How Technology has changed the Balance between Customization and Standardization
The ever-changing technological landscape has significantly affected the balance between customization and standardization in various aspects. At the outset, organizations have not only been forced to change their patterns of work but also the structure of workgroups, authority, and managerial functions. The phase of technological development has compelled most companies to focus on customization to meet specific industry requirements (Prajogo & Olhager, 2012).
Although customization is accompanied by intense costs and complexities, most manufacturers reveal that standardization limits the potential of entering into new markets. Therefore, the efforts to strike a balance between customized and standardized systems have been thwarted by the urge to satisfy every consumer. Nevertheless, customization is perceived to enhance the value of a product thereby promoting it amongst the customers.
Societal/Technological Changes that will have the Greatest Impact on Education in the Next 5 Years
The dynamic nature of societal and technological changes has been perceived to affect education significantly in the next five years. Particularly, some technologies such as mobile phones, geographic positioning, and touch interfaces will potentially develop and add great value to educational programs. Other technological trends that are under development will probably create a perfect teaching and learning environments.
For instance, in the wake of iCloud computing, there will be possible budget cuts and reduction of physical classrooms. The changing societal connections due to the development of shared networks such as Facebook and Twitter among others have made the world increasingly interconnected (Prajogo & Olhager, 2012). Perhaps, students and faculties existing in diverse geographic positions will associate virtually in the near future. The Google Inc. will also release its R&D Top Secret Research Lab in the next one year. This trending feature will have a great influence on both informal and formal education in the next five years.
The Role of the Top Management in engaging the entire Organization to buy into Large-Scale Change
The top management in any organization plays a vital role in the implementation of change. At the outset, the top management should recognize and address the impact of change on the concerned stakeholders. This objective is realized by identifying the nature and scale of the impending organizational change. Besides, the managers should mobilize the organization to possess and hasten the change process. Therefore, the initiative should be introduced to the employees with a view of conducting its implementation as a team (Kerzner, 2013). Furthermore, the top management should embed the change in the fabric of the organization while exemplifying a great sense of devoted leadership, obligation, and attention to the implementation goals.
Events happening in the World Today and their Effects on what we do in the next Three Years
Various events happening in the contemporary world will greatly affect what we do in the next three years. For instance, there are certain limits to the performance of current technology due to the perceived rate of innovation that can lead to its obsoleteness. This situation will drive organizations into the implementation of new forms of technology that will match the future needs of consumers.
The future of technology and science is incomprehensively astounding owing to the increasing rate of innovation. User interface and interaction technologies are continually transforming market competition, mergers, and closures. Visual info-gratification has enabled consumers around the world to gain access to information regardless of their geographical positions. This technology will significantly affect the competition and mergers amongst players in various industries. However, this situation will depend on the adoption of new technology in the organizations (Kerzner, 2013).
The manufacturing capability and scalability of new technology show that organizations are focused on addressing the economic climate and changing needs amongst the consumers (Kerzner, 2013). However, the development of reconfigurable production systems has increased the development of more reliable control mechanisms to ensure optimal capacity scheduling in organizations.
Reference List
Kerzner, H. R. (2013). Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons.
Prajogo, D., & Olhager, J. (2012). Supply Chain Integration and Performance: The Effects of Long-Term Relationships, Information Technology and Sharing, and Logistics Integration. International Journal of Production Economics, 135(1), 514-522.