In this chapter, Vicente illustrates the human-tech ladder in organizational level, of which is the forth level of the ladder. Similar to the team level, organization acquire communications and corporations that insure the system operating effectively and efficiently. However, differ from other levels in human-tech ladder, the author found several new factors that are unique in organizational level. They are systems of incentives, disincentives, staffing levels, management structures, information flows across teams and organizational cultures. (P188) From this we can see the organizational level is an enhancement of team level which takes a higher level of communications and corporations.
Within an organization, according to the author, is made up by several teams that are responsible for different targets. In each team is the individual performance of physical and psychological level that keeps the task going. Meanwhile, the information travels internally within a team. If the operating role is a team then this is a standard procedure that guarantees the task accomplished successfully. However, as the author states, “organization as a whole can flounder miserably if the various teams pursue conflicting objectives”. (P189) This is why I said organization level is an enhancement of team level. Within an organization, the information flows need to go across teams---not only travel internally within a team, but also transfer externally among teams.
Giving the example of the Challenger explosion, the failure occurred because of the disagreement between managers and engineers had been compromised due to the “authority pressure”. Though the engineers are responsible to the technical part of the shuttle, but the final decision of launching is in the hands of the managers who are responsible to the whole project. In an organization, more than often, the engineers are only considered as the technical experts who are in the role of “advisors”. However, as we all known from our experience in business procedures, advisors are pretty much an empty word. Though they are expertise for a certain discipline but they are voiced are seldom head by the operating individuals. It is not difficult to imagine why this will happen. As in a business circumstance, the most important component is money that keeps the organization operating or more realistically makes benefits to the giants. In the Challenger incidence, the delay of launching may result in huge loss of capital, enormous reports and explanations to the public---all of these are the company endeavor to avoid. From this we can see it was not surprise the company decided launching the problematic shuttle on schedule. The unheard voice of engineers and the irresistible urge to escape responsibility contribute to the challenger catastrophe.
The challenger explosion reflects the fact that, in most technological organizations, management and engineering design are treated as if were two entirely separate things. (P189) The example of a engineer encounter difficulties when he step in higher level—management, of the organization best illustrate the embarrassment of the gap between engineering design and management. Jeff Skoll donated millions of dollars to his alma mater to initiate an innovative dual-degree engineering/management program for the reason that to bridge this gap. What I see in this case, the foundation of the problem may be solved by specially designed curriculums. However, this gap is not only exists in the technology field but also the others. For curriculum designer, this should be their responsibility to bridge the gap in every discipline.
Your post draws attention to two things: transparency and accountability. There is a push toward disclosure in both business and in professional circles. In the business community, companies such as Bre-X (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bre-X) and Enron (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enron_scandal) have signalled a wave of public scrutiny. In professional fields, Vicente highlights various errors in the medical profession that have led to inquiries and legal ramifications.
ReplyDeleteYou have been very thorough in your examination of the text, however, you might improve by bridging the academic with personal reflections and connections. Have you experienced a gap between management and designers? Has anything come up in your University career that suggests a disconnect? Think about ways to engage your reader in a personal narrative that weaves Vicente's text throughout.