what-when-how
In Depth Tutorials and Information
Social/Institutional
Technological/Physic
Figure1.1
Sociotechnicalsystemlayers.
Human Technologies
Megasystem
Human Society
System of Systems
Countries/Regions
Cities/Communities/Extended
Enterprises
Systems
Subsystems
Organizations/Institutions
Components/Nodes
Terms/Divisions
Parts
Individuals
Figure1.2
Hierarchieswithinthesocial/institutionalandphysical/technological
layers.(EarllM.MurmanandThomasJ.Allen,“Engineeringsystems:AnAircraft
perspective.”Engineeringsystemssymposium,MIT,2003.).
1.3 CharacteristicsofSociotechnicalSystems
In order to study and analyze a sociotechnical system, a deep understanding of each
of these aspects is necessary. In the following paragraphs, we will look at these more
closely (Mostashri, 2009).
1.3.1 Complexity
here are many definitions of complex systems, but in this context we consider a
system as complex when “it is composed of a group of interrelated units (component
and subsystems, to be defined), for which the degree and nature of the relationships
is imperfectly known, with varying directionality, magnitude and time-scales of
