Political ergonomics, macroergonomic battles

Abstract

AbstractHumanocentric‐oriented social and technological systems have to be perceived as the main source of technological advancement. This source it so attractive that from the point of view of acquisition possibilities it captures the attention of not only business people but also political incumbents who (according to Buchanan's theory) want to satisfy their particular interests. A characteristic feature of social and technological systems is their competitive market position.Taking over these systems by political lobbies with the legitimate usage of intended violence is an example of a contemporary macroergonomic battle. Both of Clausewitz's objectives of war are present: a political objective that is forcing the community that makes up the system to fulfill the politically determined will of the party taking over, and a military objective consisting of an attempt of the moral, social, or even physical destruction of the system leader and its direct coworkers.This article presents a specific example: a case study of a macroergonomic battle fought with a big industrial enterprise. This study serves as a starting point for general methodological premises pertaining to an effective strategy of fighting a macroergonomic battle. The essence of this strategy is learning three so‐called exogenic levers of occasional acquisition. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.