In the current context of technological revolution, research on technology
acceptance is critical. The insights about how organizations successfully implement and
manage the adoption and use of information technology are of a highly practical value.
With globalization and considering the increasing weight of China in world economy, it
is necessary to study IT adoption in non-western cultures and avoid any ethnocentrism
bias. The main aim of this study is to enrich the understanding of IT acceptance in China
and of its impacts both on individual and on organizations. Indeed, most of existing
studies are focusing on the western world. The various impacts of new technologies are
established based on the existing literature on technology acceptance and on culture of IT
management and are divided in 4 categories (intensification of work, stress, blurring of
work/life balance, blurring of source of authority). To understand the last impact, the
blurring of authority, the study is basing itself on the work of the French historian of
ideas and social theorist Michel Foucault and his concept of Bio-power. The study is
based on a quantitative approach with the implementation of a survey on 300 Chinese
workers. Cronbach’s alpha and correlation coefficients were used to validate the model
and the hypotheses, notably to validate the aggregated variable on technology awareness.
Last, this study will draw comparisons between the findings and existing studies, and
discuss practical implications of the results from the stand point of a manager. This study
is linked to Change Management and could be directly used to facilitate the
implementation of a project whose aim is to increase the utilization of new technological
devices in a company.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2. New technology in China : A specific framework
2.1Specificities of Chinese managerial practices
2.1.1 A strong Confucian heritage
2.1.2 Confucian thought and Bio power
2.2 Impact of New Technologies
2.2.1 An intensification of work
2.2.2 An increase in Stress
2.2.3 A blurred frontier between personal and professional life
2.2.4The blurring of sources of Power and Authority
2.3 Differences between China and the West while facing these impacts
2.3.1 The role of Authority
2.3.2 A very fast evolution
2.3.3 A different perception of New Technologies
3. Method
3.1 Sample method
3.2Dataset
3.2.1 population
3.2.2Groups of variables
3.3 Limits of the method
4. Results
4.1 Hypotheses testing
4.1.1 Intensification of work
4.1.2 Increase in stress
4.1.3 Work/life balance
4.1.4 Blurring of sources of Authority
4.2 Recapitulation of hypotheses
4.3 Managerial implication
4.3.1 New technologies to decrease stress
4.3.2 New technologies to increase workload
4.3.3 New technologies to decrease managerial cost
5.Conclusion
6. Appendices
6.1Questionnaire
6.2 Word cloud of “New Technologies”
7. Reference
Research Objective and Scope
This study aims to investigate the impact of new technologies on managerial control procedures within the unique professional environment of China. Specifically, it seeks to understand how modern technological adoption influences employees' working conditions, stress levels, work-life balance, and their perception of authority, while grounding these findings in the sociological concept of Biopower.
- Analysis of IT acceptance and adoption in the context of Chinese non-western cultural norms.
- Exploration of how new technologies blur the boundaries between professional and private life.
- Application of Foucault’s concept of Biopower to understand internalized control in the workplace.
- Quantitative assessment of the impact of new technologies on employee stress and work efficiency.
- Derivation of practical managerial implications for implementing new technology projects in Chinese companies.
Excerpt from the Book
2.2.4The blurring of sources of Power and Authority
The last impact I would like to analyze is the fact that new technologies are not only blurring the distinction between private and professional life but are also blurring the sources of authorities and power. An example among many, the software Salesforce which is used as a CRM software. In this software, there is a function that displays a ranking of the employees that are the most often connected on the software, or who use it the more often. However, there is also a wall of shame for the people who use it less. Here the source of authority behind the reprimand is very hard to identify since it is not even human. This analysis is made automatically by the software, and even if your direct manager can blame you for not using the software enough, he is not the one who is at the origin of the control system. The data is present automatically, and the manager is not responsible for it, he is just a user and not the source of power/authority behind this control mechanism. The data is here, can be sent on internet, and everybody, even people with whom the employee has never spoken or who are working in a different city can analyze his work and tell if they consider him to be efficient or not. For the employee, since this control mechanism is not human-based, but technologically-based, there is very little way of negotiating with it. Especially if the objectives of the employee are indexed to the indicator counting the time he is spending on the software, then his only possibility is to internalize this process of control and to make sure that he spend enough time on it. The user himself is becoming the person in charge of controlling his behavior. The source of authority is more than blurred, it is internalized. The user, who is not able to spot who is directly controlling his activity has to be more careful while doing his tasks, thus he has to control himself more. This phenomenon is precisely a characteristic of the concept of Bio-power that we have seen in the previous paragraph.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: Provides the background on changing working conditions and establishes the research focus on the ambivalent impact of new technologies in China.
2. New technology in China : A specific framework: Explores the intersection of Chinese managerial traditions, such as Confucianism, with the introduction of modern technology.
3. Method: Describes the quantitative research design, including the survey methodology used to collect data in Shanghai.
4. Results: Details the findings of the hypotheses testing, focusing on themes like work intensification, stress, and the blurring of authority.
5.Conclusion: Summarizes the key practical and theoretical takeaways of the study regarding IT acceptance and managerial practices in China.
6. Appendices: Contains the research materials, specifically the survey questionnaire and the keyword analysis of "New Technologies".
7. Reference: Lists the academic literature and sources consulted for this research.
Keywords
Technology acceptance, Change Management, Bio-power, control system, Culture and IT Management, work/life balance, Michel Foucault, China, Confucianism, managerial practices, employee stress, digital transformation, authority, organizational behavior, survey analysis.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The thesis examines how the implementation of new information technologies impacts managerial control procedures, specifically focusing on employees in China and how these changes are perceived.
What are the primary thematic areas?
The study centers on technology adoption, employee stress, the blurred lines between personal and professional life, and the changing nature of organizational authority.
What is the main research question or goal?
The primary goal is to understand the ambivalent impact of new technology on individual Chinese employees and organizations, while analyzing how traditional cultural features influence this adoption.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The author uses a quantitative approach, implementing a survey among 300 Chinese workers in Shanghai, and validates the resulting model using Cronbach’s alpha and correlation coefficients.
What does the main body address?
The main body integrates a literature review on IT management and Foucault’s concept of "Bio-power" with empirical data from a survey to test six specific hypotheses regarding the impacts of technology on the workforce.
How can one describe this work using keywords?
Key terms include Technology acceptance, Change Management, Bio-power, Work-life balance, Chinese culture, and IT management.
How does the concept of "Bio-power" apply to the workplace?
The author uses Foucault’s theory to explain how control mechanisms in software (like automated tracking) lead employees to internalize supervision, making them both the object and the source of their own control.
What did the survey reveal about home-working and guilt?
The study found that female Chinese workers feel more guilt when working from home compared to their male counterparts, and that a job perceived as "interesting" generally decreases this feeling of guilt among men.
What is the managerial implication of using technology for reprimands?
The data suggests that employees who prefer digital communication are also more receptive to receiving reprimands via technological devices, which allows managers to be more efficient in their supervisory roles.
- Quote paper
- Edwin Semmeley (Author), 2014, New Technologies in China. An ambivalent impact on managerial control procedures, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/274774
