Information technology has and is simplifying the work we do. The way we collect data, analyze it and communicate it is becoming easier every day. Social media such as Facebook, Twitter and other sites have facilitated communication by overcoming distance as a barrier to information conveyance. Therefore, it is easier to gather ideas and views from many people in all corners of the world, the new global village.  An individual in the western part of the world is able to get real-time information from another one in the eastern part. The Internet being an essential infrastructure through which the two sides interact. So let’s discuss the impact of technology on the upcoming generation about how they think and the adverse effects of technology on critical thinking, reasoning and decision making of people in this era.

Social media in general is impacting how Millennials and Gen Y’ers are communicating. Over time new social media sites emerge. People in their teens and twenties spend much of their time online seeking solutions to their problems. Therefore, they lose touch with basic one on one communication. Consultation is done through the internet involving the friends one has online.  Overreliance on search engines and social media for solutions is occupying the position that critical thinking formerly possessed. A person having a particular challenge is comfortable seeking the solution through Facebook, Twitter, Reddit and other common sites which combine the thoughts of others to a solution that they present as their own.  Acquiring those ideas/opinions from people is deleterious to their very own critical thinking ability. Thinking is important because it connects feeling with what one hears. In this generation, conversations on social media use the “emoji” (Japanese for “picture word”) as a representation of feelings. While cute, it is highly unlikely that these small icons provide an effective representation of human feelings and their continued use is leading to the disconnect between thoughts and feelings, such as worry, happiness, anger and even laughter. They are not capable of showing our sentiments to the fullest. Instead, they are just a poor representation of emotion.

In these upcoming generations, recalling relevant information and using critical thinking skills is becoming less apparent. Search engines such as Google have simplified how we search for information. All one needs to have is a few keywords and the results appear in seconds.  The need to draw from “learned information” is virtually nil with so many databases from which to draw upon. Therefore the capacity to remember important details declines with improvement in the information technology and therefore facilitates a generation of researchers and not thinkers. It should come as no surprise that when pressed to speak publicly a millennial may be found to lack the ability to express his/her thoughts when addressing an audience. The reason likely is the inability to connect one data point to the next in a stream of consciousness without the crutch of a search engine or online resource. The basic inability to understand the relevance of the bigger picture and string a set of thoughts together.

If you were to get a millennial in a room with no smartphone, computer or wi-fi and ask them “If you travel by train from New York to Boston how many railroad ties will you pass over on your trip?” you may find that you won’t likely get an answer because they lack the critical thinking skills, or the mere memorization of facts to even hazard a guess. Yet give them a computer and let them “Google It” they may come up with an answer based on information someone else says is true.  Information acquisition from the search engines does not mean that the finding is accurate or precise, but just providing what is widely acceptable as a “good enough answer”. Websites like Snopes.com created an entire industry around dispelling the ridiculous and sometime believable snippets of data that pop up on social media. To this day my 21 year old daughter still believes that September 11^th (9/11) was a government cover up because of what she read on the Internet.

Knowledge provides a ground work for critical thinking and critiquing the findings of other people and not just blindly accepting their claims at face value. In this digital generation, knowledge and wisdom are rare because everyone want to have the shortcut that would lead to his or her problem being solved. Personal opinions do not count anymore as compared to what other people say or think. Developing analysis of a challenge is facing the problem of impatience and lack of self-esteem. Time is becoming a very scarce resource in that reading a 500-page book is becoming impossible because many people get preoccupied with other online activities. A potential millennial reader would rather read a book review on the internet rather than read the actual book. Moreover, because thinking encompasses creating an image in our mind, they end up missing on a specific segment of the book.  Take for example a non-fiction book, the key to really appreciating it is the times when you stop reading and digest what you have just read and try and understand what information was trying to be conveyed or what the main character was trying to accomplish.

