PhD Thesis by Roland Gasser
Human Factors as an interdisciplinary science investigates the interaction of humans and technolo... more Human Factors as an interdisciplinary science investigates the interaction of humans and technology. Safety, reliability and productivity are its primary concerns. Today’s work contexts are getting ever more informatized, virtual, adaptive and dynamic. The underlying networked technologies are highly complex and distributed. As a consequence, both the theoretical fundaments and the methodological toolbox of Human Factors become somewhat challenged. By drawing on the field of production planning and scheduling (PPS) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems as an example of such a work context, this thesis is making explicit how Human Factors fails to fully account for many problems and questions related to this type of environment. An overview of Human Factors research in PPS is leading to a list of unresolved issues and open questions. As a consequence of these observations, I am proposing a philosophical reorientation based on critical realist thought leading to an elaboration of the philosophical assumptions behind Human Factors as a discipline. Hereby, I focus on agency and social structures as central concepts for the understanding and explanation of human behavior. The meta-theoretical, ontological fundament that I put forward then allows for a through discussion of existing methodological approaches to the field of PPS. These considerations lead to the formulation of a critical realist theory/methods package for Human Factors to address the research issues identified in the PPS domain. To illustrate my reflections on a critical Human Factors perspective developed as such, I am retrospectively testing the proposed package of selected methods with empirical material from two case studies of medium sized industrial companies. The first case study employs socio-cognitive discourse analysis to describe position-practices, intentionality and fields of tension related to ERP implementation and use. The second case study complements the first one by using an extended form of Cognitive Work Analysis and Archer’s morphogenetic approach to analyze the work environment. I conclude with implications resulting from the discussion of the applicability and explanatory power of the theory/methods package. From the point of view adopted here, a more politically conscious and self-critical positioning of Human Factors is advocated. Through the integration of agency and social structure into our thinking about technology, our design and development interventions will become more tuned to the networked workplaces and globalized workforce we are increasingly engaged with.
Papers by Roland Gasser
IDHEAP Working Paper 1/2021, 2021
Der Ausgangspunkt des Papers besteht in der Beobachtung, dass die Schweizer Spitäler und Kliniken... more Der Ausgangspunkt des Papers besteht in der Beobachtung, dass die Schweizer Spitäler und Kliniken sehr unterschiedliche Qualitätsanforderungen erfüllen müssen. Es besteht eine fast unüberschaubare Vielfalt von kantonalen Vorgaben für Betriebsbewilligungen und Spitallisten, Qualitätslabels, Qualitätszertifikaten, nationalen Messplänen, Registern und tariflichen Finanzierungsvoraussetzungen. Für Spitäler wie auch für Behörden ist die Situation aufgrund der fehlenden Abstimmung dieser Vorgaben schwierig und es besteht eine hohe Intransparenz, was die Erfüllung von kantonalen und nationalen Qualitätsstandards anbelangt. Als Lösungsvorschlag diskutiert diese Arbeit die Möglichkeit eines nationalen Akkreditierungsprogramms für Spitäler und Kliniken. Ziel ist dabei, eine nationale Akkreditierung von Spitälern in Bezug auf ihre Vor- und Nachteile bei einer Implementierung in der Schweiz zu bewerten, das Potenzial zu einer Stärkung der gesundheitspolizeilichen Aufsicht auszuloten, die Möglichkeiten zur Implementierung einer kontinuierlichen Qualitätsentwicklung zu eruieren und Empfehlungen an die Entscheidungsträger in Politik und Verwaltung abzugeben.
Behavioral Operations in Planning and Scheduling, 2010
Production planning and scheduling (PPS) requires human decision making. In this chapter, we intr... more Production planning and scheduling (PPS) requires human decision making. In this chapter, we introduce two theoretical models of Naturalistic Decision Making (NDM). Their applicability to the PPS domain has not been investigated to date. A field study in a Swiss manufacturing company is described, using existing NDM methods to study 'real world' decision making. The findings indicate that planners are using substantial amounts of general production and businessrelated knowledge to identify and solve decision problems. In their daily work, they are very much dependent on a supportive socio-technical environment that allows efficient information provision, diagnosis and interpretation of the state of affairs, and the development of expertise. The chapter closes with a discussion of NDMrelated theoretical and methodological issues, as well as some implications of our research for decision support design.
