• silicon.com
• Management
• CIO Insights

By Pia Heikkila, 27 September 2000 17:30

NEWS According to a study published today by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), 60 per cent of top executives feel technology makes them work harder because it allows people to contact them constantly. The study surveyed top managers across the globe in all industry sectors. Gillian Lees, one of the authors of the study, told silicon.com that managers feel technology gives them no escape to reflect on strategy. She said: "The emergence of communication technologies, such as email and mobile phones, makes managers easily accessible at any time in any place, whereas calls were previously screened by secretaries. Also, the rapid advancement of technology is seen as causing extra work." The survey has caused controversy amongst IT industry pundits, who urge senior managers to catch up with technology and not be afraid of it. Graham Fisher, analyst at Bloor Research, believes the managers' attitudes are a worrying sign of the divide between old and new economies. He said: "Younger companies are quick at catching up with technology, but old established corporations are still behind with their archaic attitudes. The worrying thing is that the attitudes of boardrooms will get passed through the company. Some of it is down to pure fear and lack of training." Manek Dubash, ecommerce technology strategist at Datamonitor, said the senior managers themselves are to blame for not using technology efficiently. He said: "People are expecting too much from technology without actually understanding it first. It is true that IT now allows constant contact, but every device also has an off button."