For a military organisation capability is a central concept. The definitions vary with different nations and organizations, but here the military capability is defined as the ability of a sociotechnical system to solve military tasks performed under certain circumstances in a set environment. To create new or develop existing military capability, military innovation can be a crucial piece of the puzzle. It might be innovative systems solving tasks in the existing organization or existing technology used in an innovative manner.The aim of this thesis is to create a structure for discussing technology, innovation, and capability in a relevant way, where the capability lifecycle presents an overview of the desired capability when planning for future compositions of technology and units, instead of focusing on the individual systems. Therefore, this work is governed by a thematic aim that at least requires a multidisciplinary research approach which contains different research areas to understand how the technical systems can contribute within its context.To visualise this context, different aspects of the system is here divided into three layers. The technology level represents the technology itself, in this case Maritime Uncrewed Systems, which needs to be understood with its opportunities and limitations. The system also needs to be understood in its sociotechnical layer where the technical system is interacting with people, organization, and other units. The final layer is the governance layer with both the legal and ethical considerations in the use of the technology, in this case, an uncrewed system.The overall conclusion is that capability development is not doing things the same way as before with different technology. It is about trust in the overall system and developing how the available resources, both technical and sociotechnical, can contribute to solving a task as efficiently as possible in an altered organization. / För en militär organisation är förmåga ett centralt begrepp. Definitionerna varierar med olika nationer och organisationer, men här definieras den militära förmågan som förmågan hos ett sociotekniskt system att lösa militära uppgifter som utförs under vissa omständigheter i en bestämd miljö. För att skapa ny eller utveckla befintlig militär förmåga kan militär innovation vara en avgörande pusselbit. Det kan vara innovativa system som löser uppgifter i den befintliga organisationen eller befintlig teknik som används på ett innovativt sätt.Syftet med detta examensarbete är att skapa en struktur för att diskutera teknik, innovation och förmåga på ett relevant sätt, där förmågans livscykel ger en överblick över den önskade förmågan vid planering av framtida sammansättningar av teknik och enheter, i stället för att fokusera på det individuella systemet. Därför styrs detta arbete av ett tematiskt syfte som åtminstone kräver en multidisciplinär forskningsansats som innehåller olika forskningsområden för att förstå hur de tekniska systemen kan bidra inom sitt sammanhang.För att visualisera detta sammanhang är de olika aspekterna av systemet här indelade i tre lager. Tekniklagret representerar själva tekniken, i detta fall marina obemannade system, som måste hanteras med dess möjligheter och begränsningar. Systemet behöver också förstås i det sociotekniska lager där det tekniska systemet interagerar med människor, organisation och andra enheter. Det sista lagret är det övervakande lagret med både de juridiska och etiska övervägandena vid användandet av tekniken, i detta fall ett obemannat system.Den övergripande slutsatsen är att förmågeutveckling inte innebär att göra saker på samma sätt som tidigare fast med annan teknik. Det handlar om tillit till det övergripande systemet och att utveckla hur tillgängliga resurser, både tekniska och sociotekniska, kan bidra till att lösa en uppgift så effektivt som möjligt i en förändrad organisation. / <p>QC 230928</p>

This thesis proposes the use of a sociotechnical systems approach for analysing project management in nondeterministic project progress. The academic context of the research covers the domain of general systems theory, more specifically sociotechnical systems, and that of project management. The empirical part of the research comprises of a questionnaire spread amongst project managers in technical service firms in the built environment sector. The research shows that there are research opportunities in project management to which the sociotechnical approach to temporary project organisations can contribute.

