How and In What Ways Information Technology Has Changed How We Essay

How and In What Ways Information Technology Has Changed How We Collaborate - Essay Example Information technology, which is a core element of information, has influenced many aspects of organizations. First, the adoption of IT has led to changes in the organizational structures. The organizational structure refers to the arrangement of authority and communication relationships as well as a workflow in an organization (Kirst-Ashman & Hull, 2008; Golembiewski, 2000). The type of organizational structure influences the level and nature of collaboration in the organization. Hierarchical organizational structures limit collaboration because they tend to focus on top-down collaborations. However, flat organizational structures enhance collaboration across the organization because people from different levels or different departments within the same level can communicate easily. The integration of IT into organizations has influenced the transformation of organizational structures from the hierarchical structures that prevailed before the development of IT to flat organizational structures with little hierarchical levels. Therefore, with the adoption of IT, the barriers to communication and collaboration that existed in organizations because of the hierarchical structure were eliminated or reduced. Organizations that have adopted IT have increasingly reduced the hierarchical levels in favor of flat structures. In a flat organization, people working in the different departments can easily communicate without having to follow the strict hierarchical and bureaucratic systems of communication and authority.