Behavioral Operations in Planning and Scheduling, 2010
ABSTRACT This chapter has been triggered by the experience that the implementation of new informa... more ABSTRACT This chapter has been triggered by the experience that the implementation of new information technology (IT) supporting planning, scheduling, and control – although being more sophisticated than earlier systems – does not necessarily result in better control. Also, the experience was made that the implementation of the same IT leads to different results in similar organisations. Against this background, we introduce a process model of control (Sect. 10.2). The model proposes a set of interrelated factors determining control. At its core it assumes that control results as a fit of control requirements and control behaviour. The former is determined by operational uncertainties the latter by control opportunities, control skills and control motivation. Since the implementation of a new IT can have an impact on all these factors it can lead to a misfit of control behaviour and control requirements and hence to low control – even if the new IT itself is more powerful than the old IT. Furthermore, we also discuss motivational influences these changes may have on human behaviour (Sect. 10.3). Finally we derive some practical dos and don’ts when implementing new IT (Sect. 10.4).
Automated collection and storage of medical data leads to large amounts of heterogeneous and time... more Automated collection and storage of medical data leads to large amounts of heterogeneous and time-dependent information. Out of this follows the problem of how to access and interpret this data, in order to support therapeutic decision making. Telemedical disease management holds great potential for the efficient and effective treatment of chronic diseases. The realization of this potential however depends on
Conference Papers by Roland Gasser
Decision research has revealed a variety of adaptive strategies that experts use when making deci... more Decision research has revealed a variety of adaptive strategies that experts use when making decisions; however, there is no widely accepted model of how experienced decision makers choose such a strategy to solve a particular decision problem. Within most decision-making models that include a selection mechanism, decision strategies are selected according to cost-benefit trade-offs. These models assume that the selection is based on an evaluation of the subjectively expected utility of a correct decision and the effort the decision maker is willing to make in the situation at hand. In opposition, there are research findings showing that proficient decision makers mainly seem to select strategies based on recognition of the decision situation and a history of successful applications of a certain strategy. In this context I discuss findings from a field study in production planning and scheduling that are contrary to predictions from cost-benefit models. In accordance with recent scholarly work on routine decisions, I suggest that decision-strategy selection mechanisms based on recognition are a valid theoretical background for the design of future decision support systems. Accordingly, the cognitive engineering focus would shift from accuracy maximization and effort reduction to situational differentiation and strategy learning.
In a field study we compared usage and acceptance of a mobile lifestyle coaching application with... more In a field study we compared usage and acceptance of a mobile lifestyle coaching application with a traditional web application. The participants (N=40) documented health behaviour (activity and healthy nutrition) daily, trying to reach a defined goal. In addition, health questionnaires and social facilitation features were provided to enhance motivation. Acceptance of the system was high in both groups. The mobile application was perceived as being more attractive and fun to use. Analysis of the usage patterns showed significant differences between the mobile and the web-based application. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of task compliance and health behaviour. The effectiveness of mobility and social facilitation was confounded by other variables, e.g. gender and age. Initial motivation for lifestyle change was related to the overall compliance and goal achievement of the participant. Implications show ways to strengthen the persuasiveness of health applications on mobile devices.
