Digital Strategies: Managing Sociotechnological Co-Evolution

University of California, Davis via Coursera

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Overview

The “Digital Strategies: Managing Sociotechnological Co-Evolution” course explores the dynamic relationship between technology, society, and organizations as they evolve together in the digital age. Designed for business leaders, strategists, and change agents, this course delves into how digital innovations shape social behaviors and organizational structures, while social needs and values influence technological development. Participants will learn frameworks for understanding co-evolution—the reciprocal process where technology and society continuously adapt and transform each other. The course highlights the strategic challenges and opportunities...

Syllabus

Getting Started and Defining Technology

After this module, you will be able to review how the social construction of technology requires proactive change management and be able to define what technology is and learn how this organismic system evolves. You'll be able to analyze the historical evolution of technology and its impact on society from the Stone Age to the digital age and develop a working definition of technology that allows you to understand its different aspects and roles in society. You'll also be able to discover why things are getting faster and faster, by exploring the mathematical logic behind the unavoidable accelerating nature of technological change.

Evolution of Technology

After this module, you will be able to analyze the nature of technological evolution, identifying key patterns and contours in its progression. You will be able to differentiate between continuous and disruptive innovation, recognizing their impact on the technological landscape, as well as evaluate the impact of disruptive innovations using examples from various industries. You'll be able to review the implications of Moore's Law on computational technology as an example of continuous innovation and recognize how exponential technological progress can us to navigate an uncertain future even if we cannot make specific predictions about what will be. You'll also be able to speculate about the technological singularity, the moment when progress will become too fast for human understanding and be able to explore what past technological revolutions taught us about the question if machines will replace us and envision what the future might hold.

Evolution of Social Systems

After this module, you will be able to proactively manage digital change and analyze the co-evolution of technology and society, exploring their reciprocal influence over time. You will be able to evaluate the impact of technological diffusion on social systems and propose policy solutions to address resulting inequalities. You'll be able to examine the interdependent relationship between human society and technological advancements, as well as explore the emergent construction of human progress through the infinite number of evolving waves building on top of each other, from product cycles on the micro-level, to technological revolutions on the macro-level. You'll be able to assess the theories of economists like Kondratiev and Schumpeter on long waves of societal development and technological innovation and be able to identify and discuss the crucial role of financial bubbles and governmental regulation in the adoption of technological revolutions in the economy.

Diffusion of Technology

After this module, you will be able to examine why and how every technological innovation inevitably creates a new kind of inequality in society and discover Rogers model on the diffusion of innovations and about the importance of being an early adopter. You'll be able to compare and contrast the trade-off between progress and diffusion, considering standardization and societal adoption challenges, as well as analyze how innovations spread through social networks, and explain how social network structure influences innovation diffusion, including the role of connectivity and influencers. You'll be able to analyze social interventions and regulations shaping innovation diffusion, like vaccination campaigns and financial regulations and explain the digital divide's concept and inevitability within social network diffusion. You will be able to analyze the multidimensional aspects of the digital divide and develop strategies to address it and evaluate technological progress's impact on the digital divide, considering access and utilization efficiency.

Artificial Intelligence (AI), Ethics, & Policies

After this module, you will be able to discuss the crucial importance of social guidance in the social construction of any technology and manage technological change in companies and government. You will be able to analyze socio-technological constructs and policies from public and private sectors, as well as examine the AI alignment problem, its definition, challenges, and its importance for human development. You'll be able to recognize traditional ethical frameworks' role in AI alignment, addressing biases and promoting inclusivity and evaluate ethical implications of unintended consequences in AI alignment. You'll be able to recognize the necessity of defining clear objectives for AI systems to mitigate risks and be able to analyze the interplay between cultural values and AI development for addressing diverse ethical perspectives.