This dissertation claims that the reciprocal exchange of voice—an element for constructing community and strengthening political recognition—may be fostered in small-scale farming communities by (1) the appropriation and transformation of information and communications technologies, (2) artistic intervention, and (3) cross-community research. This study contributes to participatory research methodologies, particularly those that seek to tackle the diverse challenges faced by small-scale farmers from a broad, complex perspective. The main issue identified in this dissertation is as follows: The hegemony of economic behaviors, which stands as a cornerstone of neoliberal capitalism, constitutes the latest stage of a historical process in which the voices of small-scale farmers seem to have been progressively and systematically silenced, their traditional practices largely invalidated, and their reciprocal forms of social, political, and economic organization marginalized. The purpose of this study was to explore whether an open-ended, sociotechnical methodology could be designed and applied in small-scale farming communities with the aim of strengthening their reciprocal practices while amplifying the voices of their members. The author's research addressed the question of how the role of information and communications technologies can contribute to the creation of enabling environments in which subsistence farmers may exercise their own values and make their voices heard. Another goal was to study whether the reciprocal exchange of voice could relate to the construction and dissemination of a knowledge commons and improve the resilience of small-scale farmers in the context of complex and pressing challenges such as anthropogenic climate change. Consequently, the ERV (Enabling Reciprocal Voice) Methodology was developed and applied in small-scale farming communities in order to respond to the questions of this study. The ERV Methodology sought to redefine the modes of usage of information and communications technologies in order to help communities establish a shared communicational praxis and strengthen their reciprocal relations. The ERV Methodology stands in contrast with the technological determinism found in the purely solutionist, short-term initiatives that are generally implemented in small-scale farming communities. Instead of offering rapid solutions to isolated problems, the ERV Methodology sought to consolidate the social networks of farmers through online and offline interaction. The case studies examined in this dissertation were carried out in two small-scale farming communities in Tanzania and Mexico. Following the ERV Methodology, mobile phones and the Internet were used by farmers in those communities as tools for the collaborative creation of a knowledge commons focused on local agriculture. It was found that the ERV Methodology, carried out as artistic intervention, may encourage technological appropriation, induce reciprocity, and amplify voice under certain sociotechnical conditions. These findings suggest that such a methodology might benefit farmers by becoming a significant aid to increase their resilience and their capacity to face complex challenges in the longer term. However, another conclusion was that the ERV Methodology should be applied carefully, with a strong awareness of the local context, and that greater efforts must be made in order to integrate other communities, such as local authorities and scientific researchers, into the reciprocal dynamics enabled by the methodology.

Universal access to electricity stands high on the global agenda and is regarded as essential for positive development in sectors such as health care, education, poverty reduction, food production and climate change. Decentralized, off-grid electrification is deemed an important complement to centralized grid extension. By utilizing a renewable energy source, solar technology for the generation of electricity, photovoltaics (PV) is being considered as a way forward to minimize the environmental problems related to energy use. This thesis aims to contribute to improving the technical and social feasibility of PV and PV-diesel hybrid micro-grids for the purpose of providing access to electricity to people in rural areas of countries with low level access to electricity. In line with these general aims, the focus has been to address three questions related to challenges in three phases of rural electrification. The work has a multi-disciplinary approach, addressing mainly technical and social aspects of long-term sustainability of micro-grids, in a local context, and the changes these are intended to generate. One specific micro-grid in Tanzania has been used as a major case study. The thesis is developed through three papers, all presenting methodologies or aspects for investigation in rural electrification projects and studies in general, and for PV-diesel hybrid micro-grids in particular. Paper I puts forward a methodology to facilitate non-social scientific researchers to take social aspects increasingly into consideration. Paper II is a guideline to support system users to increasingly apply an evaluation based system operation. Paper III specifically highlights the importance to consider blackouts when investigating how an existing off-grid PV-diesel hybrid system shall be utilized when a national grid becomes available.

