A Macroergonomic Approach to Designing a University College

Abstract

The sociotechnical system components of the University of Denver's newly formed College of Systems Science were assessed using a macroergonomic approach to determine their implications for the College's organizational design. The resulting analysis led to the structuring of the College's organizational complexity including integrating mechanisms, degree of centralization, and formalization. These, in turn, have guided much of the design of specific jobs and human-machine interfaces. The macroergonomic assessment and resulting organizational design are described.