[go: up one dir, main page]
More Web Proxy on the site http://driver.im/ skip to main content
10.1145/508791.508929acmconferencesArticle/Chapter ViewAbstractPublication PagessacConference Proceedingsconference-collections
Article

Contradictions and critical issues during system evolution

Published: 11 March 2002 Publication History

Abstract

In this paper the issue of system evolution is addressed. Activity Theory and the concept of exapansive cycles are reviewed as theories to explain systemic evolution. Contradictions often manifest themselves in deviating human behaviour or in modifications to external artefacts, i.e., they result in a form of systemic behaviour which has often been treated as undesirable. It is shown that contradictions within activity systems are both catalysts and opportunities for system change. In the context of safety-related systems this is put at the centre of investigation in the form of critical issues. An example from an industrial case study is reported, where this approach was applied, and where with this approach affective and communicational problems were identified.

References

[1]
Air Accidents Investigation Branch. Report on the accident to Boing 737-400 G-OBME near Kegworth, Leicestershire, Report 4/90. Department of Transport, London, UK, 1990.
[2]
J. Annett and K. Duncan. Task analysis and training design. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 41:211-221, 1967.
[3]
L. Bannon. From human factors to human actors: The role of psychology and human-computer interaction in systems design. In J. Greenbaum and M. Kyng, editors, Design at Work. Lawrence Erlbaum, 1990.
[4]
L. Bannon and S. Bødker. Beyond the Interface: Encountering Artefacts in Use. In J. Carroll, editor, Designing Interaction, chapter 12. Cambridge University Press, 1991.
[5]
S. Bødker. Activity theory as a challnge to systems design. In H. Nissen, H. Klein, and R. Hirschheim, editors, Information Systems Research Arena of the 90s. Elsevier, 1991.
[6]
S. Card, T. Moran, and A. Newell. The Psychology of Human-Computer Interaction. Lawrence Erlbaum, London, 1983.
[7]
M. Cole. Cultural Psychology. Harvard University Press, 1996.
[8]
E. Edwards. Introductory Overview. In E. Wiener and D. Nagel, editors, Human Factors in Aviation. San Diego: Academic Press, 1988.
[9]
P. Ehn. Work-oriented design of computer artifacts. Stockholm: Arbetslivscentrum, 1988.
[10]
Y. Engestrøm. Learning by expanding: an activity-theoretical approach to developmental research. Helsinki: Orienta-Konsultit, 1987.
[11]
Y. Engestrøm. Activity theory and individual and social transformation. In Y. Engestrøm, R. Mietinnen, and R. Punamäki, editors, Perspectives on activity theory. Cambridge University Press, 1999.
[12]
Y. Engestrøm, R. Mietinnen, and R. Punamäki. Perspectives on activity theory. Cambridge University Press, 1999.
[13]
E. Hutchins. Cognition in the Wild. MIT Press, 1995.
[14]
B. Jordan. Ethnographic workplace studies and CSCW. In D. Shapiro, M. Tauber, and R. Traunmüller, editors, The Design of CSCW and Groupware Systems, chapter 3. North-Holland, 1996.
[15]
J. Kemeny. Report of the President's Commission Three Mile Island. US Government Accounting Office, Washington, D.C., 1979.
[16]
K. Kuutti. Activity theory, transformation of work,and information systems design. In Y. Engestrøm, R. Mietinnen, and R. Punamäki, editors, Perspectives on activity theory. Cambridge University Press, 1999.
[17]
A. Leontev. Activity, Consciousness, and Personality. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1978.
[18]
N. Leveson. SAFEWARE: System Safety and Computers. Addison Wesley, 1995.
[19]
N. Leveson and C. Turner. An investigation of the Therac-25 accidents. IEEE Computer, pages 18-43, 1993.
[20]
A. Luria. The problem of the cultural development of the child. Journal of genetic psychology, 35(506), 1928.
[21]
B. Nardi. Context and Consciousness. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1996.
[22]
J. Reason. Managing the Risks of Organisational Accidents. Ashgate Publishing, Aldershot, England, 1997.
[23]
M. Scaife and Y. Rogers. External cognition: How do graphical representations work? International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 45:185-213, 1996.
[24]
L. Suchman. Plans and Situated Actions: The Problem of Human-Machine Communication. Cambridge University Press, 1987.
[25]
M. Sujan. Human and Organisational Aspects in Safety-Relevant Technical Systems. Logos Verlag, Berlin, 2001.
[26]
USSR State Committee on the Utilisation of Atomic Energy. The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and its consequences. Report presented at AIEA Experts Metting, Vienna, August 1986.
[27]
K. Vicente. A few implications of an ecological approach to human factors. In J. Flach, P. Hancock, J. Carid, and K. Vicente, editors, Global Perspective on the Ecology of Human-Machine Systems. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1995.
[28]
L. Vygotsky. Mind in Society. Harward University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1978.
[29]
L. Vygotsky. Thought and Language. MIT Press, 1986.
[30]
J. Wertsch. The Social Formation of Mind. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1985.
[31]
T. Winograd and F. Flores. Understanding Computers and Cognition: A New Foundation for Design. Ablex, 1987.

Cited By

View all
  • (2013)Educational use of information and communications technology: teachers’ perspectiveTechnology, Pedagogy and Education10.1080/1475939X.2013.81340723:2(225-241)Online publication date: 30-Jul-2013
  • (2007)Parameter network as a means for driving problem solving processInternational Journal of Computer Applications in Technology10.1504/IJCAT.2007.01570330:1/2(125-136)Online publication date: 1-Nov-2007
  • (2007)A framework for OTSM TRIZ-based computer support to be used in complex problem managementInternational Journal of Computer Applications in Technology10.1504/IJCAT.2007.01570030:1/2(88-104)Online publication date: 1-Nov-2007
  • Show More Cited By

Index Terms

  1. Contradictions and critical issues during system evolution

    Recommendations

    Comments

    Please enable JavaScript to view thecomments powered by Disqus.

    Information & Contributors

    Information

    Published In

    cover image ACM Conferences
    SAC '02: Proceedings of the 2002 ACM symposium on Applied computing
    March 2002
    1200 pages
    ISBN:1581134452
    DOI:10.1145/508791
    Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than ACM must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected]

    Sponsors

    Publisher

    Association for Computing Machinery

    New York, NY, United States

    Publication History

    Published: 11 March 2002

    Permissions

    Request permissions for this article.

    Check for updates

    Author Tags

    1. dependability
    2. socio-technical systems
    3. system evolution

    Qualifiers

    • Article

    Conference

    SAC02
    Sponsor:
    SAC02: 2002 ACM Symposium on Applied Computing
    March 11 - 14, 2002
    Madrid, Spain

    Acceptance Rates

    Overall Acceptance Rate 1,650 of 6,669 submissions, 25%

    Upcoming Conference

    SAC '25
    The 40th ACM/SIGAPP Symposium on Applied Computing
    March 31 - April 4, 2025
    Catania , Italy

    Contributors

    Other Metrics

    Bibliometrics & Citations

    Bibliometrics

    Article Metrics

    • Downloads (Last 12 months)2
    • Downloads (Last 6 weeks)0
    Reflects downloads up to 12 Dec 2024

    Other Metrics

    Citations

    Cited By

    View all
    • (2013)Educational use of information and communications technology: teachers’ perspectiveTechnology, Pedagogy and Education10.1080/1475939X.2013.81340723:2(225-241)Online publication date: 30-Jul-2013
    • (2007)Parameter network as a means for driving problem solving processInternational Journal of Computer Applications in Technology10.1504/IJCAT.2007.01570330:1/2(125-136)Online publication date: 1-Nov-2007
    • (2007)A framework for OTSM TRIZ-based computer support to be used in complex problem managementInternational Journal of Computer Applications in Technology10.1504/IJCAT.2007.01570030:1/2(88-104)Online publication date: 1-Nov-2007
    • (2007)Understanding User's Role in Computer-Based Information Systems--Lessons Learned from Dealing with Mislabelling in Blood Production ProcessProceedings of the Twentieth IEEE International Symposium on Computer-Based Medical Systems10.1109/CBMS.2007.119(313-318)Online publication date: 20-Jun-2007

    View Options

    Login options

    View options

    PDF

    View or Download as a PDF file.

    PDF

    eReader

    View online with eReader.

    eReader

    Media

    Figures

    Other

    Tables

    Share

    Share

    Share this Publication link

    Share on social media