L’accident de Fukushima Daiichi (11 mars 2011) a questionné la capacité de résilience de l’industrie du nucléaire. Le retour d’expérience a permis de formuler des mesures tant pour la prévention que pour la gestion de crise. L’accent a tout particulièrement été mis sur la protection physique des installations. Délaissant de fait les dimensions humaine et organisationnelle, ou tout au moins en les réduisant aux facteurs classiquement connus. La lecture des rapports d’enquête et des témoignages, nous a conduit à étudier par le détail les relations intersectorielles et inter-organisationnelles qui se sont jouées et nouées entre les acteurs de la crise au plus fort de cette dernière, entre le 11 et le 15 mars 2011. Notre thèse vise à identifier, analyser et expliquer les différents mécanismes et processus de décision qui se sont créés et qui ont reconfigurés les relations et rapports préalablement institués entre les décideurs politiques et les gestionnaires de la crise sur site. / The Fukushima Daiichi accident (March 11 2011) raised questions about the capacity of resilience of the nuclear industry. Learning the experience enabled to take measures for prevention but also for crisis management. The focus was especially on the physical protection of facilities, neglecting the human and organizational dimensions or reducing the cause of the accident to classically known factors. Reading official reports of investigation and testimonies of stakeholders led us to study in detail intersectional and inter-organizational relations which developed between the actors during the management of the accident, in particular the beginning of the accident, between 11 and 15 March 2011. Our thesis aims to identify, analyze and explain the different mechanisms and decision-making processes which was created and which reconfigured the previously established relations between policy makers and managers of the crisis on site.

Dans le champ de la formation des adultes, la question des compétences sociales émerge de problématiques sociétales actuelles. Le développement des métiers de service, la mondialisation et la virtualisation des organisations impliquent des compétences sociales, regroupant des dispositions intrapersonnelles liées au rapport à soi (confiance en soi, gestion du stress, etc.) et des dispositions interpersonnelles liées au rapport aux autres (travail en équipe et en réseau, empathie, etc.) recherchées par les employeurs. Or, les compétences sociales sont peu abordées en formation des adultes car elles sont considérées comme relevant d’un apprentissage « sur le tas » (Durand, 2008). Cette étude a donc un double objectif épistémique et transformatif : savoir en quoi la participation à des situations de formation a une influence sur la transformation du rapport à soi et aux autres. Cette thèse a été réalisée à partir des propositions de formation de l’IDEFI TalentCampus. Le cadre théorique et méthodologique mobilisé est issu d’une articulation entre le programme cours d’action (Theureau, 2006, 2015) et l’approche sociotechnique des environnements de formation (Albero, 2010a/b/c). Ce cadre vise, par une analyse diachronique et synchronique, à appréhender les différentes formes d’interactions entre des individus apprenants et leur environnement de formation (les autres apprenants, les formateurs, les artefacts) et les influences de ces interactions sur le rapport à soi et aux autres. Les résultats montrent des transformations d’habitudes d’activité liées au rapport à soi et aux autres. Ces transformations émergent des interactions avec les autres médiées par des artefacts, lors de situations ayant pour objectif la réalisation d’un projet en groupe ou une réflexion sur l’action. / In the field of adult education, the question of social skills emerges from current societal issues. The development of service professions, globalization and the virtualization of organizations involve social skills, combining intrapersonal provisions linked to self-relationship (self-confidence, stress management, etc.) and interpersonal provisions linked to relationships with others (teamwork and networking, empathy, etc.) sought by employers. However, social skills are rarely addressed in adult education because they are considered aspart of “on-the-job” learning (Durand, 2008).This study therefore has a dual epistemic and transformative objective: to know how participation in training situations influences the transformation of the relationship with oneself and others. This thesis was based on the training proposals of the IDEFI TalentCampus. The theoretical and methodological framework used is the result of a link between the course of action (Theureau, 2006, 2015) and the sociotechnical approach to training environments (Albero, 2010 a/b/c). This framework aims, through a diachronic and synchronicanalysis, to understand the different forms of interaction between individual learners and their training environment (other learners, trainers, artefacts) and the influences of these interactions on the relationship to oneself and others. The results show changes in activity habits related to relationships with oneself and others. These transformations emerge from interactions with others mediated by artefacts, in situations where the objective is to carry out a project in a group or to reflect on the action.

