J. Strain et K. Eason, Exploring the implications of allocation of function for human resource management in the Royal Navy, INT J HUM-C, 52(2), 2000, pp. 319-334
Automation changes the allocation of function between machines and people a
nd there can be many concerns about the effects on individual human perform
ance. However, these changes also have wider consequences because the numbe
r of people in the system may be reduced and the skills they require may be
different with consequential impact upon manning, recruitment and training
policies. These wider implications are rarely considered in a systematic m
anner when a new technical system is being developed. This paper presents a
method for the assessment of these wider implications during the system de
velopment process. This method has been developed and demonstrated in a Roy
al Navy context to explore the impact of automation in a new class of warsh
ips on the manning of the warship and on human resource planning in the Nav
y. The paper describes the method and the results of applying it in the nav
al context. The method utilizes the approach of organisational requirements
definition for information technology systems (ORDIT) to determine the res
ponsibilities within the planned sociotechnical system and a scenario-based
workshop approach for establishing the implications and options at each st
age of the analysis. The results demonstrate that it is possible to trace t
he implications of a technical change of this kind for a major organization
but that it is a multi-stage and multi-layered process. There are within t
he process many options with different implications which reveals where the
organization has leverage to plan for the future. (C) 2000 Academic Press.