TECH - 4010 Assessing Technology – Module 1
Week 1 – Module 1 Introduction
Welcome to the first Module.
Assessing the implementation of a new technology is an activity that we have all been involved
at some stages in our lives and possibly conduct on a daily basis. Technology changes our lives
in our personal, work and social environments. We surround ourselves with new technologies
every day to enhance and improve our way of life. Technologies such as the latest smart phone
technology, wireless internet, a new type of dishwashing detergent for cleaner glasses or even
new grass seeds we place on our lawn that are weather retardant are all new technologies that
we might assess and implement in our personal environment.
Implementing new technologies in the work environment can also be for a number of reasons.
New technologies are required to maintain a competitive edge, increase revenue or to improve
operational efficiency. New technologies are being implemented at a rapid pace into our society
as well such as social media, the internet, green energy and even new recycling programs.
Whenever a new technology is implemented, there is corresponding impact resulting from the
change they introduce to our surrounding environment, be it social, personal or work. Some
impacts are good and provide a positive result, whether it optimizes your work processes,
increases revenue or cleans those cloudy drinking glasses better and/or faster. Some impacts
are negative and may have the opposite effects you were trying to accomplish, making you less
efficient at work, reducing company revenue or making your drinking glasses cloudier than
ever. We have all experienced the negative impacts of technology in our lives by the decisions
we have made. Regardless of the impact, once new technologies are implemented they have to
be managed by someone (you) and will affect work, society or personal environments.
The key to implementing any new technology is ultimately achieving the desired result we
want from its adaptation. Therefore assessing technology before they are implemented is
critical in the implementation process. Technology assessment is a process and one that can be
applied to any technology regardless of industry or its application. Before one can embark on
the how to conduct a technology assessment, we must first understand the what and why. What
is a technology, what drives technology innovation and why does one want to implement a new
technology?
As mentioned, technology assessment is a vast and complicated process. This course and
material will focus towards the technology managers as the primary audience. The processes
talked about in this course can be applied to any situation, however for the purpose of this
course, it will focus purely around implementing technology in an industry setting and the
towards the technology managers who ultimately manage the technology.
This module is broken into two lessons and focuses on the fundamentals of technology. Lesson
1 focuses on the what of technology assessments. This lesson will discuss definitions of what
technology is and introduce the principles around technology innovation and how this drives
technology. Lesson 2 then focuses on the why of technology assessments. Lesson 2 will
introduce you to the Strategic Management of technology and how this relates to the ultimate
positioning of technology to meet the strategic goals and objectives of an organization. You as
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TECH - 4010 Assessing Technology – Module 1
technology managers must have a clear vision of where your technologies strategically fit
within your work environment. Technology assessment must have a reason for being
conducted, understanding why they are required and how they fit into an organization is crucial
before any assessment or selection of technology can occur.
The later modules in the course will then focus on the how.
Course readings for this module will be covered by reading the posted notes within the course
shell, Chapters 1 and 3 of the optional text book, articles, and online videos. At the end of the
module, students will be required to produce a memo indicating a technology to assess and
several discussion questions. Each student is required to post a response to all discussion
questions and to reply to at least one other student’s post.
Also there is more information on the memo the students are required to complete within the
course shell.
Module 1: Lesson Plan
Week 1:
➢ Introduction of instructor and students
➢ Introduction of the course evaluation
➢ Introduction of module 1 of the course
Week 2:
➢ Lesson 1 Technology and Innovation (Course notes and indicated articles, optional
Chapter 1 from Braun)
➢ Complete all discussions assigned by the instructor for module 1
Week 3:
➢ Lesson 2 Strategic Management of Technology (Course notes and indicated articles,
optional Chapter 3 from Braun)
➢ Complete all discussions assigned by the instructor for module 2
➢ Module 1 Assignment: Selection of a Technology to Assess (Memo assignment worth
10%)
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TECH - 4010 Assessing Technology – Module 1
Week 2 – Lesson 1 –Technology and Innovation
Welcome to lesson one.
