Decisions and collaborative work: a different perspective

ABSTRACT

Motivation -- The driving theme for this investigation has been to present a different perspective on decision making and the effect of decisions made on the collaboration involved in a complex work process. This work is influenced by the recent change in perception towards the conceptualization of decisions and their bearing on collaborative work. Instead of viewing decisions as just a mental act the change in perception is to view it as a device for managing and coordinating activities (Brown, 2005). This investigation endeavours to demonstrate how decisions made by people in a work process not only determines their individual actions but also supports and facilitates collaborative work. This is achieved by viewing decisions as abstract information resources that encourage appropriate distribution of information, distribution of cognitive tasks, and coordination between individuals and teams involved in the work process.

Research approach -- A series of ethnographically inspired studies carried out to study the work of airport staff (Fields, Amaldi et al., 2005; Selvaraj, 2006) at an European airport over a year has been instrumental in supporting the notion put forth in this paper. Data collection was performed by engaging in observation, note-taking, and semi-structured interviews with personnel in the control tower, etc. Observation sessions typically lasted between two and four hours. The field material consists of data from several sources, i.e. notes, audio recordings, photographs, and interview transcripts. Scenarios have been elicited from transcriptions of audio recordings of conversations taking place between people in the tower and those involved in the activities of the tower as well as from interviews conducted with personnel in the control tower. Apart from this, observation and notes from the fieldwork augment our understanding of these scenarios and help steer the ensuing discussions.

Findings/Design -- This paper is an initial step towards investigating the notion of decisions as mechanisms for organizing collaborative work The analysis of the complex work process of air traffic control reveals that decisions made by individuals and groups in the course of their work activities determine the coordination and integration of contextually appropriate actions and interactions necessary to accomplish tasks.

Take away message -- Rethink the notion of decision making; decisions play a significant role in organizing various aspects of collaborative work and are not just mental acts.

References

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