lecture 6 - socio-technical Flashcards
Socio-technical systems
the interrelatedness of social and technical aspects of an organization or the society as a whole. How activities are divided
What is a system? and core concepts
structured wholes by interacting parts. core concepts
– Inter-relationships. All the elements have to work together. Communication.
– Boundaries. What is inside imporabt and what uis outsude maybe not so important.
– Perspectives. Different perspective and how they are all aligned. Profit motive. Or excellence motive. Aware of these
process maping.
spaghetti map. process activity map. process on paper.
- Demand amplification map
* Supply chain response map
* Production variety map
* Decoupling point analysis map
* Value stream map
* System archetypes and causal loop diagrams
the machine metaphor.
All small cogs in a huge machine. Play our part somehow. Function together.
work - routine and repetitive.
organisations - rational and efficent means of achieving goals. actions can be predicted. do things cheap.
people - small part i making the large machine function.
Hawthorne works at bell labs - listening a direct effect on the group.
hard vs soft systems?
hard - mechanical and physical laws. rules, training requirements.
soft - biological, leadership, teamwork.
Optimising human performance with technology.
- Mistake proofing. limit an error.
- When you put a human system. Mistakes.
- Pen drive. Can only go in one way.
- Hard and soft. Use of people in systems. Masters of coming up with mistake proofing.
Optimising technology with work design.
diagram. technological interdependence - hard system.
High both – groups that are purposefully not told what to do. You as a team can sort how best to achieve a certain job. Some things respond well to this.tp the right standard and process.
Socio-technical systems failure
When they go wrong, they go wrong in a spectacular way.