The study focuses on the Human Factors (HF) discipline and its role in improving aviation safety and efficiency within Air Traffic Control (ATC). The objective is to contribute to a better understanding of the ATC work domain and identify opportunities for improving performance, safety and efficiency. The research also aims to understand air traffic controllers' (ATCs) experience of the Mil i-ATC alarm system and propose enhancements to improve performance. Data collection was executed through observational research at a military air traffic control tower, and semi-structured interviews with ATCs, moreover, Work Domain Analysis and Thematic Analysis were employed for data analysis. The findings highlight key factors influencing ATC operational efficiency and safety, including communication, air traffic management, and alarm management, that is realized through social, technical and physical means. Moreover, workload, stress, situational awareness, teamwork, and decision-making were identified as interrelated elements within ATC. To enhance the Mil i-ATC alarm system, the study recommends considering alarm presentation, taking into account context and operational impact. Moreover, alarms without operational significance and false alarms are identified to cause frustration and undermine the reliability of the alarm system. Further research is necessary to determine the feasibility of presenting action plans directly in the system and how alarms should be listed. It is recommended that future studies focus on sustaining ATCs' motivation and alertness during monotonous tasks or low workload situations. Additionally, it is important to determine the appropriate level of automation in ATC management systems and evaluate controllers' trust in these systems.

This study addresses the issue of how discourses around Artificial Intelligence have been presentedin national media. To explore this topic, I analyze news articles to identify narratives and imaginariesthat contribute to building the concept of AI from a North-South perspective. To attempt toanswer these questions, I have selected two different countries to gather the data from, one in theGlobal North (Sweden) and one in the Global South (Chile). However, both are located in thesame “Large/Medium” cluster when combining land area and population.Drawing on data collected from 103 news articles, I found that in both cases, AI is presented asa positive tool for the development of local and global economies. Furthermore, AI is seen asdriving the creation of exciting and disruptive businesses. However, my analysis shows that thereis uncertainty about the future of the current status quo, both regarding the labor market and thecurrent geopolitical power balance if China were to win the so-called ‘AI race.’The data was coded and analyzed using a combination of critical discourse analysis and a dataextractivism and the approach introduced by Sheila Jasanoff, the sociotechnical imaginaries. Theseperspectives can help to understand the relations between scientific and technological projects,and political institutions and power. Throughout the sample, the hegemonic (dominant) voice prevailedthrough discussions of the economy having a particular North-centric representation.This is important to explore as it can shed light on whether this new technology is to providereal opportunities or if it is replicating the power relations of the globalized world. In this sense,the study also criticizes the sociotechnological imaginaries since, despite the fact that they proposea local view of power relations, they confirm that technological developments are often subject toglobal, political and corporate planning, regardless of the particular reality of each country.

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 emergence of energy communities entails the development of alternative energy systems, where consumers become active participants in the complex networks of material and semiotic actors. This paper looks at how local sociotechnical imaginaries are performed on island of Gotland, in Sweden. Grounded in Science, technology and society studies and co-production theory, this study provides a framework analysis of a set of documents and an interview, through the identification of conflicting visions, or sociotechnical imaginaries, of energy transition locally. The Swedish energy system is adapting slowly to the changing environment, and conflicts have emerged between national and local imaginaries. Here, the literature fails to provide satisfying arguments around political processes leading to the creation of alternative visions of energy futures. This study shows how normative orientations shape and are shaped by each other, and how alternative visions of progress often fail to be actualized and performed as long as they exist in combination with dominant visions. The two imaginaries, on one side the dominant, on the other the radical, fail to come to terms with each other because of the structural inadequacy of a system dominated by a political rationality which is unaware of itself.

This thesis explores the potential of visual information and communication technologies (ICTs) for collaboration in emergency care. The thesis consists of four studies exploring future technology, 3D telepresence technology for medical consultation (3DMC), from several different methodological and analytical perspectives. Together the studies provide a broad view of the potential benefits, risks and implications of using visual technologies for collaboration in emergency care. The results show that paramedic-physician collaboration via 3DMC might have some benefits for patient care, both in the immediate patient care situation and beyond, for example, when coordinating transport and resources; improving understanding between different actors; and in developing paramedic competence and confidence in their skills. However, collaboration is heavily impacted by physicians’ and paramedics’ respective work practices which are situated in very different physical, professional and organizational contexts. Adding a visual dimension to this collaboration presents unique challenges for the overall design, development, implementation, and appropriation process. Thus, the thesis emphasizes the importance of understanding both the individual users as well as the complex overall image which, although often neglected or ignored, is crucial to understand when developing and introducing new technology that is successful and justified in the overall context while also being useful and meaningful for the individual users. / <p>Academic dissertation for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Library and Information Science at the University of Gothenburg and the University of Borås to be publicly defended on Thursday 19 September 2013 at 13:15 in the auditorium at Simonsland, University of Borås, Skaraborgsvägen 3, Borås.</p>