Chapter five describes the people as technology (PT) concept and the complex relationships of technology development and people development within organizations. Systems theory is a foundational theory of human resource development. This chapter describes how the PT concept relates to systems theory in the context of HRD. Implications for how ethical and unethical behavior influences organizational systems are provided. Comparison of the five values of people and technology development to six themes of high technology development, the six major factors to determine knowledge-worker productivity, and the COVID-19 pandemic are also included.
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The emergence of the fourth industrial revolution has made the ethical treatment of people in the workplace a central interest. AI technology and digital media including robotics and avatars alongside drones and machine learning requires that people, through the study of human interactions with computers, be examined not only by HRD experts but in collaboration with computer information system, computer science, and computer engineering experts. Programmers who are writing and creating the computer algorithms must view people through an ethical lens and not just focus on the capabilities of the technology. Many algorithms and unexplainable AI errors have been made that have proven to be detrimental to people in the workplace (Cheng et al., 2021; Henriksen & Bechmann, 2020; Kim, 2018; Lang et al., 2021).
These and other important interactions between technology and people at work require immediate action; hence, the development of the PT concept (Hughes, 2010). The purpose of the PT concept is to assist stakeholders with the process of thinking of people as they would think of technology in the workplace. Location, use, maintenance, modification, and time value considerations provide a context for making appropriate decisions. Appropriate technology must be used by fully trained employees.