Discursive perspectives on technology suggest a discourse-based social construction of technology... more Discursive perspectives on technology suggest a discourse-based social construction of technology that is achieved mainly through the pre-implementation negotiations of meaning between buyer, supplier, and users of a technology (Grint & Woolgar, 1997; Dery et al., 2006; Elbanna, 2006). These processes are not well understood in the case of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems (Shepherd et al., 2009). Our intention is to contribute to a better understanding because many ERP implementation projects
countinue to be problematic. The most successful projects seem to be those who are highly committed to implement a "vanilla ERP", an off-the-shelf product with little or no customization, to the cost of big organizational change programs (Soja, 2006; Finney
& Corbett, 2007; Wang et al., 2008). This supports our general hypothesis that the failure of many ERP implementations might be due to a neglect of pre- and postimplementation social construction dynamics. Especially on management levels,
technology is perceived as inherently neutral and instrumental. The advantage of discourse-oriented perspectives - which we are employing here - is that they have the potential to illustrate how various involved actors legitimise or undermine ERP procurement, implementation and usage (cf. Grant & Hall, 2005; Grant et al., 2006). However, analytical methods from a discursive perspective are neither readily available nor formally connected to methods used in IT management or business engineering. Early-phase requirements engineering (RE) offers analytical tools to model different goals and intentions of actors within a distributed socio-technical network. For example the i* (pronounced 'i-star'; Yu, 1997; Yu, 2009) or the KAOS framework
(Letier, 2001; van Lamsweerde & Letier, 2004). These approaches primarily serve the objectives of informing the later RE process, without being explicitly aware of the social dynamics of discourse around and within RE modeling.
In this paper, a case study of a Swiss manufacturing company is used to describe the pre-implementation discursive negotiations of ERP technology with the support of i* as a modeling framework for distributed goal structures.
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PhD Thesis by Roland Gasser
Papers by Roland Gasser
Conference Papers by Roland Gasser
countinue to be problematic. The most successful projects seem to be those who are highly committed to implement a "vanilla ERP", an off-the-shelf product with little or no customization, to the cost of big organizational change programs (Soja, 2006; Finney
& Corbett, 2007; Wang et al., 2008). This supports our general hypothesis that the failure of many ERP implementations might be due to a neglect of pre- and postimplementation social construction dynamics. Especially on management levels,
technology is perceived as inherently neutral and instrumental. The advantage of discourse-oriented perspectives - which we are employing here - is that they have the potential to illustrate how various involved actors legitimise or undermine ERP procurement, implementation and usage (cf. Grant & Hall, 2005; Grant et al., 2006). However, analytical methods from a discursive perspective are neither readily available nor formally connected to methods used in IT management or business engineering. Early-phase requirements engineering (RE) offers analytical tools to model different goals and intentions of actors within a distributed socio-technical network. For example the i* (pronounced 'i-star'; Yu, 1997; Yu, 2009) or the KAOS framework
(Letier, 2001; van Lamsweerde & Letier, 2004). These approaches primarily serve the objectives of informing the later RE process, without being explicitly aware of the social dynamics of discourse around and within RE modeling.
In this paper, a case study of a Swiss manufacturing company is used to describe the pre-implementation discursive negotiations of ERP technology with the support of i* as a modeling framework for distributed goal structures.
countinue to be problematic. The most successful projects seem to be those who are highly committed to implement a "vanilla ERP", an off-the-shelf product with little or no customization, to the cost of big organizational change programs (Soja, 2006; Finney
& Corbett, 2007; Wang et al., 2008). This supports our general hypothesis that the failure of many ERP implementations might be due to a neglect of pre- and postimplementation social construction dynamics. Especially on management levels,
technology is perceived as inherently neutral and instrumental. The advantage of discourse-oriented perspectives - which we are employing here - is that they have the potential to illustrate how various involved actors legitimise or undermine ERP procurement, implementation and usage (cf. Grant & Hall, 2005; Grant et al., 2006). However, analytical methods from a discursive perspective are neither readily available nor formally connected to methods used in IT management or business engineering. Early-phase requirements engineering (RE) offers analytical tools to model different goals and intentions of actors within a distributed socio-technical network. For example the i* (pronounced 'i-star'; Yu, 1997; Yu, 2009) or the KAOS framework
(Letier, 2001; van Lamsweerde & Letier, 2004). These approaches primarily serve the objectives of informing the later RE process, without being explicitly aware of the social dynamics of discourse around and within RE modeling.
In this paper, a case study of a Swiss manufacturing company is used to describe the pre-implementation discursive negotiations of ERP technology with the support of i* as a modeling framework for distributed goal structures.