A very apropos acronym used online more often these days  is “tl;dr” which  is a shorthand notation added by a reader during an online discussion indicating a passage appeared to be too long to invest the time to digest. (too long, didn’t read) now when you take a step back and realize that you see this in response to maybe a 150 word message, it is indicative of the fact that the upcoming generations not only lacks critical thinking skills, they also lack patience or interest in participating in a discussion that requires them to read anything longer than a “tweet”

Moral erosion can be another unintended outcome. Thinking involves asking whether something is good or evil or capable of causing harm to us. This part of thinking is important and of value to humanity. This aspect seems absent in the minds of “20 somethings. Consequently, most people are engaging themselves in activities they see others do without assessing the outcomes. They also seem to lack the capabilities to think ahead several steps. “If I do this, then this could happen, which will result in this……” An individual would rather experiment than referring to similar happenings in the past. At the end one regrets the things they did or did not do.

Technology is essential to the human being but misusing it becomes deleterious to us and the way we think. Spending too much time surfing the net is discouraging the desire to analyze and process data. An example is an inability to do simple calculations that do not need computation, perhaps not taking out your phone to calculate a 15% tip on a dinner bill?  If this trend continues, decision making and critical thinking will become a thing of the past and those that chose to engage and master it will be the outliers and potentially the leaders of the future.

About the Author

Joseph Venturelli earned his degree in design from the School of Visual Arts in New York City.   His debut into Information Technology in healthcare began as a system administrator, concentrating on the technical oversight of information systems at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1990.  Early on Joseph trained and became certified as a system engineer and certified trainer.  He has been responsible for leading teams of technologists including infrastructure, web services, data center operations, call centers, disaster recovery planning and help desk services, and has managed scores of system implementations over the past twenty five years..

Joseph co-led the creation and implementation of an electronic medical record system, which included full financial, transcription and scheduling integration.  Physicians were given office access to the scheduling and clinical documentation platforms.  This integration strategy created immediate medical record completion, eliminating the need for back end inspection and rework resources.  Joseph has consistently delivered efficiencies through standardization, recruiting and retaining key talent and launching enthusiastic customer service programs for a variety of professionals, patients and vendors.

Joseph has been published in numerous technical journals and industry magazines and has authored several books including one on patient advocacy.  A seasoned executive, Joseph has worked as the Chief Executive Officer for a Southeast Consulting firm, a Chief Information Officer for an Ambulatory Surgery Center company as well as the Chief Information Officer for a Midwest county hospital system and as the Chief Technology Officer for a New England Hospital System.

By Joseph Venturelli (self-proclaimed geek)

Bill seldom makes it home before 2am in the morning and when he does, it’s simply to change into different clothes and freshen up. He does not eat a proper meal or take some good sleep but he will not hesitate to fall asleep on the couch and leave the computer on. Being the IT resident genius at a healthcare company, he is the best at what he does. Most of the time he wishes he could get more comfortable and fall asleep, but with the unending projects and amount of pressure from his management team, he can barely create time to even tidy up his apartment. The off duty time he gets in between shifts are usually consumed in consulting and doing some extra research for a new project. Bill does not really have a relationship with his colleagues but he is well aware that they have many perceptions towards him. His poor personal care is obviously because of his job and his management. Not that he takes his job too seriously; he is just oblivious of the other world and has to deliver in this one.

Geek is a term used to refer to individuals with extreme intellectual pursuit in a particular field of complexity.  A nerd is a descriptive term for person overly intellectual, obsessive but lacking social skills. These persons exclude mainstream activities to spend overt amounts of time on obscure activities relating to topics of fiction or fantasy. Geeks and nerds are used as synonyms but most people argue that they slightly differ in meaning.

Geeks are more proactive and involve practical activities in the technical fields they study and are consulted for expertise and skills. Nerds, on the other hand, tend to be slow and passive; spending most time studying and doing research in literal works.

These individuals constitute the technology as well as computer experts, and sometimes engineers, and are generally referred to as technologists.

