Following their study of change efforts in Sweden, Canada, and the U.S. based on sociotechnical systems concepts, the authors present a model of the change process that takes place in both newly designed and redesigned organizations. This model identifies three key subsystems-legitimization, design, and work-and illustrates feedback loops from one subsystem to another related to performance, commitment, and viability. The authors also describe the effects of values on philosophy, of technology on social aspects of tasks, and the applicability of various forms of education, and consider differences between structure and process and between situations of design vs. redesign.
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