This isn't new and I doubt it will ever be rectified, but technology is the greatest blessing and curse of productivity. However, there are some things that managers can do to make it more blessing than curse.
First, understand that technology is to make life easier and tasks more efficient. It is not to identify your process, but to fit in to your process.
Second, have a process that works to increase efficiency. All processes should be designed to get better results, not simply to make things consistent (unless that is the result that matters to your org).
Third, find technology that aids your process, not one that dictates the process. This is where most managers screw up royally.
We look at technology and it is always presented as this amazing tool. The biggest culprit I see currently is performance management software. They all talk about how they can automate many of the processes and make your evaluation system easier. The fact is, if you performance management process is broken (and most are), the software won't help. Managers don't write reviews poorly or not talk to their people enough because the software isn't there. They miss in those areas because they don't think it is important and aren't help accountable.
I once read an evaluation given to an employee where the goals for the upcoming year were "do what you did last year, but better". What technology would improve that?
NOTE: If you think your managers are much better than one the in the example above, you'd be shocked reading performance evals. They are the most horrible written and thought about documents in any company.
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