The first step in managing geeks and nerds requires the understanding of the nature of these individuals and creating an environment that they are able to fit into.  Insight into their minds, motivations, beliefs, and behaviors is important in developing a significant influence in their pursuits. Their nature revolves around thinking, acting and moving in a unique perspective that is technology, business technology management, research scientist, professor, general manager, entrepreneur, director of corporate training, and author where the breadth of knowledge and experience resonates with their abilities to perform.  With this understanding you’re able to develop a model of how technology focused knowledge works and its ability to add value to an organization’s objectives.

Technologists display a number of behavioral traits that inhibit not only advancement up the technological ladder, but also smooth relations with non-technical colleagues and clients. This ascribes to the fact that they develop a mechanism to move around the world based on the perception on technology and machines. The start of work in any organization requires interaction with people and their feelings, but after some time technologists are not able to respond to these behaviors and this leads to a pitfall, where the organization seeks technicians that are more professional. Understanding the perspective of the world of engineers and technologists we can enhance their communicative abilities to deal with issues and relate better with other people. This can be achieved by management policies with prescriptive approaches for managing, motivating and understanding that technological work is not affected by influence and authority, but by the productivity of the technologists. Team motivation is another integral part in dealing with the competitiveness of workers in the technological field because applying management techniques in technical fields works best in environments where technologists have interpersonal relationships and can make consultations based on proximity and not command.

Despite the fundamental importance of technologists around the globe today, most of them work under conditions of extreme pressure and frustrating job environments. This results in burnout because of physical and emotional exhaustion. The nature of these jobs demands intense attention and long hours that leave most individuals drained and stressed. Keeping technologists happy is an absolute requirement for any organization or modern business; hence managers should avoid inhibitors to technologists’ productivity. Stress in the work environment, especially criticism from management, can be a depressant, and too much work can end up straining the physical and mental health of a technical worker. Management may come up with strategies that counter these challenges; change of routine whereby frequent long and short shifts can interplay, creating programs that encourage colleague relations in the work environment, placing limits on how many things one worker is handling at a go, encouraging diversification in the worker’s routine.

Technologists appreciate respect, not because they have some level of intellectual expertise, but because it is a professional courtesy. This respect is mostly required of the management due to the demeanor of authority that larks within the work environment. For most technologists, respect develops based upon the tolerability of a person, which includes the practicality of the suggestions they make. It is easier for them to work and self-organize with people of independence and social chart.

Capacity for technical reasoning trumps only on right decisions. Making mistakes only adds to the workload and creates more tense relationships between the management and the technologists. The manager, however, must never ignore the technologist despite their different fields of specialization, opinion or ideas. Technologists require good leadership just like all other personnel groups. A technologist’s creativity is another trait that a manager can use to his advantage.  When technologists are able to present their ideas and use them, it lessens the need for consultation on the procedures and methodologies that work for both sides. It is, however, important that management consult the technologists when making decisions that directly affect, or relate to their creativity and programming.

Technologists may be experts and intellectuals in the field of technology, however, even experts require a bit of direction and orientation when they join new organizations.

Training is very important   for the success of technologists because it motivates the intellectual aspect to adapt to the organization’s principles, procedures and routine.

Other skills also enable the technologists to revise old and new knowledge to a working advantage. A technologist with all the tools needed to work is a happy technologist. It is quite easy to work when all the required equipment is available. This enhances efficiency and saves time. It is the manager’s responsibility to ensure the provision of work equipment is sufficient, with fully functional tools for instance; an effective computer system with reliable internet connection, an office phone connection, sufficient detailed information and instructions on what to do, and caffeine. Technologists work best with caffeine beverages.

Technologists are not perfect; they tend to over engineer systems in an attempt to build architecture to accommodate for future capacity. Sometimes this is necessary but often all that is needed is a quick nudge, which is why managers need to be aware of such possibilities while assessing the immediate procedures that focus the technologist’s attention to what’s required in the present. They can also avoid such situations by giving an outline of the scope of work to be covered so that anything outside of that, of interest to the engineer, is achieved later.

