What do you understand by the distinction between “automate” and “informate”? How is it helpful in understanding its contemporary role in our work lives?

Computers began to be widely used in non-military industry and business in the late 1950s. The reason for the rush to computerize is the belief that computers enhance productivity (defined as the ratio of output to hours worked), and indeed computerization is frequently urged as the key to productivity growth.

Automation: The process of using iformation systems can be used for automating processes and business functions to enable the organization in executing specific tasks more quickly and accurately with a consistent quality and reduced cost. For example, In British banking the traditional mode of training prior to computerization was based on a master-apprentice model. Employment began at age 15 or 16, and one then rose level by level through a pyramidal hierarchy. Ultimately, with luck and aptitude, any employee could hope to become manager of a branch or even a general manager at corporate headquarters. Along with this career structure went an ethos of employee flexibility. Clerks had a relatively wide range of skills, allowing them to shift from task to task during the banking day. British bankers installed computers as part of a general plan to move away from the craft apprenticeship model toward a rationalized industrial production model. Computers facilitated, for example, progressive specialization of tasks and automation of a great deal of work once done by hand.

Information: The process of using Information Systems to not just automate specific operations, but also use to learn and improve the day-to-day activities within that operation is termed as Informating. Informating does not limit the use of Information System to just automating a process but also extends the use of Information System in understanding trends, patterns, performance of the operations and hence further improve the processes. Informating helps in unearthing flawed business processes which might have been blindly automated using Information Systems. For example, using automated systems to register any problem faced, would automatically assign the issue to a technical engineer depending on his availability. Not only did the system reduce the time taken to register and resolve issues, but also proved beneficial in substantially improving the process. This system helped immensely to comprehend the amount of time an associate took to resolve the issue, identify recurring issues, categorize the time periods when maximum issues were registered, decide whether additional engineers were required, etc. Thus, the system not only helped in automating the process, but also helped in improving it and making it more effective and efficient.

According to Shoshana Zuboff, the two resulting potential faces of technology is to automate, leading to dull jobs with lack of meaning, or infomate, leading to higher participation, more stimulating, challenging jobs, and greater satisfaction.

Saptarshi Prakash,

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