Technology Adoption By Cooperatives

Technology Adoption By Cooperatives

Technology – The Need

It is generally believed now that expenditure on technology is an investment, not a liability. Technology has become the part and parcel of any organisation and the key determinant for success. It is positively changing the drive of all market sectors.  The cooperatives too need to adapt to the changing times and adopt technology to work in a more professional manner to face the challenges of competition from other various corporate or private limited organisations. Adopting computerisation, promoting on-line transactions, hiring professional technically strong manpower to formulate as well as implement effective technology action-plans is the need of the hour for cooperatives.

Technology Adoption - Overview

Technology adoption is important because it is the vehicle that allows most people to participate in a rapidly changing world where technology has become central to our lives. Individuals who won’t or can’t adopt will increasingly limit their ability to participate fully in the financial and convenience benefits associated with technology.

For some people technology adoption is synonymous with computer and internet usage. But people adopt a wide range of technologies that are not obviously computer based. Devices such as in-store kiosks, digital cameras, Global Positioning Systems (GPS) in cars, telephone banking, ATMs, and self-medication devices are all forms of technology widely available to consumers. All businesses – corporate , cooperatives or individual need to adopt and adapt to these for a better, comfortable and faster life.

Technology And Cooperatives

Cooperative sector has developed from 6 lakh cooperatives a few years back to approx 8 lakh plus in current times with total member count of 40 crore plus people in India. If the benefits of cooperatives are limited to few people then the objectives of cooperatives revolution will not be achieved. Computerisation and information and technology is needed for their growth. Without adopting digitalisation and latest information and technology, it will be difficult to fight corruption and malpractices in the cooperative sector too.

Cooperative is an economic action but with people participation and should be a mean for socio-economic change. This is however not possible if cooperatives fail to reach people in the right manner.

Technology is helping in knowledge transfer, improving management practices, information management and reporting. Using online banking, credit cards, smart phones, artificial intelligence, smart apps are all a part of technology adoption. Inclusion of social media like creating and maintaining a web site, usage of facebook, twitter and you tube for publishing the activities, events and programmes of the organisations is the next logicl step.

Technology Adoption – Process

Technology adoption is a process that begins with awareness of the technology and progresses through a series of steps that end in appropriate and effective usage. It can be looked as a 5 step process.

a) Awareness – potential users learn enough about the technology and its benefits to decide whether they want to investigate further.

b) Assessment – potential users evaluate the usefulness and usability of the technology, and the ease or difficulty of adopting.

c) Acceptance – potential users decide to acquire and use the technology, or decide not to adopt.

d) Learning – users develop the skills and knowledge required to use the technology effectively.

e) Usage – users demonstrate appropriate and effective use of the technology

Technology Adoption – Challenges

a) Co-operatives need to have a uniform level of acceptance.

1. Different people move through these 5 steps at different rates. Some people combine all the steps in one, while others never get past the assessment stage. 
2.  People use widely differing acceptance criteria in deciding whether or not to use a technology. Time, energy, ease of use and technical support, proof of value, biased resistance, social implications, and budgetary priorities being some.

b) Cooperatives should be able to provide training and support in the use of the technology.

c) Infrastructure, equipments, and appropriate usage should be well planned for smooth technology adoption.

d) Lack of expertise, lack of need analysis, lack of commitment, lack of training and support, lack of structural controls and privacy issues can pose challenges to the adoption of technology by cooperatives.

Technology Adoption & NYCS

NYCS proudly is matching pace with the emerging technology. Its strong online presence on facebook and twitter is helping its activities reach the length and breadth of the nation.

The Kovida program of NYCS is relentlessly working in taking technology ahead as a part of its skill development course. It has included courses like Mobile phone hardware repairing, CCTV installation and repair, Computing and Networking field technician, Biometric data operator, and computer data entry operator in its newly formed Kaushal Kendra in Pune.

In the ongoing Indian Speed Star NYCS-GAIL Raftaar season 2, NYCS is making use of technology right from the inception, to enrolment of athletes using online forms, to maintaining their records and evaluation through competitive data management and analysis. When we decide to “take” a step, we actually “tech” it.