Paul Edward Eclavea 11108169 MISBUSI MISBUSI Critique Paper The paper of Steven Alter outlines what the work system theory is and how the old system falls short and how the new system addresses these problems. The main idea is that the work system is a natural unit for the analysis of systems inside an organization. The work system being
humans and/or machines doing work, using information
technology and other such resources. The paper states how that by nature work systems should be in sync with its goal, differences of work, gaps in performance and interactions within the system are all compelling reasons why a work system should be improved as it should. These work systems exist to make products and services for the customers, it can be evaluated though a variety of means; partially through efficiency and internal processes of the system and another in part through customer evaluations of the products that are produced. This makes the work system measurable through both internal and external users’ preferences. Work systems also cover totally automated systems and the application of the WST allows for a bridge for experts to work between the socio-technical systems and technical systems which on their own focus on internal operations and user interfaces respectively. respectively. It is declared that systems constantly change over time both due to planned and unplanned change and the changes involved are not only in hardware and software but all other components of a work system.
New variables are introduced to give a more precise look at the work system. The old variables were lacking in the proper evaluation of systems for them to be upgraded. These new variables include the processes and activities, participants, information, technology, the product/service, the customer, environment, the infrastructure and the strategies being applied to the work system.
The old framework of Steven Alter states how there was minimal direction given to the user through the steps that were given and it was all vaguely connected. In the new system the procedure would be to focus the work systems themselves, the problems and opportunities for the system to improve itself over time and allows it to grow better and in the process addressing real problems that are faced in the real-time situation and an output that amounts to a more productive and more directed system.
This approach, working towards problems directly rather than as a set of directions or as a template tackled problems faster and allowed solutions to be implemented more effectively into the different work systems.
The another approach to the new system improved how to define the system’s scope making it easier to locate where the problems since the borders to where potential problems are focused to definite places. The work system should be the most focused since it identifies problems and oppurtunities per system. Focusing on the problems in this nature allows the improvement of the system through the features, benefits and how the system is currently rather than as a general business situation where there is room for misjudgement. The new system’s users even state how there is much effort put into the identification of the work system’s scope and looking at the problem’s focal points and as this process goes on leading to new scopes and limitations of the system currently. In the old system the common error of assuming that the system consist of only the software and computerised information led to inaccurate views to the system as the system accounts for more than a handful of variables outside the two mentioned. The new system implements nine elements of the work system framework and leads to a fairer view of the system to be worked on and the range of possible upgrades.
The change of having more elements in the work system allows it to be more specific and can identify the problems of the work system that the old system could have overlooked. It reveals oversights, inconsistencies, economic and organisational practicality; all variables that are as important as the old variables and reveals much more and at a deeper level, the problems that are in need of solving within the system.
