Do Technological Tools Really Improve Efficiency?

Scores of books and articles have been writtenthere are both benefits and detriments. The
about new technology, making the most of yourmanufacturers, advertisers, and dealers are adept at
on-line time, and how to not get left in the dust by allhelping you focus on the benefits--especially in the
of the techno-twits that populate the cosmos.rare case that you happen to become one of the
Contrary to most advice, the only time you have toworld's expert users of the system they offer. How
adopt a new tool or technological device is when: (1)often, however, do you read about the downside of
your organization or boss requires it, (2) your clientsacquiring new tools and technology?
or constituents already use the technology, or (3)Consider the car phone: If you're the parent of two
you would gain a strategic competitive advantage bychildren, it can give you great comfort to call them
doing so.via car phone after school. Car phones can indeed be
I discovered the latter by talking with industry gurus,wonderful tools. Some models respond to you by
reading objective commentary on new technology,voice, confirming which key was compressed, or
and staying alert and open to new possibilities.what option you've engaged. The newest models
Personally, I always let a younger person handle anyoffer voice commands that enable you to "Call Joe
technology issues I face--Smith," "Call home," "Answer the phone," or "Hang up
24-year-olds tend to know the latest devices like thethe phone."
back of their hands.Some car phones have built-in fax and data
It is easy to get caught in the trap of acquiring somecommunications that allow for transmissions from
new tool of technology far in advance of your abilityyour car. Some car phones connect to your horn,
to use it, let alone benefit from it. In the mid to earlyproviding a security feature. Others allow for
1980s, IBM, Apple, Tandy, Atari and other personalemergency dialing. Most have some type of
computer manufacturers launched vigorousanti-theft alarm. Some will dial your home or office
campaigns to convince you, and everyone you know,when an intruder tries to make a call!
that buying a computer was essential to yourCellular phone hardware comes with a variety of
livelihood. Though they would soon be correct, theyfeatures: various levels of volume control or the
made it seem as if computers were essential to youroption to engage different rings. A growing number
career years before they actually were.offer wider display screens, brightly lit-up for easy
Promises, Promisesuse at night, speed dialing, speed re-dialing, and
IBM featured a Charlie Chaplinesque character sittingone-touch dialing.
at a keyboard, effortlessly punching in a few stokes,What's the Downside?
while the computer took the drudgery out of runningWhen you place a car phone in your automobile, you
a business. The advertisements conveyed the imagemay add a number of undesirable aspects to your
that once you bought a PC, it would take next tolife:
nothing to plug in, get it up and running, and use a* The ability of anyone to reach you at any time
variety of software to instantly increase your* Disturbance of one of the last sanctuaries that you
efficiency as a manager.had
Today you wouldn't think of doing a job without* Changing your brochures and business cards to
your PC. Yet, I bet you can't think of a single dayreflect your car phone's number
when you sat at the keyboard, tapped a few keys,* The potential for driving less safely
and had your department or business "running itself."* Added expense as you engage in unnecessary
In 1995, the powers that be perpetrated new mythsconversations
through mass-advertising by suggesting that getting* The new-found annoying habit of making one extra
on-line, and tapping onto the Internet was the be-allcall before reaching destinations -- to make sure that
and end-all. While there's no denying the awesomeplans haven't changed
power of on-line information and communication* Heightened insecurity and anxiety
services, it's important to keep things in balance.* Another invoice to examine at the end of the
"Driven by our obsession to compete, we'vemonth, and another check to write
embraced the electronic god with a frenzy," says Bill* Involuntarily opening up your perceptions to notice
Henderson, leader of the Lead Pencil Club. "Soon,other ads about other cellular phone systems
blessed with the facts, voice, and email, computer* The annoying feeling that your system is
hook-ups and TVS with hundreds of channels, weinsufficient and maybe that you need more range,
won't have to leave our lonely rooms--not to write amore power, less cost per call
check, work, visit, shop, exercise, or make love. WeIt seems paradoxical that a device created to make
will have raced at incredible speeds to reach our finalyou more efficient and save you time holds an equal
destination--nothing."potential for doing the opposite. The following is a
Perhaps he's a little emphatic, but look around yourgripping view of why this happens.
office and your home. Have you been caught in theThe Revenge Effect
trap of gathering information or acquiring an item far"The Revenge Effect is the curious way the world
in advance of your ability to use it? Have you boughthas of getting even, defeating our best efforts to
any technological items in the last two years thatspeed it up and otherwise improve it," says
have largely sat there? Hardware and software,Professor Edward Tenner of Princeton University.
instruction manuals, scanners, additional printers,The failure of technology to solve problems,
adapters, cassettes, videos, CD-ROMS, phoneaccording to Tenner, can often be traced to the
systems, fax machines, on-line connections, or on-lineinteraction between machines and humankind.
products and services?Freeways, intended to speed travel, lead to
Peter Drucker, the noted sage of management,suburbs--urban areas sprawl out instead of up. This
made the observation that for new technology toleads to an increase in commuting times. Because
replace old, it has to have at least "ten times thecomputers make it easy to copy and print files, we
benefit" of its predecessor.copy and print more, and our offices fill with paper.
Technology Time TrapsTenner wonders what "revenge effect" the virtual
All technology holds the potential to either help youworld will have: as virtual communities form, will real
be more efficient, or further slide you into thecities crumble? In mid-1995, five percent of American
morass of the overwhelmed. In his book,households were on-line. What will happen when
Technopoly, Dr. Neil Postman says that with themore than half the country is wired?
introduction of any new technology into your life,