The concept of BIM is nascent but evolving rapidly, thus, its deployment has become the latest shibboleth amongst both academics and practitioners in the construction sector in the recent couple of years. Due to construction clients buy-in of the BIM concept, the entire industry is encouraged to pursue a vision of changing work practices in line with the BIM ideas. Also, existing research recognises that the implementation of BIM affects all areas of the construction process from design of the building, through the organisation of projects, to the way in which the construction process is executed and how the finished product is maintained. The problem however is that, existing research in technology utilisation in general, and BIM literature in particular, has offered limited help to practitioners trying to implement BIM, for focusing predominantly, on technology-centric views. Not surprisingly therefore, the current BIM literature emphasises on topics such as capability maturity models and anticipated outcomes of BIM rollouts. Rarely does the extant literature offer practitioners a cohesive approach to BIM implementation. Such technology-centric views inevitably represent a serious barrier to utilising the inscribed capabilities of BIM. This research therefore is predicated on the need to strengthen BIM implementation theory through monitoring and analysing its implementation in practice. Thus, the focus of this thesis is to carry out a sociotechnical systems (STS) analysis of BIM implementation in construction organisations. The concept of STS accommodates the dualism of the inscribed functions of BIM technologies and the contextual issues in the organisations and allows for the analysis of their interactive combination in producing the anticipated effect from BIM appropriation. An interpretive research methodology is adopted to study practitioners through a change process, involving the implementation of BIM in their work contexts. The study is based on constructivist ontological interpretations of participants. The study adopts an abductive research approach which ensures a back-and-forth movement between research sites and the theoretical phenomenon, effectively comparing the empirical findings with the existing theories and to eventually generate a new theoretical understanding and knowledge regarding the phenomenon under investigation. A two-stage process is also formulated for the empirical data collection - comprising: 1) initial exploratory study to help establish the framework for analysing BIM implementation in the construction context; and 2) case studies approach to provide a context for formulating novel understanding and validation of theory regarding BIM implementation in construction organisations. The analysis and interpretation of the empirical work follows the qualitative content analysis technique to observe and reflect on the results. The findings have shown that BIM implementation demands a complete breakaway from the status quo. Contrary to the prevailing understanding of a top-down approach to BIM utilisation, the study revealed that different organisations with plethora of visions, expectations and skills combine with artefacts to form or transform BIM practices. The rollout and appropriation of BIM occurs when organisations shape sociotechnical systems of institutions, processes and technologies to support certain practices over others. The study also showed that BIM implementation endures in a causal chain of influences as different project organisations with their localised BIM ambitions and expectations combine to develop holistic BIM-enabled project visions. Thus, distributed responsibilities on holistic BIM protocols among the different levels of influences are instituted and enforced under binding contractual obligations. The study has illuminated the centrality of both the technical challenges and sociological factors in shaping BIM deployment in construction. It is also one of the few studies that have produced accounts of BIM deployment that is strongly mediated by the institutional contexts of construction organisations. However, it is acknowledged that the focus of the research on qualitative interpretive enquiry does not have the hard and fast view of generalising from specific cases to broader population/contexts. Thus, it is suggested that further quantitative studies, using much larger data sample of BIM-enabled construction organisations could provide an interesting point of comparison to the conclusions derived from the research findings.

Since the 1990 the use of Electronic Patient Records (EPR) in health services has become increasingly prevalent world wide. EPR has become an important aspect of the continuous improvement of patient care. Transferring all patient records from paper based to electronic is now a priority for many health services. The research reported in this thesis is sponsored by Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) to provide opportunity to explore the potential role for EPR in the Medical Records Department. The study has been designed to gain better understanding of the users perspectives with regard to the use of patient records. In order to analyse and understand the complex dynamic involved in the management and use of patient records, it was recognised that systems thinking offered an appropriate framework for this research. Soft System Methodology (SSM) was therefore applied to the analysis of the data and used to inform the development of a conceptual model. Using SSM in combination with the structured questionnaire survey and telephone semi-structured interview, triangulation of methods was achieved. Use of these generated rich data revealing for example the general dissatisfaction expressed with the existing manual patient records system, the lack of confidentiality, poor legibility, shortage of space and the frequent misfiling of records. The need to address these problems has informed the strategic plan for the development and implementation of EPR for HMC. The research has successfully addressed the stated aims and research questions and guided the formulation of proposals for improvements.

Este trabalho apresenta os métodos consensuais como uma proposta para reduzir as insatisfações das pessoas envolvidas no processo de levantamento de requisitos e respeitar as dimensões humanas e sociais já no inicio do ciclo de vida de um sistema sociotécnico, considerando a aderência desses métodos às demais fases do ciclo de vida. / This text proposes the use of consensual methods to reduce people dissatisfaction in take part of requirement elicitation process and indentify, and respect, the human and social dimensions since the beginning of a sociotechnical system life cycle, evaluating the adhesion of these methods to the other phases of the lifecycle.

Este trabalho apresenta os métodos consensuais como uma proposta para reduzir as insatisfações das pessoas envolvidas no processo de levantamento de requisitos e respeitar as dimensões humanas e sociais já no inicio do ciclo de vida de um sistema sociotécnico, considerando a aderência desses métodos às demais fases do ciclo de vida. / This text proposes the use of consensual methods to reduce people dissatisfaction in take part of requirement elicitation process and indentify, and respect, the human and social dimensions since the beginning of a sociotechnical system life cycle, evaluating the adhesion of these methods to the other phases of the lifecycle.

