Definition / description
Sociotechnical systems (STS) are dynamic, adaptive systems resulting from the interaction of people using tools, techniques and knowledge (the technical subsystem) to produce a product or service. This definition considers organizations consisting of three interdependent subsystems: social, technical, and environmental. Each must be aligned and work together so the organization can function optimally [17]. STS theory was codified [18] in research of the mechanization of coal mines in Britain. Typically, the STS knowledge domain is by nature interdisciplinary: in organizational development and social sciences the focus is mostly on complex organizational work design that recognizes the interaction between people and technology, while in computer science and engineering is an approach to develop functional jointly optimized whole systems.
Since the socio technical systems functionality is optimized only when there is synergy and collaboration between people, technology and the environment, tasks and processes and the whole system design must be devised taking into account the three and their interactions. Achieving joint optimization is challenging necessary to benefit from the increased efficiency offered by STS vs. pure technical systems [23]. It remains complicated, due to the simultaneous need to address multiple systems and unpredictable, due to dynamic interrelationships. No single model or modeling technique exists to guide development to achieve joint optimization, however some of the underlying principles are:
Tue, Jul 23, 2019
|