TOC: IJSKD Vol 1 Issue 1

Official Publication of the Information Resources Management Association
Volume 1, Issue 1, January-March 2009
Published: Quarterly in Print and Electronically
ISSN: 1941-6253 EISSN: 1941-6261
Published by IGI Publishing, Hershey-New York, USA
www.igi-global.com/ijskd
 
Editor-in-Chief: Elayne Coakes, University of Westminster, United Kingdom
 
PAPER ONE:
 
A Meta-Analysis of the Direction and State of Sociotechnical Research in a Range of Disciplines:  For Practitioners and Academics
 
Elayne Coakes, University of Westminster, UK
Jim Coakes, University of Westminster, UK
 
This is the first in a series of articles providing a meta-analysis of journal articles using sociotechnical approaches as a dominant theme.  In this article we look at the article repository Business Source Complete and two specific search terms: sociotechnology and sociotechnical, to extract relevant papers from 1968 onwards. We identify trends in publishing relevant articles which appear to show a revival of interest from the 1990s to date. It appears that this revival has been prompted by the expansion of large work systems and their frequent partial or complete failures which limit their usability in organisations. Using Content Analysis we have analysed 42 papers that discuss sociotechnical theory and its development and have found that the fields of application of the theory have shifted from human resources; to work design and operations management; to most recently, knowledge management and philosophy. 
 
To obtain a copy of the entire article, click on the link below.
http://www.igi-global.com/articles/details.asp?id=32946
 
PAPER TWO:
 
My Top 10 Lessons on Lessons Learned Systems
 
Jay Liebowitz, Johns Hopkins University, USA
 
This article discusses how  capturing, sharing, and accessing lessons learned in a lesson learned information system (LLIS) must be embedded within the normal activities of the employee. That is, capturing lessons and showing value from the lessons learned should be part of a lessons learned process which employees or project teams are required to do.
 
To obtain a copy of the entire article, click on the link below.
http://www.igi-global.com/articles/details.asp?id=32947
 
PAPER THREE:
 
Mind the Gap
 
David Tuffley, Griffith University, Australia
 
This article explores the nature of the gap, and proposes some practical solutions. The application of Socio-Technical theory seeks to improve the alignment between the technical and social sub-systems that comprise organisations. The developers who create the technical systems and the people who use the systems are manifestations of the socio-technical dynamic. Yet a gap exists between these two groups that create a sometimes strong dynamic tension that is a worthy subject for research. Despite many years of study, the User-Developer gap seems as pervasive as ever.
 
To obtain a copy of the entire article, click on the link below.
http://www.igi-global.com/articles/details.asp?id=32948
 
 
Book Review:
Socio-Technical Knowledge Management:  Studies and Initiatives
Edited By: Meliha Handzic
ISBN: 978-159904549
Copyright 2007
316 pages
 
Reviewed by Dianne Willis
 
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For full copies of the above articles, check for this issue of the International Journal of Sociotechnology and Knowledge Development (IJSKD) in your institution's library.  This journal is also included in the IGI Global aggregated "InfoSci-Journals" database: www.infosci-journals.com. If your library is not currently subscribed to IJSKD, recommend IJSKD subscription http://www.igi-global.com/journals/details.asp?ID=7823&mode=recommend to your library or "InfoSci-Journals" to your librarian.
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CALL FOR PAPERS

Mission of IJSKD:

The International Journal of Sociotechnology and Knowledge Development will provide both a practical and comprehensive forum for exchanging research ideas and down-to-earth practices which bridge the social and technical gap within organizations and society at large.
 
Coverage of IJSKD:

The International Journal of Sociotechnology and Knowledge Development will look for practical sociotechnical approaches that can assist practitioners, academics, researchers, and students. It will encourage interdisciplinary texts that discuss current practices as well as demonstrating how the advances of - and changes within - technology affect the growth of society (and vice versa). The aim of the journal is to bring together the expertise of people who have worked practically in a changing society across the world for people in the field of organizational development and technology studies including information systems development and implementation.
Appropriate themes might thus include (but are not restricted to), a sociotechnical perspective on: