The Managerial Value Of Educational Technology And Its Implications On Productivity And Resource Allocation: A Critical Literature Review

Educational Technology (EdTech) is rapidly positioned not just as a pedagogical tool but also as a management resource in improving the productivity of an institution and the efficient distribution of resources. With increasing pressure on higher education institutions to improve efficiency, accountability, and strategic responsiveness, EdTech is being embraced as a means of organizational change and transformation. Although the instructional applications of EdTech are well documented in the literature, its managerial implications remain under-theorized. This critical literature review integrates knowledge on education and management to explore the role of EdTech in determining organizational productivity and institutional resource allocation/distribution. Based on the Resource-Based View (RBV) and Institutional Theory, the review interrogates the key assumptions embedded in the adoption of EdTech. Due to the recursive and contextual-sensitive nature of EdTech value creation, the study proposes a conceptual framework to integrate these findings and give support to future research. The work contributes to a theory-based view on the managerial significance of EdTech and provides the foundations for more critical, equitable and mission-based approaches to digital strategies in higher education.