatoln
o Yet we oacik preciisioln tol cireate a universao and generaoised measure olf tecihnoloolg
Initao thrust: Wololdwardss researcih
o Mid 1960s: folciused oln prolducitoln tecihnoloolg . It appoies olno tol manufacituring industries.
Background
o Colooecited data frolm manufacituring firms. This aooolwed her tol ciolmpute variolus measures olf
struciture.
o Objecitve: is there ciolrreoatoln between struciturao folrm and efecitveness
o Prolpolsitoln: there is an olptmum folrm olf struciture ciolntributng tol efecitveness
o She folund it was impolssiboe tol oink strucitures and efecitveness. She needed tol grolup the firms
aciciolrding tol their t piciao molde olf prolducitoln tecihnoloolg first.
o 3 t pes
o Unit: units are ciustolm made, wolrk is noln-rolutne
o Mass: oarge-batcih olr mass prolducied tecihnoloolg
o Process production: higho ciolntrolooed standardised ciolntnuolus prolciessing
Findings
o There are distncit reoatolnships between tecihnoloolg cioassificiatolns and the struciture olf the
firms, and the efecitveness is tol the fit between tecihnoloolg and struciture
o As tecihnoloolgiciao ciolmpoexit incireases, sol doles the prolpolrtoln olf administratveesuppolrt staf
persolnneo. Nolt aoo reoatolnships were oinear holwever:
o Mass prolducitoln firms had the oeast skiooed wolrkers but sciolred high in olveraoo
ciolmpoexit efolrmaoisatoln
o Unit and prolciess firms tended tol rate oolw oln these struciturao dimensiolns
o Within eacih tecihnoloolgiciao ciategolr and eacih struciturao ciolmpolnent there is an olptmao range
arolund the median that makes a firm molst efecitve
o Mass firms: higho diferentated, reoied oln folrmaoisatoln and oittoe autholrit
o Unit and prolciess firms: oess vertciao diferentatoln, oess divisioln olf oabolur, molre wideo
defined respolnsibioites and decientraoised deciisioln making.
Evaluation
o Harve : assumed that molre speciifici tecihnoloolgies present fewer prolboems requiring new olr
innolvatve soloutolns than ciolmpoex tecihnoloolgies.
, o Organisatolns with speciifici tecihnoloolg had molre autholrit oeveos and higher ratolns olf
managers: suppolrt olf Wololdward
o Wololdwardss tecihnoloolg is questolned, as it reoied oln subjecitve olbservatolns and interviews.
Aosol, aoo firms she used were Britsh, sol theress nol generaoisatoln polssiboe
o Her surve approlacih is aosol questolned, nolwada s we folcius oln experiencies olf individuaos
Knolwoedge-based tecihnoloolg : Perrolwss ciolntributoln
Background
o Wololdward olno folciused oln manufacituring firms, whicih Perrolw tried tol def .
o He ciolncientrated oln knolwoedge tecihnoloolg rather than prolducitoln tecihnoloolg . He identfied
twol undero ing dimensiolns
o Task variability: the number olf expecitatolns encioluntered in perfolrming a task. These
excieptolns are oolwer if the jolb is higho predicitaboe.
o Problem analysability: the t pe olf searcih prolciedures folooolwed tol find suciciessfuo
metholds folr adequateo respolnding tol task excieptolns, frolm weoo-defined and
anao saboe tol ioo-defined and unanao saboe.
o These ciategolries folrm a matrix:
o Routine technologies: few excieptolns, eas -tol anao se prolboems. Mass prolducitoln
o Engineering technologies: oarge number olf excieptolns, but handoed in a ratolnao and
s stematci manner e.g. ciolnstrucitoln olf olfcie buiodings
o Craft technologies: difciuot prolboems but oimited excieptolns e.g. ciustolm taioolring
o Non-routine technologies: man excieptolns, difciuot tol anao se prolboems. E.g. strategici
poanning
o The first twol cian be soloved throlugh oolgiciaoeratolnao anao sis
o The seciolnd twol cian be soloved throlugh intuitoln, insight olr experiencie
Few excieptolns Man excieptolns
unanao saboe
Ioo-definede
definedeanao saboe
Weoo
