No abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to show that for the successful development of socio‐technical systems it is essential that various stakeholders are able to integrate their different knowledge and perspectives. A method that supports knowledge integration in the course of introduction and development of socio‐technical systems is the Socio‐technical Walkthrough (STWT). The paper describes the characteristics of the STWT method and the potential to support knowledge integration.Design/methodology/approachThe theoretical approach of the STWT is closely related to the notion of socio‐technical systems. Starting with the historical development of this term, the authors saw the necessity to adopt elements of newer system theory so as to achieve a better understanding of the conditions under which a social system and a technical system can be integrated. Based on two empirical case studies (university library/logistic enterprise goes Web) the authors show empirical evidence, that the STWT is especially suitable when supporting certain kinds of knowledge integration.FindingsThe STWT is a method which is flexible and has the ability to integrate different viewpoints, to document the results of this integration, and to promote the development of a socio‐technical system which follows common design principles. Using two empirical case studies, the authors derived a list of categories which characterize the knowledge which should be integrated when a socio‐technical system is developed (e.g. agreements concerning the usage of a software system). Those elements of the STWT method which have a positive effect on knowledge integration are highlighted (e.g. continuously combining communication processes and graphical documentations).Originality/valueFurther research is necessary so as to understand how the exchange of knowledge and its integration takes place during workshops to design sociotechnical systems and how the methods can be improved and become more reliable. There also has to be a better understanding of the effect of different kinds of diagrammatic representations and the ways to refer to the representations during an STWT.

No abstract

Patterns, which are based on in-depth practical experience, can be instructing for the design of groupware applications as sociotechnical systems. On the basis of a summary of the concept of patterns -as elaborated by the architect Christopher Alexander -its adoptions within computer science are retraced and relationships to the area of groupware are described. General principles for patterns within this domain are formulated and supported by examples from a wide range of experience with knowledge management systems. The analysis reveals that every pattern of a groupware application has to combine the description of social as well as technical structures, and that a single pattern can only be understood in the context of a pattern language. It also shows that such a language has to integrate patterns of socio-technical solutions with measures and procedures for introducing them, and that the language not only has to express one type of directed relationship between the patterns but a variety of different types which have to be deliberately assigned to the patterns.

Knowledge Management Software must be embedded in processes of knowledge workers' everyday practice. In order to attain a seamless design, regarding the special qualities and requirements of knowledge work, detailed studies of the existing work processes and analysis of the used knowledge are necessary. Participation of the knowledge owners and future users is an important factor for success of knowledge management systems. In this paper we describe characteristics of knowledge work motivating the usage of participatory design techniques. We suggest a design process for developing or improving knowledge management, which includes ethnographic surveys, user participation in cyclic improvement, scenario based design, and the use of multiple design artifacts and documents. Finally we explain the benefits of our approach. The paper is based on a case study we carried out to design and introduce a knowledge management system in a training company.