Information Technology Reference
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According to this principle, people are considered information processing systems, and
the work is described in terms of the interaction between people and computers, with each
having separate, identifiable tasks. It looks at optimizing the human-computer interactions
to make the processes more efficient.
12.1.3 The Complementarity Principle
The complementarity principle looks at automation from the human perspective. It aims to
help people to perform efficiently in the long term, rather than just looking at short-term
effects. It looks at how people's behavior will change as a result of the automation, as well
as without the automation.
In this approach, one would consider what people learn over time by doing the task
manually, and how that would change with the automation. For example, someone who
starts doing a new task starts by understanding the primary goal of the task and the basic
functions required tomeet that goal. Overtime the personunderstands more about the eco-
system surrounding that task, exceptional cases, and some bigger picture goals, and adapts
his or her practices based on this knowledge. With automation, we build in the knowledge
that we have accumulated so far. Does that inhibit further learning? How does that change
the learning ability of a person who is new to the environment? How do a person's habits
change over the longer term due to the automation?
The complementarity principle takes more of a cognitive systems engineering (CSE)
approach of looking at the automation and the people together as a joint cognitive system
(JCS).Ittakesintoaccountthefactthatpeoplearedrivenbygoals(proactive)aswellasby
events (reactive). A joint cognitive system is characterized by its ability to stay in control
ofasituation,despitedisruptinginfluencesfromtheprocessitselforfromtheenvironment.
It takes into account the dynamics of the situation, including the fact that capabilities and
needs may vary over time and with different situations.
One way of coping with changing capabilities and needs is to allow for functional over-
lap between the people and the automation, rather than a rigid segregation of tasks. This
allows functions to be redistributed as needed. People are viewed as taking an active part
in the system and are adaptive, resourceful learning partners who are essential to the func-
tioning of the system as a whole.
Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet or easy-to-follow formula for automation using
the complementarity principle. But if you remember to consider the human factor and the
long-term effects of the automation on the people running the system, you have a better
chance of designing good automation.
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