Technology Managers are the heart to managing technologies within industry.
Implementing new technologies can be an interesting and challenging part of a technology
manager’s position and an important aspect of an organization’s success. New technologies are
implemented through a number of mechanisms, generally delivered as a result of projects, and
managed through formal Project Management. Assessing technologies prior to their
implementation is a very important stage that generally occurs within an organization before
adopting any new technology. Any project that implements a new technology has normally
been through some form of technology assessment.
Most organizations have a very formal technology delivery process that usually includes;
inception, assessment, delivery, management, and then disposal/replacement (as per figure 1,
below). Delivery of new technologies is an iterative processes within an organization and one
which technology managers are closely involved with through all stages. Engineers,
programmers and scientists develop new technologies, however you as a technology manager
are involved in all stages of the process to implement new technologies from their inception to
their disposal.
Figure 1 –Technology Delivery Process
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TECH - 4010 Assessing Technology – Module 1
The function of technology management is often overlooked once technologies are
implemented. Too often organizations place too much time focused on the implementation of
technologies rather than their management. It is not until technology is actually implemented
before an organization can actually understand its benefit or the economic value. Therefore the
role of the technology manager is extremely important within any organization, to ensure these
values can be realized. It is important the Technology Manager understand the importance of
the technology assessment process and understand its importance in all stages of the technology
delivery process.
Braun explains the importance of Technology Manager’s at the onset of his book. He
differentiates the role of Engineers/Scientists to Technology Managers giving a clear line in the
sand.
Engineer's/Scientist's design, develop technologies to give an organization the opportunity to
benefit from a technology, while the technology manager’s role is based around reaping the
benefits of a technology and to realize the benefits of a technology. You as a technology
manager are the engine driving the use of technology, therefore understanding all aspects of
what technology is and how it is implemented is critical to any organization.
Defining Technology: Before one starts to delve into understanding what technology
assessments are and the processes behind them, it is important to understand and define what
technology actually is and what drives technology. The majority of us tend to think we
understand what technology is. We instantly think of products such as new smart phones,
tablets, flat screen TVs and/or the internet.
These are technologies; however technology is a very broad field and encompasses a vast
amount of different products, processes and solutions. The more one understands what
technology is and what drives technology development, the more one realizes most people do
not understand what technology is. Defining technology enables you to set boundaries that will
allow you to conduct an assessment and broaden your understanding of where technology fits
into this vast field. Whether the technology is a product from a manufacturing process or it is
new technology used in the manufacturing process.
There are many definitions of what technology is. A definition of technology among academic
critics is, according to Bush:
“Technology is a form of human cultural activity that applies the principles of
science and mechanics to the solution of problems. It includes the resources,
tools, processes, personnel, and systems developed to perform tasks and create
immediate particular, and personal and/or competitive advantages in a given
ecological, economic, and social context.”
Bush, C. L. (1981). Taking hold of technology: Topic guide for 1981–1983.
Washington, DC: American Association of University Women.
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TECH - 4010 Assessing Technology – Module 1
Braun's definition of technology is broader, and he states that:
“technology is the way and means by which humans produce purposeful material
artifacts and effects”
or
“the material artifacts used to achieve some practical human purpose and
knowledge needed to produce and operate such artifacts”.
Braun’s definitions initially seem a little confusing, however, this course will help you
understand Braun’s perspective of what technology is.
Technology Innovation: One truth about technology, is that it is constantly changing. Braun
discusses two major forces driving technology towards change; improvement (as nothing is
perfect) and economic. The two directions for technology changes are for improved
performance or meeting the ever the increasing strive for excellence by humans.
As a technology manager, you must maintain your knowledge of the latest innovations in your
field of expertise. Maintaining this knowledge ensures your technologies are optimized for the
organization’s needs and that if you are assessing new technologies you are up to date with the
latest technology trends.
