Work system theory: A bridge between business and IT views of systems

Abstract

This tutorial explains the most current version of work system theory and related ideas that were developed over several decades in an attempt to create a systems analysis and design method that could be used by business professionals. This tutorial covers: 1) work system theory (WST), 2) application of WST in various versions of the work system method (WSM), and 3) extensions of WST including work system principles, work system design spaces, a work system metamodel that reinterprets basic work system ideas in a detailed way that is more directly useful for IT-related analysis and design, linkages between WST and service systems, and application of work system ideas in a theory of workarounds and proposed theory of system interactions.