Introduction to Socio-technical
Systems
Brian Whitworth
Institute of Information and Mathematical Sciences,
Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
Definition
• A socio-technical system (STS) is a social system that
operates upon a technical base
– Email is social communication by technology means.
• The term was introduced by the Tavistock Institute in
the 1950’s as manufacturing needs of industry
confronted the social needs of local communities, e.g.
in English coalmines
• See http://www.strategosinc.com/socio-technical.htm
Facebook – Now 30 Million
Jeremy Zawodny
Systems Theory
• Socio-technical theory traces back to general
systems theory (Bertalanffy, 1968)
– Systems composed of autonomous yet
interdependent parts, that mutually interact to create
an equally autonomous self-directing whole.
– System is the parts plus their interactions
– It emerges from its components by feed-back and
feed-forward dynamics
– Holistic systems can self-organize, self-reference
and self-maintain
Example: Pilot-Plane
• Mechanical (plane) system beside a human (pilot)
– Different systems with different needs
• Human Computer Interaction (HCI) => the pilot
must understand the plane which must fit the pilot
• In STS, plane plus pilot is a single system, with
human and mechanical levels.
– The pilot's body is just as physical as the plane.
– Pilot adds a human thought level that sits above the plane’s
mechanical level, allowing "pilot + plane" system to
strategize and analyze.
– Modern planes have computer information processing
systems apart from HCI human and mechanical frame
– Many planes together allow a social group level
Socio-technical levels
Level
Discipline
System
Combination
Examples
Community
Sociology,
Politics,
Business
Social
SocioCulture, roles, laws
sanctions
technical
Systems (STS)
Individual
Psychology,
Biology
Cognitive
Human
Computer
Interaction
(HCI)
Informational Computer
Science,
Information
Science
Physical
Software
(S/W)
Engineering, Physical
Physics,
Chemistry
Table 1. Socio-technical levels
Technology
(H/W & S/W)
Hardware
(H/W)
Attitudes, beliefs,
ideas, opinions
Programs, data,
bandwidth, memory
Computer, mouse,
wires, printer,
keyboard
Web of System Performance
Functionality
Reliability
Extendibility
Connectivity
Privacy
Security
Flexibility
Usability
WOSP LEVELS
Functionality
Power
Ruggedness
Permeability
Receptivity
Stealth
Armor
Mobility
Inheritance
Interoperability
Connectivity
Modularity
Impenetrability
Autonomy
Consumption
Latency
a. Hardware Requirements
b. Software Requirements
TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
Synergy
Capability
Reliability
Extendibility
Confidentiality
Richness
Security
Flexibility
Openness
Order
Transparency
Privacy
Identity
Freedom
Morale
Ease of Use
d. Communal Requirements
c. Human Requirements
SOCIAL REQUIREMENTS
System Requirements
Higher
Contexts
Better
. . . . Performance
Society
Community
Organization
Emergence
STS System
Group
Personal
Requirements
HCI System
Software System
Dependence
Hardware System
Communal
Requirements
Information
Requirements
Physical
Requirements
Increasing Requirements
SocioTechnical
Requirements
Three Process Model
HUMAN
BEHAVIOUR
Process 1.
Represent the Group
Who are we?
(maintain group identity)
Given my group,
our relations must
be this way ...
Given my group, the
task must be done
this way ....
causes
1. Normative influence:
Actions based on
group requirements
Process 2.
Relate to others
Who are you?
(maintain our relation)
Given our relations
the task must be
done this way ...
causes
Process 3.
Resolve the task
What must I do?
