Soft technology: definition, uses and examples
The general concept of technology refers to all that set of knowledge, techniques and procedures that, based on a theoretical and scientific framework, they are developed with the aim of advancing and modifying the environment that we surrounds.
A little known part of this field is soft technology. Throughout this article, we will analyze this concept, as well as its possible applications and some examples to help us clarify these ideas.
What is soft technology?
The concept of soft technology is a relatively novel term that It is used to encompass the set of technological or administrative, commercial and organizational knowledge.
Soft technology encompasses the knowledge, procedures, methodologies, disciplines, skills that make the subsequent development of products and services possible. For this reason, the equivalent concept in English is “know how”, which translates literally as “know how” or “know how to do it”
This concept arises in contrast to the term "hard technologies", which refers to the technologies that exist in the material world, which are tangible.
Although both concepts have in common their relationship with the scientific field that enables the development of new technologies, as well as goods and services, soft technology is the intangible part. Thanks to her, people have the necessary skills to adapt to the technological environment or organizations effectively.
As is reasonable, without soft technology, that is, without knowledge, hard technology would not be possible. It is necessary to possess the prior cognitive abilities that make the creation and advancement of these assets a reality.
The main objective of soft technology is to achieve the best possible results in any type of organization, administration, corporation or society; It can be applied in areas as diverse as industries, government bodies or educational settings.
By creating efficient dynamics and procedures within all these areas mentioned above, technology soft enables the effective use of both the human resources of a company, as well as the optimization of the production processes of is.
Finally, soft technologies can also be used in political and governmental contexts. Knowledge about organizational and administrative processes can achieve the achievement of all kinds of objectives of this field in the shortest possible time and taking advantage of all resources.
How is it different from hard technologies?
As we have already mentioned, soft technology refers to the intangible part of the development of goods and services. That is, the set of necessary knowledge that enables the operation and advancement of companies and organizations. This knowledge is usually linked to sciences such as computer science, economics, sociology and psychology.
On the contrary, hard technologies are those that the collective imagination of people associates with the concept of technology. These refer to the material and tangible aspects of technology, including both those that make it possible to transformation of materials for the production of new objects such as the final physical products that are developed in Business.
This means that both the machinery that makes production possible and the final product are part of what is known as hard technology.
What uses and applications does it have?
Since soft technologies constitute the body of knowledge on a series of specific areas, which makes possible is development and progress of these, there are a large number of roles and intangible tasks in which they play a role essential.
Among some of these areas we can find:
- Business Administration
- Education
- Accounting tasks
- Software development
- Marketing
- Organization
- Work Psychology
- Production logistics
- Event organization
The objectives of the application of soft technologies is to optimize the performance of companies, government bodies and industries at both operational and organizational levels. In the same way, soft technology also seeks to optimize relationships, dynamics and communications within each and every one of these organizations.
As a consequence, regardless of whether the objective of these organizations is profitable or not, This set of knowledge and knowledge will enable an increase in their performance, obtaining better results and, of course, increasing profits..
Examples of soft technologies
In order to clarify what exactly soft technology consists of and how it can be applied, we present a series of examples below. Some cases or prototypes of soft technology are:
1. Human Resources
The creation of human resources departments in which psychological approaches and currents of work are used, it is one of the best examples of soft technology.
The use of knowledge from the field of work psychology and organizations to select the working personnel of a company, as well as when organizing and optimizing said organizational chart, it achieves an improvement in the potential and growth of the organizations.
2. Computer and mobile device software
In this case, it can be seen how hard technology (electronic device or hardware) and soft (software) work together. Without the knowledge and skills of handling electronic devices, the latter would not even exist; Without the knowledge, the operating system that would make hard technology possible could not have been developed.
3. Digital marketing
Since the goal of any business is to increase its profits by selling goods or products, the ability to influence potential buyers is essential. This is where soft technology does its job. Through knowledge of consumer psychology, marketing and advertising, a company can persuade the consumer in its favor.
4. Food preservation
There are sciences that study and analyze the development and degradation of food. This knowledge can be applied within the food industry, as well as in restoration, in order to extend the useful life of food, keeping it as long as possible, thus generating. higher profitability for companies.
These are just some of the examples in which soft technology facilitates and enhances the development of companies, organizations and institutions.
Bibliographic references:
- AA.VV. (2009). Science, technology and environment. Latin America: Cengage Learning Latin America.
- Cegarra Sánchez, José (2012). The technology. Madrid: Díaz de Santos Editions.
- Giménez Montiel, Gilberto (2003). The social sciences, university and society: topics for a postgraduate agenda. UNAM.
- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization; Science, technology and gender. (2007). International report; UNESCO.