Foreword

 

THE NEW SOCIOTECH

Graffiti on the Long Wall

E. Coakes,   D. Willis and R. Lloyd-Jones

Computer Supported Cooperative Work

Sociotechnical principles are now widely used around the world in both information systems design and organisational design. First established in the 1940's to examine the effect of mechanised, mass-production systems on workers in the cool-mining industry, they are now an important tool for ensuring that people and technology work to optimal effect together within an organisation. One of their main aims is the development of organisations where small groups work independently, handling sets of varied tasks, and managing their own activities.

This volume draws on the practical experiences of professionals and academics across the world in applying sociotechnical approaches to information systems and organisational design. After discussing the general principles involved, the authors explore contemporary approaches used across the world, including Europe, USA, Asia, and the Southern Hemisphere.

The New SocioTech is a practical tool with tips and hints from practitioners and case studies. It covers an increasingly important field as organisations become more complex in structure and global trends prevail.

1-85233-040-6 £37.50 March 2000 224 pages Softcover

 

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Reviews.

The authors have done a good job of intertwining views on human,
organizational, technical and other facets of sociotechnology. They make the case for a sociotechnical perspective as THE organizational change methodology for the 21st century. With this collection of the thought leaders they have the revitalized the "socio" in sociotechnology.
Daniel P. Michel, IBM Management Development

A thought-provoking silver anniversary celebration of socio-technical approaches... made the more refreshing and insightful by applying these abiding concepts to the new, IT-mediated realities of the 21st century.
Bob Galliers, Warwick Business School, University of Warwick
Co-author of Rethinking Management Information Systems"

The book is a thoughtful source of ideas and experiences in applying and extending socio-technical concepts in information systems. Its message is that these concepts are alive and well. The book fills a gap in the literature for both researchers and thoughtful practitioners.
Gordon B. Davis, Honeywell Professor of Management Information Systems, University of Minnesota



CONTENTS

Foreword - Frank Land

Part One: Tracing the Foundations

> Graffiti on the Long Wall: A Sociotechnical Conversation

            - Elayne Coakes, Dianne Willis and Raymond Lloyd-Jones

> Tracing the Roots: The Influence of Sociotechnical Principles on Modern Organisational Change Practices BjØrn Erik Munkvold

Part Two: The Writing on the Wall

> Technology and Freedom: A Sociotechnical Approach - Enid Mumford

> Searching for New Grounds in STS.. Beyond Open Systems Thinking

               - Frans M. van Eijnatten and E.C. Lieke Hoogerwerf

> Sociotechnical Perspectives on Emergence Phenomena - Angela Lin and Tony Cornford

> From Sociotechnical to Critical Complementarist,. A New Direction for Information Systems Development - Steve Clarke and Brian Lehaney

> Sociotechnical Systems: Technique or Philosophy? - David Sutton

> Sociotechnical Design and Economic Objectives - Richard T. Grenci

> The Role of Sociotechnical Thinking in the 15 Curriculum in UK Universities - Brian Hopkins

> Balancing at the Edge of Chaos in a Sociotechnical World - Kay Fielden

 

Part Three: Re-design

> Psychodynamics Meets Cognition: Applying Sociotechnical Concepts in the Design of Information Systems - Andrew Dillon

    > Enhancing IS Quality Through Design- Based Documentation Production

    - David Tuffley

> Design: A Better Way - John Nicholls

Part Four: Transforming the Long Wall

> IS Implementation and Organisational Change: A Sociotechnical Systems Approach

- Margaret T. O'Hara, C. Bruce Kavan and Richard T. Watson

> Virtual Dynamics and Sociotechnical Systems - Eliot Aram

> Knowledge Sharing in Virtual Organisations: The Effects of Task, Role, Status, and Network Structure - Manju K. Ahuja

> Adaptive Processes for Achieving.Sociotechnical Fit in CSCW Groups - Sajda Qureshi and Doug Vogel

> Collaborative Learning and Action Research Network Communications - Annette Karseras

> Stop Information Technology from Undermining Group Autonomy!

    - Markku Nurminen and Antti Tuomisto

> Social Learning in the Australian Defence Forces - Leoni Warne

> Technology, Organisation and Qualifications in Software Development

    Stefan Berndes and Uwe Lunstroth

 

 

ECoakes