Technology still a status symbol

Companies are still issuing mobile devices to staff according to pecking order, viewing the gadgets as status symbols rather than tools.

This is according to a research study of over 1 000 small to medium enterprises (SMEs) conducted by World Wide Worx as part of its Mobility 2005 project, which is backed by Cell C, First National Bank (FNB) and Sentech.

The key finding of the study is that the business world still treats technology as something to play with, rather than something that will make the business more productive, says World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck.

The study found that almost a third (31%) of respondents issued laptop computers to senior management, while 5% issued them to junior management and 13% to sales and field staff.

This is problematic because it is often the case that lower level staff have a greater need for the devices, says Goldstuck.

"People who most need mobile technology are those who spend the most time in the field or on the road, so sales teams would have a definite need," he says.

"But this is not to say senior staff have no use for these devices, as it depends on the environment within each company."

Less of a disparity occurs in the issuing of cellular phones, with 43% of senior management benefiting, versus 38% for sales and field staff. Once again, junior management is at the bottom of the device chain, with 11% of SMEs issuing cellular phones at this level.

The only mobile technology for which field staff is given precedence is two-way radio, with 7% of respondents issuing the devices to field staff, and 2% issuing them to senior management. A small proportion of respondents, 4%, issue personal digital assistants to senior management, while 2% issue them to sales or field staff.

These findings follow the trends uncovered in the previous phase of the project, announced during February. In the study of 100 large corporations, it was found that 69% of corporations interviewed issued laptop computers to senior management, 51% to middle management, 41% to sales and field staff, and 11% to junior management.

Goldstuck says this is not a new trend, but one that indicates the relative "immaturity" of such technology in the work environment. "I think it has always been that senior management owns the more sophisticated gadgetry, and this will continue as long as technology is a status symbol. When technology matures so that it is seen as just a tool, the trend will diminish."

FNB mobile and transact solutions CEO Len Pienaar says it also indicates that business in general does not yet appreciate the full value that mobile technology can bring to the workforce.

"It should not be seen as a reward for position in a company, but rather as a tool for the work that needs to be done."

The study of SMEs` mobile habits also revealed the cellular phone is regarded as the single most important mobile technology among SMEs, with 63% rating it as important. However, this compared with 86% among corporations interviewed during the previous phase of the project; 57% of SMEs rated laptop computers as important, versus 85% among corporations.

The one aspect of mobility in which SMEs appeared more progressive than corporates is in how advanced they believe they are in the use of basic mobile technologies like cellular phones and laptops, says Goldstuck. Almost half of SMEs said their usage of such devices is advanced or very advanced, versus 41% of large corporations interviewed.

At the same time, 27% of SMEs described their usage as basic or very basic, versus 10% among corporates. In cutting-edge mobile technologies, such as wireless broadband and WiFi, SMEs were left standing: 88% described their usage as basic or very basic, versus 33% among corporates.