Provisioning Internet services remains an area of concern for Internet service providers. Despite investments to improve resources and technology, the understanding of sociotechnical factors that influence the service-provisioning life cycle remains limited. The purpose of this case study was to evaluate the influence of sociotechnical factors associated with telecom service provisioning and to explore the critical success and failure factors, specifically in the telecommunication industry of Kuwait. Guided by sociotechnical systems theory, this qualitative exploratory case study approach examined a purposeful sample of 19 participants comprising of managers, engineers, and technicians who had the knowledge and experience of the service-provisioning life cycle. Semistructured interviews, project logs, and a self-created follow-up questionnaire were the primary sources of data. Thematic analysis techniques assisted in coding the data and developing themes, which resulted in a set of critical success and failure factors that influence the service-provisioning life cycle. Cross-functional communication, risk management practices, infrastructure availability, and employee skill development were among the emergent factors that influenced the service implementation. Internet service providers may use the results from this study to improve the service-provisioning life cycle. Successful implementations will promote an environment of positive social change that will increase employee motivation, productivity, and employee morale.

It is agreed that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from energy and transport systems must be reduced. Technical means exist to reduce GHG emissions from these sources. However, these emission-reduction measures are not implemented to a high enough degree. In this thesis, it is assumed that this is because the reduction of GHG emissions from energy and transport systems is a wicked problem. Unlike a tame problem, which has an unambiguous definition and a finite number of well-defined solutions, a wicked problem is difficult to define, and its solutions are often intertwined with the problem. The “wickedness” of a wicked problem lies in the extreme difficulty of solving the problem, rather than in the problem itself. In this thesis, the wicked problem of reducing GHG emissions from energy and transport systems is studied by applying a sociotechnical systems approach to the introduction of renewable vehicle fuels, the production and use of biogas, the introduction of electric vehicles, and the sustainability of district heating. In addition, this thesis discusses how energy issues are approached in different contexts, and what implications different actions can have on GHG emissions. The analysis shows that a sociotechnical approach to energy systems analysis can offer insights with regard to how system boundaries are handled within GHG-emission assessments and energy and transport policy. By problematising the use of system boundaries in GHG-emission assessments, this thesis explains how attempts to reduce GHG emissions could add to the wicked problem of GHGemission reductions from energy and transport systems. GHG-emission assessments can give very different results depending on system boundaries. While these results can be used in attempts to solve this wicked problem, they can also contribute to complicating it. As solutions to wicked problems are mainly found in policy, the use of system boundaries in policy is studied. Results show that narrow system boundaries in energy and transport policy can hamper sustainable development of energy and transport systems. The use of wider system boundaries could facilitate approaches to solve the wicked problem of reducing GHG emissions from energy and transport systems by making the consequences and effects of policy actions more clearly visible. / Det är välkänt att energi- och transportsystemens utsläpp av växthusgaser måste minska. Tekniska förutsättningar för att minska utsläppen av växthusgaser från användning av energi och transporter existerar. Ändå genomförs inte åtgärder för att minska utsläpp av växthusgaser i tillräcklig utsträckning. I föreliggande avhandling antas detta bero på att minskandet av utsläpp av växthusgaser från energi- och transportsystem är ett ’wicked problem’. Ett sådant problem är svårdefinierat och motståndskraftigt mot lösningar, eftersom lösningarna ofta är sammanflätade med problemet. I avhandlingen studeras frågan om hur utsläpp av växthusgaser från energi- och transportsystem kan minska. Introduktion av förnybara drivmedel, produktion och användning av biogas, introduktion av elbilar, samt hållbarhet i fjärrvärmesystem är områden som studeras med hjälp av ett sociotekniskt angreppssätt. Detta innebär att teknik studeras som en integrerad del av samhället, där teknik både påverkar och påverkas av aktörer och sociala strukturer. Analysen visar att ett sociotekniskt angreppssätt kan ge insikter om hur systemgränser hanteras inom energisystemforskning samt inom energi- och transportpolicy. Värderingar av växthusgasutsläpp, som utförs inom energisystemforskning, kan ge vitt skilda resultat beroende på hur det studerade systemet avgränsats. Resultaten kan användas i försök att minska utsläpp av växthusgaser från energi- och transportsystem, men detta kan leda till att problemet försvåras ytterligare. I avhandlingen förklaras detta genom problematisering av systemavgränsningar i värderingar av växthusgasutsläpp. Eftersom lösningar på ’wicked problems’ oftast återfinns inom policy, studeras även systemavgränsningar i policy. Det visas att snäva systemgränser inom energi- och transportpolicy kan hindra hållbar utveckling av energi- och transportsystem. Vidgade systemgränser skulle kunna underlätta ansatser att minska utsläpp av växthusgaser från energi och transportsystem genom att synliggöra konsekvenser och effekter av policyåtgärder.