Most technologists develop instantaneous ideas in the course of duty, which could include formulas or patterns to a particular course. Such ideas may contradict the set procedures for a particular assignment. Managers are, however, encouraged to adjust the formal arrangement of strategies in cases when the period for work is open. This motivates the technologists to work with ideas they are familiar with, which they can adjust when necessary. Managers should also learn to avoid superficiality in technological aspects. It inhibits the worker’s ability to work with confidence because they are likely to feel undermined and unnecessarily pressured. For example, a constant reminder from a manager about the deadline of a particular assignment could cause a technologist to feel de-motivated rather than enthusiastic about finishing the assignment.

To conclude, technicians and technologists represent an important aspect of the globe today; technology, and therefore help define some of the most significant inputs in making other industries successful. To enhance the continuity of this field of expertise, the educational curriculum needs to affect the studies of individuals to the level of management so that geeks and nerds can relate to other aspects of work other than machines and tools. Management, on the other hand, should prioritize issues of their technical direct reports through creating beneficial relationships with the technical workers.   Fostering effective communication skills for engineers and technologists that can improve their interactive abilities with other colleagues and customers and practicing effective leadership for managers in top positions. This is one way to enhance the work environment and team effort.  Learning methodologies to apply from IT practices in projects and concepts that all workers are comfortable with and finally, appreciating the efforts of technologists by providing working conditions that enhance their productivity.

Management in any organization or modern business should know that, happy geeks are productive geeks.

About the Author

Joseph Venturelli earned his degree in design from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. His debut in healthcare Information Technology began as a system administrator, concentrating on the technical oversight of information systems at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1990. Early on Joseph trained and became certified as a system engineer and certified trainer. He has been responsible for leading teams of technologists supporting  infrastructure, web services, data center operations, call centers, disaster recovery planning and help desk services, and has managed scores of system implementations over the past twenty five years.

Joseph co-led the creation and implementation of an electronic medical record system, which included full financial, transcription and scheduling integration. Physicians were given office access to the scheduling and clinical documentation platforms. This integration strategy created immediate medical record completion, eliminating the need for back end inspection and rework resources. Joseph has consistently delivered efficiencies through standardization, recruiting and retaining key talent and launching enthusiastic customer service programs for a variety of professionals, patients and vendors.

Joseph has been published in numerous technical journals and industry magazines and has authored several books, one notably addressing patient advocacy. A seasoned executive, Joseph has worked as the Chief Executive Officer for a Southeast consulting firm, a Chief Information Officer for an ambulatory surgery center, as well as Chief Information Officer for a Midwest county hospital system and Chief Technology Officer for a New England Hospital System.

The Importance of Information Technology Standardization

By Joseph Venturelli

 Introduction

Information technology is integral and vital in every business plan. It plays a key role to ensure maintenance and expansion of an organization’s objectives and strategies. It facilitates communication between an organization, inventory management, information systems management, customer relationship management and competitiveness enhancement through product quality. Multinational corporations deal with vast amounts of data thus IT plays an important role in data management. Therefore, the use of standardized information technology in large corporations has various benefits to individual companies, individuals, and users.

Information technology standardization offers a set of powerful business tools for large corporations The tools facilitate fine-tuning of risk management and business performance through more sufficient and sustainable means of operation. The businesses can demonstrate the quality of customer service and boosts embedment of best practices within organizations. Standardization promotes a culture of continued performance within an organization. It establishes scales and increases capacity for efficient task completion. IT standards enable an organization to develop services, products and development.

Secondly, it decentralizes the decision-making process since the executive, and all critical users contribute necessary input with an aim of bettering the corporation performance. Communication and information flow are enhanced among the employees, customers, vendors, corporation’s executives and IT regulating bodies. Involvement of the necessary components increases standard implementation making it highly cost-effective. Consequently, companies realize better returns since the involved parties are aware of what is expected of them, and there are measures to assist them conduct their duties accordingly. The parties involved, support IT maintenance in an organization leading to minimal group focus.

