[MBA] Read Case Study: Should You Use Your iPhone for Work?

1.    What are the advantages and disadvantages of allowing employees to use their personal smartphones for work?

2.    What management, organization, and technology factors should be addressed when deciding whether to allow employees to use their personal smartphones for work?

3.    Allowing employees to use their own smartphones for work will save the company money. Do you agree? Why or why not?

1.  As the growth rate of technology usage in companies is increasing, the number of companies permitting employees to use Smartphones for their day to day tasks are also increasing. Use of Smartphones have been not only the facility but the must have factor for better day to day operation.

We can enlist the advantages and disadvantages of allowing use of smartphone as follows

Advantage:

• As employee are more used to for their personal devices the efficiency will be improved

• The cost incurring for purchasing other devices like laptop, desktop is saved

• Employees feel they are believed by the management so the dearness feeling increases to some extent.

• Such gadgets helps easier communication

• Updated with latest technology than using traditional approaches

• Comfortability of workplace will no longer be an issue

Disadvantages

• Allowing user for their personal device will rise security of company data

• Since employees use varieties of smartphones, compatibility of the corresponding devices with each other will be another issue

• Management should concern on regulating the smartphone usage

• Using personal phone for official work might not be a professional getup

• Last but not the least is, as people spend their time playing other apps, games or surfing web, it will degrade the company work flow.

2.  

Management Factors:

When management try to test with something really new for it, there will be some challenges for management to regulate the transactions. Moreover management might not have regulating policy, check and balance mechanism for what the new trend arise. Use of smartphone will change the way of formal reporting system. A management is all about managing manpower and their activities so requirement of capable and technically sound management is another question.

Organization Factors:

The organization consist of management, employees, the stakeholders and the customers too. Now as the way of regular workflow change the cost incurred for certain sector decrease while on other sectors increase. Organizational budgeting mechanism should address the way of using Smartphones for work. Customers may face some challenges with the way employees work.

Technology Factors:

The smartphones market is dominated by Android and iOS operating system. Management should regulate on the uniformity of used operating system or at least make sure all the fundamental applications are available for all platforms. The most  challenge will be the privacy and security of company's confidential information. The tailored application used by company on Laptop Pcs may need redevelopment or company should seek for the similar application. Next the way of communicating with employees is eased  by use of smartphones because employees have their smartphones available with them 24/7. Company should have provision for what to do in case of losing smartphone by any employee.

3.  Yes I agree, allowing employees to use their own smartphone for work save the company money

• Company will be free from tension of buying laptops and pcs for individual employees

• Application required for mobile platforms are relatively cheaper than that of PCs

• Company need not bother of managing separate desk phones because mobile phones are more reachable

• Company will be free from repairing and repurchasing Laptop and PCs