Team-Based Methods To Analyze High-Technology Production Systems

Abstract

Sociotechnical systems (STS) has previously been successfully deployed to redesign technical and social aspects of work systems. This article discusses the application of a team-based approach to a complex manufacturing process—cryomodule production—in a high-technology production facility. Cryomodules are complex and highly critical components that are the heart of a linear accelerator, which supports state-of-the-art physics experiments. The objectives of this study, which involved a participatory team of Old Dominion University researchers and cryomodule production experts, were to: (1) investigate both technical and organizational aspects of the production operation using an STS team-based approach, (2) identify areas of improvement with the potential to increase production effectiveness and reduce future production costs, and (3) provide recommendations to improve production process effectiveness. We report on the team-based STS methodology developed and the results of deploying the methodology to a complex technical process. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.