This thesis problematizes the concept of usefulness, in part by taking questions to the extreme. The starting point is the contemporary view of usefulness, a view that remains within a traditional paradigm of technical rationality in which important aspects are disregarded or not perceived because they are not part of the equation. For scrutiny of technological usefulness that is a socially situated phenomenon regarding physical systems, neither interpretivist nor positivist research approaches are sufficient. Both views are required. Critical Realism supports such duality, facilitating the combination of elements from different paradigms, and provides methodological guidelines for doing this. The critical realist approach makes it possible to transcend the boundaries of technical rationality and contribute an alternative definition of usefulness that takes into account also the situated, the contextual, and the unpredictable. The aim is that this definition will contribute to a transformation of society. Concepts related to usefulness, such as predictability, controllability, effectiveness, and safety, are revisited, redefined, or complemented. Underlying aspects and mechanisms are explored and tensions identified, resulting in a theoretical contribution with models and frameworks explaining what is argued to be the true nature of usefulness. Potentiality is suggested as a complementary concept to effectiveness, similar to how resilience complements safety. Situated usefulness is then defined using these four concepts. The phenomenon known as situation awareness is scrutinized as well, and complemented by system awareness and the thesis title concept, edge awareness. Four cases, two airline crashes and two nuclear power plant events, and three future scenarios, constitute the empirical contribution. The analysis shows that the contributed frameworks and redefinition of usefulness facilitate different or extended explanations of all four events, and that future cases lack considerations of situated usefulness. Research implications center on the human role and our responsibilities in relation to the technology that we use, and on the meaning of concepts defining this role. We are situated human beings. Our role is to be involved and responsible, a role requiring awareness and controllability. The escalating ubiquity and the character of computerized technological systems make therefore the quest for edge awareness more important than ever.

Alla människor är egna individer och dessa individuella skillnader påverkar hur vi upplever sociotekniska system. Det finns en problematik bland system inom organisationer nämligen att systemen inte lever upp till organisationers förväntningar. Sett ur ett perspektiv av välmående anställda innebär det att systemen inte uppfyller de psykologiska grundbehoven tillhörighet, kompetens och autonomi. Det finns ett flertal färdiga sociotekniska system på marknaden vars syften är att bidra till ökat välmående bland anställda inom organisationer. Problematiken med färdiga sociotekniska system är att de inte innehar samma grad av flexibilitet till organisationers specifika behov som ett nytt sociotekniskt system. Samtidigt finns en problematik i designprocesser av nya sociotekniska system där den sociala och tekniska kontexten inte anammas som en helhet på grund av att metoder inom sociotekniska system inte har tillräcklig sammanhållning. System som inte designas med hänsyn till anställdas välmående kan orsaka arbetsrelaterad stress. För att motverka den här problematiken har det här examensarbetet gjort en litteratursökning med perspektiv ur informatik, psykologi och Human Resources. Utifrån litteratursökningen har kriterier för sociotekniska system formulerats och applicerats på färdiga sociotekniska system. Jämförelsen resulterar i en djupare diskussion av två sociotekniska system som uppfyller flertalet kriterier men samtidigt visar på en problematik som främst berör att tillräcklig hänsyn inte har tagits till personliga möten och individuella skillnader. Resultatet av diskussionen mynnar ut i ett antal designprinciper som lägger grund för vidare forskning och belyser utvecklingsmöjligheter inom sociotekniska system i relation till välmående anställda inom organisationer. / All people are own individuals and our individual differences affect how we experience a sociotechnical system. There is a problematic situation among systems where they cannot live up to the expectations of organizations. From a wellbeing perspective it implies that the systems do not fulfill our fundamental psychological needs which are competence, autonomy and relatedness. There are some finished sociotechnical systems whose purpose are to contribute to increased wellbeing among employees in organizations. The issue regarding finished sociotechnical systems is that it cannot adopt to organizations needs the same way a new sociotechnical system could. Also, there is another problematic situation with processes of design among new sociotechnical systems where not enough consideration is taken to the social and technical context as a unit because there is a disconnection between methods regarding socio technical systems. When systems are not designed with enough consideration to wellbeing among employees it can cause stress related to work. This examination has taken the perspectives of informatics, psychology and Human Resources to counteract this problem. Criterias have been formulated from the results of the literature search to be applied to finished sociotechnical systems. Two of the finished sociotechnical systems fulfilled most of the criterias but a problem was still highlighted since not enough consideration have been taken to personal meetings and individual differences. The result of the discussion ends up in design principles which build a ground for further research and opportunities of development among sociotechnical systems in relationship to wellbeing among employees in organizations.