(maintain the world)
2. Relational influence:
Actions based on
relational requirements
causes
3. Task influence:
Actions based on task
requirements
Human behavior arises
from the interaction of
all three processes
Communication Linkage
S
S
R
a. One-to-one
S
R
b. One-to-one, two-way
R1
S1
R2
S2
R3
S3
c. One-to-many
d. many-to-one
merged signal
S/R1
S/R2
S/R3
Many-to-many, two-way
R
Communication Forms
Linkage
Broadcast
Express
iveness
Streaming
Recorded
Interpersonal
Streaming
Recorded
Communal
Streaming
Recorded
Flares
Footprint,
Track
Body
posture,
Gesture
Acknowledge
Show of hands,
Applause,
Web counter,
Karma system,
Tag clouds
Online voting,
Reputation system,
Social bookmarks,
Blackboard,
PowerPoint
Web site,
Blog,
Poster,
Photo
Notice board,
Book,
Sign language
Texting,
Email,
Letter
Chat,
Instant message
Social network
Wikipedia,
Emarket,
Online community,
Bulletin board,
News feeds
Online reviews
Media sharing
ListServ
Dynamicaudio
Radio,
Loudspeaker,
Soapbox
Podcast,
Music download
Record/ CD
Telephone,
Skype
Answer-phone
Radio talk-back,
Conference call
Choir,
Online talk-back?
Online choirs/music
groups?
Television,
Movie,
FTF speech,
Show,
Online video,
Videotape,
DVD
FTF
conversation
Video-phone
Multimedia
FTF meeting,
Cocktail party
TV interviews
MMORPG
Simulated worlds
Video-conference
Position
Document
Killer App
Main Human Role
Main Computer Role
Email
Create conversation
Information transfer
Blogs
Expression
Information display
Wikipedia
Create knowledge
Version control and revert
E-bay
Trade
Calculate reputation ratings
Hypertext
Make associations
Connect links
Social Networks
Make friends
Open communication channels
Chat
Group conversations
Append to text stream
Browser
Gather information
Display and link URLs
Online games
Play game
Connect players to the game
Synergy/Defect Examples
Aim
Examples
Synergy
Defection
Communicate
Email, Chat,
ListServ, IM
Shared communication: People send
messages they otherwise would not
Spam: Spammers waste others time, giving
spam filters.
Learn
WebCT Moodle
Blackboard,
Shared learning: Students help others
learn, reduce teacher bottlenecks
Plagiarism: Students copy other student’s
work, giving systems like Turnitin.com.
Knowledge
Wikipedia,
Tiddlywiki
Shared knowledge: Taps knowledge
of the group, not just a few ”experts”
Trolls: Wikipedia’s monitors and rights
fight “trolls” who damage knowledge.
Friends
Facebook,
Myspace
Relationships: People keep in touch
with friends and family
Predation: Social network predators find
victims, giving reporting and banishing
Keeping
current
Digg,
Del.icio.us
Shared bookmarks: Social bookmarks
let people see what others look at.
Advocates: Who “digg” a site because of a
vested interest, e.g. they own it.
Play
Second Life,
MMORPG, Sims
Shared play: An avatar experiences
things impossible in reality.
Bullies/Thieves: “Newbies” robbed by
veterans don’t return, so need “safe” areas.
Trade
E-Bay, Craig’s
List, Amazon
Item trading: People from anywhere
exchange more goods.
Scams: Scammers are reduced by online
reputation systems.
Work
Monster
Work trading: People find and offer
work more easily.
Faking: Padded CVs and fake job offers
need online reputation systems.
Down-load
Webdonkey, BitTorrent Napster,
Shared down-loading: Groups share
the processing load of file downloads.
Piracy: Napster was in conflict with
society’s copyright laws, so closed down.
Media
Sharing
Flickr, YouTube
podcasting
Shared experiences: People share
photos/videos with family/ friends.
Offensiveness: Editors remove offensive
items—violence, porn, scatology…
Advice
Tech help boards
like, AnandTech
Shared technical advice: People who
have solved problems can help others
more easily.
Confusers: People who start new tracks
rather than checking existing ones are
relocated and scolded.
Express
opinions
Slashdot, BoingBoing, Blogs
Shared opinions: People express and
read others opinions more easily
Caviling: People who “peck” new ideas to
death—karma systems deselect them.
Socio-technical Design
Socio-technical Design
Social
Requirements
Traditional Design
Technical
Requirements
The Future
• The future of software will be more about social than
technical design
• If society believes in freedom, online personas should
belong to the person concerned
• If society gives the right to not communicate so should
email
• If society supports privacy, people should be able to
remove their personal data from online lists
• If society gives people rights to the fruits of their labors
one should be able to sign and own one’s electronic
work
• If society believes in democracy, online communities
should elect their leaders
• Social principles should drive technical design.