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Showing papers by "Susan Leigh Star published in 1995"


Book
01 Sep 1995
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe how computers are rapidly diffusing through every organizational, creative ad domestic setting, creating cultural changes in all of them, and scholars are using the tools of anthropology, sociology and organizational theory to understand these processes.
Abstract: From the Publisher: Computers are rapidly diffusing through every organizational, creative ad domestic setting, creating cultural changes in all of them. Scholars are using the tools of anthropology, sociology and organizational theory to understand these processes. Some of them are associated with making, and some with using, computers and information technology.

195 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: While TTS was designed to make job performance more efficient, it has created the opposite effect: discouraging the training of new hands, breaking up the community of practice by eliminating troubleshooting conversations, and extending the time spent on a single job by segmenting coherent troubleshooting efforts into unconnected ticket-based tasks.
Abstract: actually interfere with doing a job well, since efficient work tends to be interpreted (and rewarded) as doing a job quickly, and doing several jobs a day. It frequently happens that doing a job well means taking longer to complete it since problems may arise that need to be dealt with. Taking the time to troubleshoot can mean doing work activities that cannot be accounted for by the system. TTS tickets are generated only for specific kinds of work (such as trouble tickets or job tickets) and not for other kinds of work: See, I've got to account for my time with tickets. In other words, I can't be giving out freebies, I can't work and not get credit for it on my TTS. I wouldn't want to be starting carrier [today]. When I started I was trained by fellow guys at the CO, who were great. If I was starting ... these poor guys I see, nobody helps them. They get tickets. Ticket comes in, foreman says \" OK, you're doing specials today. \" \" Specials, what's that? \" So here, he gets a ticket, loads it to himself, now what's he do? Now he's walking around in a daze and nobody wants to help him. .. there's nothing I can say \" I'm training him \" ; I can't put a \" training ticket \" in. While TTS was designed to make job performance more efficient, it has created the opposite effect: discouraging the training of new hands, breaking up the community of practice by eliminating troubleshooting conversations, and extending the time spent on a single job by segmenting coherent troubleshooting efforts into unconnected ticket-based tasks. These are dire consequences of a technology designed for efficiency. It is within work communities that new hands learn the ropes, peers consult on problems and extend their own understanding of an ever-changing technical profession , and workers share the tools and techniques they infrastructure [INFRA + STRUCTURE] A collective term for the subordinate parts of an undertaking; substructure, foundation. work What a person does or did; an act, deed, proceeding, business. — from Oxford English Dictionary (Version 2.1 online) T he 1971 Oxford English Dictionary contained no definition of infrastructure, but offered the Latin meaning of \" infra \" — \" under the Forum, within the walls, \" often applied to new vernacular terms. \" Computing infrastructure \" or \" national …

34 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The relation entre la science, la medecine, and la technologie is analysee, and montre le lien entre the pratique and la connaissance.
Abstract: La relation entre la science, la medecine et la technologie est analysee, et montre le lien entre la pratique et la connaissance

34 citations


Journal ArticleDOI

6 citations