HR Analytics and Digital Transformation PDF

HR Analytics and Digital Transformation Luca Pareschi Università di Roma Tor Vergata a.a. 2024/2025 Week 1 TECHNOLOGY AS A THEME IN ORGANIZATION STUDIES 2  Technology and OS The chapter explores technology's role within organizat...

HR Analytics and Digital Transformation Luca Pareschi Università di Roma Tor Vergata a.a. 2024/2025 Week 1 TECHNOLOGY AS A THEME IN ORGANIZATION STUDIES 2  Technology and OS The chapter explores technology's role within organization studies. It traces developments in organization theory, linking these to various forms of technology. Initially, organization studies were closely aligned with technical sciences and engineering. Over time, focus shifted away from technology to soft skills. A new vocabulary is needed to integrate technology into organizational studies while preserving the field's evolved insights. "Technology" has been interpreted in multiple ways: As practices and rationalities of governing. As conventional technological artifacts. The chapter examines classical approaches to technology in organizations as a foundation for analyzing digital organizing. It connects studies of current digital technologies with the field of organization studies. 3 Technology and OS 4 Scientific Management – Organization Studies as a technical science Frederick Taylor: rigid division of labour between workers, measure and standardization of tasks Management as an efficient science, close to engineering Ford Pitfall: the possible alienation of workers (i.e. Modern Times) 5  The Human relations school – the human factor Until the 1930s, classical organization theory was led by two main perspectives: scientific management and Max Weber’s bureaucratic organization as a rational and ethical form of organization. Both perspectives emphasized formal structures and command hierarchies. The Human Relations School challenged classical organization theory by focusing on organic structures and sociopsychological processes. This shift introduced the "human factor" in organizational studies, examining worker behavior beyond technical aspects, through the Hawthorne Works experiments (1927–1932). Informal relationships and social dynamics within work groups significantly influenced productivity, more than wages or technical conditions. These findings moved organization studies away from technical emphasis and toward human-centered research, downplaying the importance of technology. 6  Woodward – technology takes center stage Joan Woodward reintroduced the theme of technology into organization studies in the 1950s, beginning with empirical testing of management theories in search of a "best way of organizing" but found no single efficient structure. By focusing on the firms’ core production technologies, Woodward identified a pattern linking production systems to organizational structure: organizational structure should align with production technology She categorized firms based on production technology: 1) Unit and small-batch firms, 2) Large-batch and mass-production firms (e.g., car manufacturers), and 3) Process production firms Similar production technologies led to similar structures, and there is a best way of organizing Woodward also proposed prescriptive indications: – Small-batch firms: Development was critical. – Large-batch firms: Production was critical. – Process firms: Marketing was critical. Woodward’s insights on technology-structure alignment profoundly impacted organization studies and put tech at the center of the stage 7  Tavistock Institute – Sociotechnical theory In the 1950s, British scholars from the Tavistock Institute began exploring the interplay between social and technical elements in organizations. A key study by Trist and Bamforth (1951) examined the introduction of the Longwall Method in a Durham coal mine, which mechanized coal extraction tasks. – The previous Hand-Got System allowed miners significant autonomy, fostering "craft pride" and close team bonds. – The Longwall Method, however, reduced worker autonomy, creating specialized roles and larger, impersonal groups. – This shift led to psychological effects such as anxiety, stress, alienation, and unproductive behaviors like absenteeism. The Tavistock researchers emphasized that technology impacts both the technical and sociopsychological aspects of work. "sociotechnical systems“: technology as a combination of technical and social factors, merging Woodward’s focus on technology with the Human Relations School's attention to social dynamics. Sociotechnical systems theory laid the groundwork for the sociomaterial perspective, which suggests an even deeper integration of social and material elements in organizations. 8  Moving towards contingency  Paul Lawrence, Jay Lorsch, and Charles Perrow introduced the concept of contingency theory, that posits that organizational effectiveness depends on fitting internal characteristics to external situational variables.  "Situational variables" include factors like tasks, technology, and environmental conditions, requiring organizations to adapt accordingly.  Contingency theory is likened to a puzzle, where each piece (contingency) must fit together for effective organization.  The theory's core principle, the "fitness hypothesis," suggests that changes in situational variables (e.g., technology) influence structural aspects of organizations, requiring constant adaptation.  The task is therefore to understand how organizations can best adapt to certain circumstances 9  Moving towards contingency  Charles Perrow added a typology of technology based on variability and analyzability, distinguishing routine, craft, engineering, and non-routine technologies.  Contingency theory's principles on variability and analyzability remain relevant, especially with digital organizing, as different types of work processes are examined for technological adaptability.  Through the 1960s and 1970s, there was broad agreement that technology was one of many situational variables affecting organizations.  By the late 1970s, however, consensus began to wane as postmodern critiques emerged, questioning contingency theory's assumptions. 10  Becoming instead of being – Postmodernism  Earlier studies in organization theory focused on static structures and "end- states" rather than “processes”, favoring "being" over "becoming."  In the 1970s-1980s, postmodernism challenged this perspective.  Karl Weick introduced the concept of organizing as a process rather than an organization as a static entity, coining terms like "sensemaking".  Weick argued that organizations are fluid events rather than fixed structures, emphasizing process over structure.  He introduced equivocality in technology, suggesting that new technologies are open to varied interpretations due to their abstract, continuous, and often invisible nature.  Technology as a social construction shaped by organizational and environmental relationships, challenging the idea of technology having inherent characteristics.  The contingency theory consensus was disrupted as postmodern scholars argued that technology’s effects on organizations are context-dependent and non-generalizable.  By the late 1980s, technology as a theme declined in organizational studies  Scholars like Wanda Orlikowski noted this paradox  sociomateriality 11  Technology is back  In the 1980s to early 2000s, organization scholars shifted focus from technology to themes like culture, knowledge, identity, communication, and power.  A new research stream was proposed by scholars interested in technology, focusing on materiality and the social shaping of technology (SST) and actor-network theory (ANT).  SST and ANT scholars viewed technology as emerging from sociomaterial networks and continued a process-oriented approach, aligning with postmodern critiques of grand narratives.  sociomateriality explores the interdependence of humans and non-human elements (e.g., technology and nature) in organizations and emphasizes the material aspects of human existence.  The historical review highlights recurring themes in the study of technology in organizations, providing context for modern discussions of digital organizing.  The next chapter will introduce three perspectives on the relationship between technology and organization, focusing on how they influence each other. 12 Technology and OS