Showing papers by "Chris W. Clegg published in 1996"

Tools to incorporate some psychological and organizational issues during the development of computer-based systems

Abstract: The organization, findings and outcomes of a joint industrial/academic project are described. The principal goal of the project was to develop and test some tools through which people involved in system development can incorporate explicit consideration of certain key psychological and organizational issues. Five tools developed for this purpose are outlined. These are concerned with the design of work organization, job design, the allocation of tasks between humans and computers, usability and task analysis. The use of the tools is described in a 'live' system development project in a large company. The authors briefly review the extent to which these tools meet a set of pre-specified requirements, compare their approach with those of Mumford (1986) and Lim et al. (1992), and make explicit what claims they are making of these tools.

Software development: Knowledge-intensive work organizations

Abstract: We report the findings from three studies of software development projects using a series of questions framed to provide a more detailed understanding than usually pertains of the management and organization, outcomes and derivations of work organization. We discuss some practical and theoretical implications of this work; in particular we conclude that these are knowledge intensive work organizations, that current theory is illequipped to address these practices, and that their analysis and understanding requires both organizational and cognitive explanations.

Guest editorial: Integrating organizational and cognitive approaches towards computer-based systems

Abstract: There are two strong psychological research traditions concerned with improving our understanding of computerbased systems, one predominantly focused on organizational issues, the other on cognitive matters. The former incorporates a number of interconnected research topics, including socio-technical systems theory, labour process theory, the study of job demands and job design, and the more general literature examining the links between technology and organizational structures and processes. The latter has a more individualistic focus on research and development into the nature and quality of the interface and the interaction between human and compute r. Unfortunately these two traditions have operated almost independently of one another. Indeed, Clegg (1994) has argued that the organizational and cognitive approaches in this area are differentiated in a number of ways, including: the issues they address; the levels of analysis; the research styles and methods in use; the underlying research paradigms; the application domains; and the outputs. Nevertheless, there are some signs that the different communities can work more closely together. This special issue explores opportunities for integrating organizational and cognitive approaches to our understanding of the development and use of computer-based systems in organizations. The goals are to improve our understanding of practical situations and to develop our conceptua l and methodological tools. This special issue comprises seven papers. All the authors are applied psychologists concerned with developing a better understanding of the ways in which new computerbased systems are developed, implemented, used, evaluated and managed in organizations. They work in Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, and the USA. Their common focus is on the human and organizational aspects of new computer-based systems, though some also have a keen interest in more technical matters. Their concerns include human computer interaction, work organization and job design, organizational structures and processes, the management of change, the role of end users, and so on. All have a theoretical interest accompanied by a very applied and practical focus. Gardner, Chmiel and Wall report a laboratory study of fault diagnosis on a simulated robotics produc tion line. Their argument is that ® eld studies within organizational psychology and organizational behaviour more generally, have widely demonstrated that job designs which give operators greater responsibility and control, for example over computer-based equipment, result in increased levels of performance. But such studies do not demonstrate why this is the case. Their experiment offers a cognitive understanding and appreciation of what may be happening in such situations, drawing on ideas concerned with implicit learning. In this instance, the impact of an organizational choice of working practices requires a cognitive analysis. Furthermore, a cogni tive appreciation of how people learn in such complex systems holds implications for how organizations manage the practice of training. Sonnentag also describes a laboratory study, in this case, of 35 software designers working individually on a standardized design task. Her emphasis is on trying to uncove r some of the cognitive strategies and activities that designers undertake when approaching a design task. She argues that the strategies adopted by the designers proved to be in uenced by their normal work situation, in particular the amount of control they have over their work. Sonnentag provides an argument that cogni tive behaviours are in uenced by organizational practices and arrangements. Heinbokel, Sonnentag, Frese, Stolte and Brodbeck describe

Function Allocation for Future Systems: Developing an Improved Methodology

Abstract: The Defence Evaluation & Research Agency (DERA) is investigating methods of function allocation for future military systems, which could be usefully applied within the Ministry of Defence procurement cycle. A drive for manpower reduction has highlighted the requirement for optimum allocation of tasks between human and machine and also between humans within teams. Over reliance on automation may have significant adverse consequences for the human operator, ranging from loss of situational awareness in the short term, to reduced job satisfaction in the longer term. This paper describes work that has been carried out to investigate the suitability of existing methods of function allocation for complex systems within the Naval domain. To address deficiencies which were identified, a new method of function allocation has been developed and is briefly described. This new method attempts to integrate the two previously disparate literatures concerning function allocation and job design, to ensure the optimal all...

Problems for User Involvement: A Human and Organizational Perspective

Abstract: This paper is concerned with problems that can impede the involvement of users in the development process. Several problem areas are highlighted in a case study of an in-house development project, which arise from the organizational context, process of the method and its relationship with other procedures. We discuss the impacts of these problems and the interconnections between them; the key underlying issues being a lack of integrated effort and incomplete knowledge or experience of those involved. We end the paper by suggesting possible ways forward involving work organized in an integrated development cell, greater participation of all parties in the design of the method, one overseeing manager, and a more thorough piloting and evaluation phase.