Kristin Wulff
Lightning Talk
Sociotechnical systems theory was made based on the discovery that different people use technology different. The first research report was from coalmines where new technology that was introduced made the work go slower. But then, they discovered one mine who managed to use the technology in a more efficient way, and this is an important discovery.
Because, if people work differently with the same technology, then we need to understand how to design good work. That means that we need to have design principles, not only for designing technology but for designing work systems consisting of people and technology.
With this realization the sociotechnical systems design principles were born, and they are as useful today as they was then. These design principles are described as the conceptual underpinnings of agile, and can help us understand how to improve our work and the outcomes of our work.
I will give examples of the sociotechnical systems design principles and talk about how they are useful for us now in designing work systems. I have a PhD in sociotechnical systems design, and try to find ways to explain them in a practical and useful way.
