An epistemological approach to human systems integration

Guy André Boy

Technology in Society, 2023, vol. 74, issue C

Abstract: Can we contribute to developing a consistent terminology and, to some extent, an acceptable ontology in the rapidly expanding field of human systems integration (HSI)? We often define HSI as a process and a product at the confluence of several areas, such as systems engineering, human factors and ergonomics, information technology, and specific sectors, such as aerospace, health, and energy. It is a broader transdisciplinary field in our increasingly complex human-machine world that focuses on integrating technology, organizations, and people within a complex sociotechnical system throughout its life cycle. Therefore, HSI is no longer a question of usability and user interface design once a complex machine is technologically developed, but also about considering people and organizations early on in the design and development processes. Indeed, rooted in industrial engineering research and operational worlds, HSI requires a deeper foundation based on an epistemological approach. This assertion is even more crucial today as technology has become predominantly digital, and, more specifically, the concept of the digital twin is emphasized because it has become essential to support model-based HSI. In other words, software-based assistant systems are replacing traditional tools. Therefore, appropriate social-cognitive (multi-agent) models and methods are helpful throughout the life cycle of contemporary sociotechnical designs to account for the complexity and tangibility of their human-centered context-sensitive architectures, combining procedural and declarative knowledge. By considering these reasons, this article provides a set of fundamental axioms, some theoretical abstractions, and valuable practical models, which are presented and illustrated through the lens of an evolutionary HSI ontology.

Keywords: Human systems integration; Epistemology; Complexity; Procedural and declarative knowledge; Ontology; Sociotechnical maturity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160791X23001033
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:teinso:v:74:y:2023:i:c:s0160791x23001033

DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2023.102298

Access Statistics for this article

Technology in Society is currently edited by Charla Griffy-Brown

More articles in Technology in Society from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().