Innovation in technology is occurring at an exponential rate. The Internet of things, Artificial intelligence, Cobots, Machine Learning, Blockchain, Data Science … all are garnering significant attention as they enable new possibilities for individuals, companies, ecosystems and society at large.
But new technologies also bring new challenges. Think for example about the Uber taxi driver or the employees of Deliveroo whose ‘boss’ has become more like an algorithm. Other examples are robots and cobots that take over certain tasks from nurses. These developments trigger the question of whether these new technologies and the way we apply them do lead to job deterioration and a low quality of labour.
Under the umbrella ‘internet of things’, wearables are introduced in our working lives. Besides the question about the protection of decent jobs, these developments also provoke ethical dilemmas such as privacy issues.
For us as organization designers, it is imperative that we not only better understand these developments and what is behind them, but also understand the implications on organization form/design and on the design process itself - in the spirit of continuing to help create better places to work and places that work better.
GSNM 2018: September 5th - 7th
Hence the topic for this years meeting: Technology @ Work in the 21st Century.
Our plan for the meeting is to:
• Take a guided tour through the universe of new (digital) technologies. Topics such as Artificial Intelligence, Cobots, Machine Learning, Blockchain, Data science and the Internet of Things will be coming up for discussion as we understand the new possibilities and constraints of these technologies.
• Visit one of the largest Container Terminals of the world in Rotterdam. Where we get the opportunity to learn about the (unforeseen) consequences of the application of new technologies in this highly automated environment.
• Explore Ethics and trust as an important subject in the discussion about new digital technologies. How do we keep or create decent jobs and guarantee quality of labor?
• Organize a Design Lab in which we investigate the implications new technologies have upon the design of organizations and our work as designers.
• Place great value on a common conversation to expand our knowledge. Our different and rich perspectives about STS design will come together in these deliberations.
And finally, we will be planning a joint network event with IWOT (International Workshop on Teamwork) who are also meeting at this time nearby. This promises to be a valuable networking opportunity to meet others and share insights on this topic of Technology @ Work. If the weather permits, boats, beach and bbq's will be involved.
This conference is relevant for: Organization design and development practitioners and academics, Enterprise architects, HR professionals and managers.
Pre-conference workshops (September 4th)
The day before the conference we have organized two Pre-conference Workshops. The first workshops provides a deep dive into systems theory. This theory is the foundation on which sociotechnical systems design is built and a must for organization designers an managers.
On this foundation at least two perspectives on organizational design and development have been built since the 1950s. We distinguish the North American perspective and the Lowlands perspective. In the second workshop we try to bridge the differences between these perspectives, by formulating a common design purpose and principles.
Information and registration
Our annual meeting will be situated in the old center of Leiden in an former theater, now equipped with all the modern conference facilities. Hotels are in and near the center. Shuttle buses will bring you from the hotels to the conference theater and back.
Please find more information below:
Program-info: Program (return with previous Page button) Hotel and other info: here
Ook dit jaar reizen we met een aantal leden af naar het jaarlijk EODF congres. Dit jaar staat in het teken van het ontwerpen van ecosysteem. Een mooie kans om onze geleerde lessen breder te delen en aan te scherpen.
Meer info en registeren check de website.
Copyright Coöperatief Ulbo de Sitter Kennisinstituut U.A, Boxtel. Privacybeleid Ulbo de Sitter Kennisinstituut
