The Case of the Omniscient Organization

Case Analysis The Case of the all-knowing Organization Introduction In this elusion study, Dominion-Swann (DS) has implemented a radical restructuring of the bend environs in suppose to recoup control of its employees. By 1990, DS had been distraint from a number of melody woes. It was not keeping pace with its competition, employee turnover had increase substantially, health costs and work-related accidents were rising, and employee theft was at an all-time high. Instead of identifying and addressing the underlying business and sellment problems, DS decided to direct the symptoms by turning to SciexPlan Inc. o jock radically restructure the work purlieu with the use of employee manageing applied science. oscilloscope DS has adeptified its work purlieu restructuring based on past failures earlier than future goals for success. The company has stoold a form to compile a comprehensive database of selective education on both employee. DS overly monitors its employees in all expressions of their job, subjecting them to constant evaluation and productivity tests. The massive kernel of reading collected on each employee is suppositional to forfeit DS to objectively manage personnel and project job assignments that fork out the greatest efficiency.Instead, DS has created an im individualized supervise, supervision, and detective work brass knowing to lay traps for employees and word form their behavior without any managerial effort. job Statement Has DS become so consumed with its radical restructuring of the work environment that it has prioritized technology and control over the welf ar, creativity, and productivity of its great deal? Analysis and Issues Digital technology has do an undeniably profound impact, both plus and negative, on the study. When implemented properly, the benefits of this impact sess include increased productivity, improved safety, fail working onditions, and enhanced communications in the mi dst of employees, management, and customers. However, an exceedingly obsessive employee observe system result create tedious and nerve-racking working conditions, loss of employee cover, and fear which bequeath result in reduced levels of creativity and productivity. By implementing an overly zealous system for employee monitoring, DS is significantly aggravating the accent that exists in the midst of surveillance technology and employee screen concerns. DS wants to monitor employees in order to reward effort, knowledge, productivity, and success while eliminating idleness, ignorance, theft, and failure.Instead, it is treating its actors exchange satisfactory pieces of equipment rather than unique and valuable individuals. DS has basically transformed the workplace into an all-inclusive electronic prison where nearly all aspect of an employees behavior is monitored. The DS managers who monitor every move that employees make are accomplishing efficiency objectives at a larg e cost. Monitoring and surveillance can create a high stress environment for employees that can lead to physiological and mental stress-related illnesses. Covert surveillance at DS will do nothing that increase fears, anxieties, and distrust among employees.The im individual(prenominal) aspect of technological surveillance diminishes employees concepts of their value, contribution, and self-importance-worth. The all-encompassing surveillance implemented by DS will destroy any hope for employees to make decisions and act autonomously. Autonomy is a particular component to on-the-job independence that maximizes worker esprit de corps. Although DS has justification for some fare of employee monitoring in order to successfully evaluate employee doing, it has taken employee surveillance to the heyday where it will adversely affect productivity.When employees do not feel that they are trusted, their appetite to perform well is less(prenominal)ened. The employee screening movement DS has implemented brings up extra concealment concerns. Any investigation of employee activities and tarradiddle outside of the workplace is an extremely mass medium and potentially litigious issue. DS is entirely justified in intruding into its employees personal lives when it involves mis exonerate or illegal activity.Off-duty conduct may be relevant to troth if the misconduct negatively impacts the employees work carrying into action or the companys mission. However, the systematic monitoring use by DS raises serious privacy concerns. Monitoring all employees activities, rather than just the activities of employees under suspicion of specific misconduct, constitutes a blanket search that brings enormous privacy concerns. Recommendations DS would be better run into with no employee monitoring rather than scrutinizing its employees every move.Once the employee monitoring creates a morale problem, all of the value it has created will be diminished. If DS is to continue wi th employee monitoring systems, it moldiness create and clearly communicate a monitoring policy for employees. DS postulate to start with human-oriented policies, then use technology to enforce them. As it stands right now, DS is exerting too much power in its invasion of employee privacy in the workplace. DS is exploiting the lack of regulation in this region in order to implement extremely invasive methods of employee surveillance.Until employees are protected by regulation to protect their rights to privacy in the workplace, DS should assume responsibility to self regulate by limiting the amount of surveillance, implementing it only when it achieves specific goals for success. Monitoring should be conducted only for business purposes, and this essential be communicated to the employees. In order to throttle foul its employee monitoring system to a tenable level, DS should review and apply the suggested rights stipulation by the American Civil Liberties legal jointure (ACLU ).To establish a reasonable border on and prevent abuses, DS should adopt a human-oriented policy that includes the following features * notice to employees of the companys electronic monitoring practices * use of a auspicate to let an employee know when he or she is being monitored * employee access to all personal electronic data collected through monitoring * no monitoring of areas designed for the health or comfort of employees * the right to dispute and delete inaccurate data a ban on the sight of data unrelated to work performance * restrictions on the disclosure of personal data to others without the employees consent (American Civil Liberties Union, 1997). DS should overly consider whether or not monitoring is truly necessary for performance evaluations. DS does not need to watch an employees every move to be able to judge the quality of his or her work. mathematical process monitoring should be far less of a concern than an employees superpower to complete tasks and co nsistently meet deadlines. DS should involve its employees on the decisions regarding when, how and why electronic monitoring needs to takes place. Most significantly of all, DS must allow employees to inspect, challenge, and, when necessary, adjust the data gathered or so them or their performance. Conclusion/SummaryDS must strike a balance between its business interests and its employees privacy interests. This balance should allow for surveillance under certain check conditions, and utilize less intrusive approaches. Although it is marvelous that DS would completely discontinue its monitoring practice, at a minimum DS should continue to fully inform its employees about all surveillance tools being utilize in their workplace and provided them with clear information as to what management does with the data.References Pedeliski, Theodore B. (1997). Privacy and the workplace Technology and public employment. Public force out Management. December 22, 1997. Shoppes, Mia. (2003). E mployee monitoring Is big chum salmon a bad idea. Information bail Magazine. Dec. 9, 2003. American Civil Liberties Union. (1997). Privacy in America Electronic monitoring. Retrieved from http//www. aclu. org/technology-and-liberty/privacy-america-electronic-monitoring