New technologies effect on The Work Force Essay

New technologies effect on The Work Force - Essay Example In fact this contradictory attitude resides in all of us. While, at one hand, we wish for things to be easier, newer, faster i.e. changes in our immediate surroundings but on the other hand, we want to stick to the old, the familiar, to the routine -i.e. we resist change. It is because change forces us to leave our comfort zone for a zone of uncertainty and doubt. And this would mean that our self-image, self-confidence and our relationships with others and our selves would change. We might have felt very competent, confident, relaxed, self-assured in our work and surroundings, however technology might change this all for ever. We might feel less productive, creative; effective and our image of ourselves as a rock by the sea simply change into that of an insignificant pebble. Thus technology affects our psychological balance, which is the main reason behind the resistance shown by work force at work place when new technology is introduced. As technology takes place of much of human manual work, an individual's contact with the finished good is diminished. This results in feelings of alienation and un- satisfaction as individuals feel they have not accomplished much or they have not contributed significantly in the production of goods or in image creation of the company. They feel insignificant, unsuccessful and frustrated in their work places and towards technology. They suffer from feelings of resentment and frustration towards technology, which they see as their enemy who has "stolen" their jobs, their sense of pride, accomplishment and worthiness. And it doesn't end here, the fear, anxiety and apprehension is there to stay in their minds and in the ambience of the work place forever, as technology continues to advance unceasingly. ("Social Effects of Technology") This has been well explained by Kurt Lewin in his "change theory", which was further elaborated by Edgar Schein. It is also known as the "unfreezing-change-refreeze" theory, which explains why people reject new technology, or learning in a workplace, how companies should be prepared for this and how they should manage the whole change process so that change finally becomes the part of the system completely acceptable to everyone. (Wirth, 2004) The first stage is known as the "unfreezing" stage where people need to be motivated for change. This explains why people initially resist change and how they can be prepared for the change, nonetheless. He believed that the behavior pattern of human beings is based on what they have learned from past observations and from their surroundings or culture. Any change, for example technological change, means that either new element are added into these past or existing surroundings or some of the elements to removed from them forever. He, further, argued that people would only accept change on three conditions. The first situation is where there already exists dissatisfaction and resentment towards present conditions. This means that individuals are unable to derive their sense of pr