Braun also states that Freeman and Perez (1988) have identified there are four basic forms, or
classifications, of technological innovation. These classifications of innovation include:
incremental innovations; radical innovations; technology system innovations; and the technoeconomic paradigm. Incremental innovations are innovations in products or process that
consists of relatively small changes in the technology and are usually considered as a re-design
of and existing technology. Radical innovations, however, consists of greater leaps in the
product or process technology and usually are the result of research and development (R&D).
Even larger innovative changes in technology that can cause managerial and organization
change is referred to as a technology system innovations. Finally, extremely larger changes in
technology that can affect entire economies is called the techno-economic paradigm
innovations.
You can read more on what Freeman and Perez had to say on the various form of innovations
by clicking on the link below, or by accessing the article under the “Freeman and Perez
Article” link within the Module 1 course material. When you are finished reading this article,
try to determine your own examples of for each form of innovation discussed.
Freeman and Perez article
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TECH - 4010 Assessing Technology – Module 1
Week 3 – Lesson 2 – Strategic Management of Technology
Welcome to lesson two.
The late Peter Drucker (1909 – 2005) who is recognized widely as the Father of Modern
Management had many insightful ideas and concepts of business and its role as an institution of
society. He held that managers are the basic resource of the organization, and a primary
function and responsibility of management is strategic planning. One area that Drucker did not
focus too much on was the role of technology and technology managers have in an organization
to support and achieve their strategic goals and objectives.
There are two main elements of an organization’s Strategy, Strategic Planning and the Strategic
Plan document.
Strategic planning is an organizational management activity that is used to set priorities, focus
energy and resources, strengthen operations, ensure that employees and other stakeholders are
working toward common goals, establish agreement around intended outcomes/results, and
assess and adjust the organization's direction in response to a changing environment. It is a
disciplined effort that produces fundamental decisions and actions that shape and guide what an
organization is, who it serves, what it does, and why it does it, with a focus on the future.
Effective strategic planning articulates not only where an organization is going and the actions
needed to make progress, but also how it will know if it is successful.
The strategic plan is a result of the strategic planning activity and a core document for an
organization’s focus to make business decisions and provide direction to employees. It is also
the CEO’s (or equivalent executives) tool to communicate the organization mission, values and
long term objectives/goals. The strategic plan not only comprises of a company's mission,
values, goals and objectives, it also lays out a broad plan of where the current organization is
and where it wants to go. The plan also provides a detailed action plan, how to achieve the
goals and the resources assigned to the plan.
Management tends to overlook the importance Technology Managers have in the Strategic
Planning process and place their importance on assuming the relevant technology will be
implemented as part of the Strategic Plan. Technology Managers are crucial not only in the
delivery and support of technology, but during the entire Strategic Planning process (and the
plan itself).
Most forward thinking companies assign a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) as the primary
Technology Manager responsible for laying out a Technology strategy/plan to deliver the
technology requirements of a Strategic Plan. Technology assessment becomes part of the
strategic planning process and of the implementation of an organization's strategy. The
Technology Manager must fully understand their role of implementing and assessing
technologies to fulfill the strategic objectives of their organization. Technology assessment is
the vehicle to deliver technologies for a company's strategic plan. The importance of this
activity and its relationship to an organization’s Strategy is key for success in any company
regardless of industry.
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TECH - 4010 Assessing Technology – Module 1
Strategic Management of Technology is concerned with the management of technology to fit
within the Strategic Plan. This is a very vast subject and will be discussed in more detail
throughout the required course reading. More information on the Strategic Plan and the role
technology and the technology manager have in the process will be covered in the course
textbook.
The following article explains the key concepts in strategic management; strategic vision,
objectives, strategy formulation, strategy implementation, evaluation and initiating corrective
action. This article should better prepare the student in completing assignment 1.
The Importance of Strategic Management to Business Organizations by Julius Tapera
Assignment 1:
You now have the required information to complete the first assignment, the memo
assignment. Please refer to the course calendar/course plan to determine the due date for
assignment 1 and refer to the marking rubric to ensure all components of this assessment are
completed before you pass in the assignment.
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