Design of the Automated Factory: More than Robots

Abstract

This article emphasizes the dynamic and complex nature of a robotic factory. Every step from conception to eventual destruction is for, by, and because of people. Twelve principles of design are discussed, with emphasis on the uniqueness of each design and the processes and procedures involved in continual redesign. The technical system is related to the purpose, product, and properties of the social system; there is no optimal technology in itself. The article goes on to examine the requirements of the social system in future automated factories. Experiences in current automated factories, the organizational functions required to support the technical system, and the turbulent environment in which organizations are increasingly forced to operate are reviewed. The kinds of people needed will be required to exercise responsibility and discretion to replace supervision and prescription. The article discusses the usual myths about change, which the design process seeks to overcome, and ends with a note on the appropriate education for future designers, observing that our schools are probably not producing many appropriately trained people.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

1. L. Landro , “GE Promotes Factory Automation, but Some Doubt Big Market Exists,” Wall Street Journal, 21 Oct. 1982, p. 35.

2. R. Malpas , “Engineering Excellence in Manufacturing Processes,” Engineering (England), June 1978, pp. 563-568.

3. E. R. Alexander , “The Design of Alternatives in Organizational Contexts: A Pilot Study,” Administrative Science Quarterly, 24(3):382-404 (Sept. 1979).

4. T. M. Hout and G. Stalk, Jr. , “The Big Revolution on the Factory Floor,” Wall Street Journal, 12 July 1982.

5. People at Work (Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1977).

6. “Allocation of Functions between Man and Machines in Automated Systems,” Journal of Applied Psychology, 47:161-165 (1963).

7. “A Labour-Management Contract and Quality of Working Life,” Journal of Occupational Behaviour, 1980, pp. 29-41.

8. E. L. Trist , The Evolution of Socio- Technical Systems (Ontario: Ministry of Labour, 1981).

9. P. H. Engelstad , “Sociotechnical Approach to Problems of Process Control,” in Design of Jobs, 2nd ed., ed. L. E. Davis and J. C. Taylor , (Santa Monica, CA: Goodyear, 1979), chap. 19.

10.

10. “Analyzing Social Systems,” Human Relations, 31 (1978).

11.

11. “Why Japanese Factories Work,” Harvard Business Review, Jul.-Aug. 1981.

12.

12. Davis and Sullivan , “Labour-Management Contract.”

13.

13. “The Environment and System-Response Capability,” Futures, Apr. 1980, pp. 113-127.

14.

14. L. E. Davis , “Individuals and the Organization,” California Management Review, 22 (1980).

15.

15. Davis and Taylor , eds., Design of Jobs.

16.

16. L. E. Davis and J. G. Wacker , “Job Design,” in Handbook of Industrial Engineering, ed. G. Salvendy (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1982), chap. 2.5.

17.

17. A. B. Cherns , “Can Behavioral Science Help Design Organizations?” Organizational Dynamics, Spring 1977.

18.

18. G. Nadler , The Planning and Design Approach (New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1981).

19.

19. Gyllenhammer , People at Work.