Collaborative Overload, Algorithms Need Managers, And Beyond Automation

Collaborative Overload

Discuss about the Collaborative Measures In Organisation.

In the article ‘Collaborative overload’ by Cross, Rebele and Grant, has discussed the situation in the current organizations around the world. The CEOs, Human Resource Managers and other higher authorities are facing numerous problems associated with the employees. First of all, the employees of an organization are the backbone of the company. Secondly, the improvement in the technological sphere is affecting the workplace for which either the employees are leaving their organizations or the management are replacing them with machines in order to cut cost. The chief aim is to increase productivity of the employees so that they can support the measures of the companies as well as complete tasks more perfectly than technology. This particular article discusses the collaboration to be the means to maintain healthy work culture in the companies in one hand and maintain flow of knowledge and resources in the company. All the three article somehow related with employees and impact of proper management skills. Be it a machine, algorithm or human employee all need managers to direct them. Proper guidance is the method to utilize these elements of production of a firm.

This article focuses on the method of collaboration which help the companies to maintain their human resources more profitably. However, in the article ‘Algorithms need managers, too’, Luca, Kleinberg and Mullainathan has analysed the algorithms can successfully predict the future of the companies. The responses of algorithm lead to customers’ satisfaction, quality management and obviously the production and sales. It can help the companies in identifying subtle patterns which the human employees may overlook. Algorithms are capable to generate accurate insights and help managers to make the best decisions. Despite all these assistances there are problems too. As the authors have said, “Algorithms tend to be myopic. They focus on the data at hand—and that data often pertains to short-term outcomes” (Luca, Kleinberg and Mullainathan 2016). This is the reason, the authors support the fact that the managers who use algorithms, need to be more efficient to understand the risks or limitations of these then unlock this highly potential technique.

In the article named Beyond Automation by Davenport and Kirby, discuss another problem that the mangers face while emerging technologies are used and controlled by the human employees of the company. The emerging problem of replacing employees through machine in the workplaces especially in the manufacturing sector and use of artificial intelligence in working as the employees. as the business is becoming more cross cultural the issues among the employees are increasing. In this context, using automation in the workplaces reduce cost as well as other human problems. In this article, the authors have analyzed steps which the people usually follow when a new technology is introduced. According to the authors, machines and human employees need to have coexistence in an organization so that technology can augment human strengths and fill the gap created by the machine knowledge.

Algorithms need managers

As the core article ‘Collaborative overload’ have discussed that employees largely depend on various types of resources. These include personal, social and informative resources. For creating values, the employees use different resources in different ways to solve any problem as well as in completing tasks efficiently. The informational resources are effective which can be recorder and passed from one employee to another, the social resources are based on the personal access to the networks, involve individual’s awareness and position. On the other hand, the personal resources include personal skills a time. Moreover, other resources can be replenished by the personal resources are finite and need more time and energy to acquire. This is the chief fact that create difference among the human employees. Some have a large pool of personal resources and some have less. These latter employees request for help to the highly resources employees which reduce productivity of the assisting people. moreover, the latter employees can again knowledge about one particular issue in other places but they do not spend time in this process rather ask for help from others. These employees asking for help are like those who are described in ‘Beyond Automation’, as those who ‘step aside’ from resources and draw attention on the lacked aspects of a development.

This inequality of knowledge or resources among the employees create pressure on the top collaborators. The employees who possess more knowledge, gradually become the reason of development stagnancy in the organization. This is because everyone depends on them and no work can progress without their interference. This is the reason why these employees feel themselves to be overtaxed. Moreover, the personal resources that they use to ease the process of collaboration by helping other employees remain unnoticed for which they do not get any reward or recognition. This is why they do not feel attached with the organization anymore. The study has found that the top collaborators in an organization are the first people to leave their job. First of all, the pressure of demand from both higher authorities as well as the junior colleagues make them frustrated with their job. On the other hand, in other organization in similar industry, these top collaborators get more recognition and promoted to better designation which help them in attaining success in their desired carrier.

The mangers in order to prevent such assets to leave their organizations take various measures such as proper distribution of resources among the employees, this will help the top collaborators to concentrate on their own tasks rather than helping others and become less productive. In understanding the expectation ad future of the organizations the employees need to have proper training as well as knowledge on various tools. In this matter the article ‘Beyond Automation’ provides great knowledge which is supportive of applying technology in increasing human productivity (Davenport and Kirby 2015).

Beyond Automation

By encouraging the top collaborators to use methods of filtration as well as prioritization of the requests can solve this problem. In this aspect algorithms can be used extensively (Luca, Kleinberg and Mullainathan 2016). Algorithms reduce the efforts of these employees and help to redistribute the works among the potential employees who can successfully replace the efforts of these collaborators. Thus can reduce the stress of these highly resourced employees.

The managers of the organization must allow collaborators to maintain a negative approach so that other employees check alternative ways to complete the tasks. They can apply team collaboration software which help the employees to build strong varieties round their incoming information flow. Moreover, “managers should collocate highly interdependent employees to facilitate brief and impromptu face-to-face collaborations, resulting in a more efficient exchange of resources” (Cross, Rebele and Grant 2016).

The organizations can create a special designation of supporting stuff for different department who will possess ample and all necessary resources that the employees of that particular department need. These supporting staff may not have contribution in the main stream production of the firm but assist other to achieve the organizational goals. This will definitely reduce stress among these employees and the managers will be able to prevent high employee turnover in the organizations.

In ‘Algorithms need managers, too’ the authors supported the idea of diversity in data which ultimately help the organizations to gain extra predictive powers “each data set has a unique perspective, a lot more value is created” (Luca, Kleinberg and Mullainathan 2016). This is the case exactly applicable in the organizations. More diversity of people will increase quality of the firm. The women employees are said to perform more collaborative works this is the reason why they feel more burden for helping others to accomplish a job. To the authors of the core article ‘Collaborative overload’ this collaboration to do a job ultimately cost more enjoy and time making the companies dependent on a few number of employees.

 The article supports this view that the managers need to ensure that like proper distribution of workload and resources, the employee must get recognition irrespective of gender. By the means of improving the systems of measuring, rewarding the collaborative contributions the leaders can shift view from emerging problems among the employees associated with knowledge sharing to addition of value.

Therefore, it can be concluded that these three articles are closely related with the workforce management in the organization, like machines and algorithms, the human employees also need guidance from the most knowledgeable colleagues so that they can get a proper direction in performing their tasks. Despite the fact that automation in the firms has been replacing the human employees constantly, these technologies need to have proper direction by the human operators. The algorithms can predict the future of the firms but need managers to control them. Similarly, in a common firm, the employees are to be directed by the managers so that they do not become weight and create pressure for the firm and prevent its growth.

References:

Cross, R., Rebele, R. and Grant, A., 2016. Collaborative overload. Harvard Business Review, 94(1), p.16.

Davenport, T. and Kirby, J. (2015). Beyond Automation. Harvard Business Review.

Luca, M., Kleinberg, J. and Mullainathan, S., 2016. Algorithms need managers, too. Harvard business review, 94(1), p.20.