A Methodology for the Analysis and Design of Human Information Processing Organizations.
Abstract
The design of human organizations in which members perform routine tasks under the pressure of time is considered, particularly the problem of where and how in the design process to take into account human behavior and limitations. A three-phase design approach is suggested. In the first phase, the impact of human characteristics is neglected and attention is focused on aspects of organization structure that are external to individual members. In the second phase, implementations for these decision rules are devised and models of actual human behavior and induced workload for the tasks established for each member are developed. The descriptions are determined as a function of parameters that relate to features of the task set-up and to the options provided to the member for accomplishing his task. A final design phase places these parameters for best organization performance and in view of the workload limitations of individual members. The result is an organization design. The three-phase approach has been formalized as a multi-step methodology. Discussion and illustration is given for each design step. In addition, the methodology is exercised on a specific problem and the resulting organization design has been built. Operation of the organization has been tested under several conditions and experimentally observed results match those predicted for the design, which in turn supports the validity of the design approach. (Thesis)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1985
- Accession Number
- ADA162083
Entities
People
- Kevin L. Boettcher
Organizations
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology