Engineering Complex Human-Technological Work Systems: A Sensemaking Approach

Abstract

This paper explores two underlying philosophical traditions that are relevant to the design and analysis of complex human-technological work systems - i.e., organizations of people and technology that deal with complex problem spaces in today's society. The first tradition (classical/positivist) dominates the design of information system technology. The second tradition (sensemaking/constructivist) enjoys a prominent place in the scientific study of human behavior at the individual and social level. These two traditions reflect radically different views of data, information, tacit knowledge, shared knowledge, and so forth. This paper explores these two traditions and summarizes their implications, many of the core constructs that must be considered by the systems engineer. By adopting the latter tradition, the systems engineer is able to gain further insight into the nature and functioning of complex human-technological work systems.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 2007
Accession Number
ADA481418

Entities

People

  • Celestine A. Ntuen
  • Dennis K. Leedom
  • Robert G. Eggleston

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • C4I
  • Engineered Resilient Systems
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force Research Laboratories
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Communication Systems
  • Computer Science
  • Computers
  • Engineering
  • Engineers
  • Human Behavior
  • Information Processing
  • Information Science
  • Information Systems
  • Information Theory
  • Knowledge Management
  • Personnel Management
  • Psychology
  • Situational Awareness
  • Systems Engineering

Fields of Study

  • Computer science

Readers

  • Organizational Process Management (OPM).
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.
  • Team-Based Human-Centered Cognitive Task Decision Making and Information Performance.

Technology Areas

  • Space