IT standardization in organizations expands an organization’s vision and focus.  It determines the technology to be implemented in a corporation by guiding the industry, consumers, users and administration so as to derive optimum benefits from the standards. All the relevant aspects of the industry such as technical and essential characteristics of the corporation environment are thoroughly explored to ensure the rules act as success enabling factors.  Companies adopt new and productive forms of information storage and communication systems. As companies pursue their economic goals, they are regulated by certain practices, hence, their vision and focus is in line with the set IT standard. As a result of compliance, corporations save expenses that would otherwise be lost through lack of vision or downtime. The visions expand to embrace sustainability through the deployment of products that comply with the developed standards. Greater understanding of national and regional IT standards makes it easy to realize the company vision since it is established within those sets of rules.

According to The British Standards Institution, IT standardization minimizes business risks through easy identification of risks and development of mechanisms to mitigate actual and potential hazards and downtime. Since information technology lays focus on advancing how things are done, errors are minimized. Standards give a guideline on what is expected of corporations thus complex tasks can be handled with ease. Companies develop strategic portfolio aimed at transforming the business by the implementation of effective business models and cultivation of best practices. The internet avails information regarding different companies on which SWOT analysis can be conducted to facilitate avoidance of risk factors. Corporations can also learn from the experiences of other firms.

Moreover, large companies can become more sustainable through IT standardization. It facilitates close examination of resources and energy utilization within an organization. Setting standards that are sensitive to the environment promote cost-saving and boosting of corporation’s reputation. IT promotes communication, information exchange and development of digitalized services and products. The consumers and providers gain awareness on the standards requirement, thus, boosts compliance. Development of homogeneous all-pervasive standards facilitates construction, resource use and connections that are built on the standards guiding large corporations.

Further, big companies become more creative and innovative through IT standardization. Different businesses that are governed by similar rules interact frequently and develop advanced language aimed at driving new advancements. Since new technologies are emerging in the martket rapidly, successful innovation is vital for corporation’s penetration into new markets and gaining of sustainable competitive advantage. The service industry companies give sufficient focus to their processes thus offering quality services. The companies participate actively in developing better means of executing relevant duties.

Finally, IT standardization provides natural ways of solving problems for large corporations. In the face of challenge, the standards act as a reference point regarding the possible solutions. The rules provide guidelines for technical excellence, conducts prior testing and implementation and present short, clear and easily understandable documentation. Also, the experts involved in setting the standards can be consulted in case hardships are encountered during standards implementation. Standardization thus expands networking in corporations operations. It also promotes timelines, fairness and openness in  activities. All individuals involved contribute accordingly through the primary communications medium.

Conclusion

In summary, information technology standardization plays an integral and vital role in large corporations. It avails powerful business and marketing tools, decentralizes decision making within corporations and enhances creativity and innovation. In large Corporations, IT Standardization promotes sustainability, minimizes risks, and expands business focus and vision as well as increasing productivity through natural problem solving.

About the Author

Joseph Venturelli earned his degree in design from the School of Visual Arts in New York City.   His debut into Information Technology in healthcare began as a system administrator, concentrating on the technical oversight of information systems at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1990.  Early on Joseph trained and became certified as a system engineer and certified trainer.  He has been responsible for leading teams of technologists including infrastructure, web services, data center operations, call centers, disaster recovery planning and help desk services, and has managed scores of system implementations over the past twenty five years..

Joseph co-led the creation and implementation of an electronic medical record system, which included full financial, transcription and scheduling integration.  Physicians were given office access to the scheduling and clinical documentation platforms.  This integration strategy created immediate medical record completion, eliminating the need for back end inspection and rework resources.  Joseph has consistently delivered efficiencies through standardization, recruiting and retaining key talent and launching enthusiastic customer service programs for a variety of professionals, patients and vendors.

Joseph has been published in numerous technical journals and industry magazines and has authored several books including one on patient advocacy.  A seasoned executive, Joseph has worked as the Chief Executive Officer for a Southeast Consulting firm, a Chief Information Officer for an Ambulatory Surgery Center company as well as the Chief Information Officer for a Midwest county hospital system and as the Chief Technology Officer for a New England Hospital System.