Innovation and Automation by Paul Satchell

Author:Paul Satchell [Satchell, Paul]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781138326392
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Published: 2020-06-30T00:00:00+00:00

Example 10. Machine bypass7

George looked speculatively at his passenger. He had heard a rumour in the El Greco, the eating place of taxi-drivers, that their company was using 'false passengers' to ensure that the electronic dispatching system was not being abused. As the passenger dropped his suitcase and its contents spilled out over the back seat, George realised that this passenger posed no threat.

George looked at the electronic dispatch unit mounted beside the right hand pillar of his windscreen. He had come to accept it over the last few months, particularly when he realised that he was earning more because of it. Initially he had missed the interchanges between the operators and other drivers in the old radio despatch system. In that system, all taxis belonging to the one company could hear all the conversations. These had entertained him during long slow shifts, and also had allowed him to detect local occasions when many visitors were in town, particularly visitors who were generous with their tips. This had changed with the electronic dispatch system, for this one-way, digitised data link provided the essential information about prospective customers, but failed to provide those added layers of information that could increase a driver's earnings. The company for which he drove had embarked upon a program which emphasised the need to improve customer satisfaction and had simultaneously introduced both the new despatch system and uniforms for drivers. Drivers were told that the despatch system would optimise the balance between the supply and demand for the company's services and required drivers to meet the needs of the despatch system before seeking customers by other means. While George wore his uniform willingly enough, he would not give up all the benefits of the old radio system.

George slipped the mobile phone out of its concealed pouch on the upper side of the steering column under the dashboard. He called Dorothy, his wife, who drove taxis for a competing company. He learned that her company was being used for a conference of American cardiologists, and that at present all their taxis were straggling to carry them to satellite meetings in the local city hospitals. George grinned. He realised that his current, bumbling fare would allow him to cruise into the vicinity of these rich visitor and provide customer service as if by chance.

Data link systems improve a number of communication parameters. In this example, the capacity of such a system to enhance the use of the assets of the organisation is unquestioned, and the resource issues surrounding data links do not arise8. The individual in this example preferred communication to be 'noisy' and personalised, but that was not the sole reason for using other technology to bypass the system. In contrast with the previous example, the taxi driver's goals were not well aligned with those of his organisation and this misalignment was enhanced by the communication technology. The machine in this example was incapable of generating a sense of partnership. In this situation, organisational success depended upon

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