title: Advancing socio-technical systems thinking: a call for bravery.
abstract: Socio-technical systems thinking has predominantly been applied to the domains of new technology and work design over the past 60 years. Whilst it has made an impact, we argue that we need to be braver, encouraging the approach to evolve and extend its reach. In particular, we need to: extend our conceptualization of what constitutes a system; apply our thinking to a much wider range of complex problems and global challenges; and engage in more predictive work. To illustrate our agenda in novel domains, we provide examples of socio-technical perspectives on the management of crowd events and environmental sustainability. We also outline a research and development agenda to take the area forward.
authors.affiliation: Socio-Technical Centre, Leeds University Business School, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK. Electronic address: M.Davis@Leeds.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Matthew C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: Rose
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Challenger
authors.forename: Dharshana N W
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Jayewardene
authors.forename: Chris W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Clegg
mesh_terms: D000846:Anniversaries and Special Events; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods*; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D007221:Industry / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007857:Leadership; D015279:Organizational Culture; D010934:Planning Techniques; D012106:Research; D012961:Sociology; D018511:Systems Integration; D013672:Technology; D017132:Workplace / Q000458:organization & administration
keywords: Crowds; Prediction; Sustainability; Systems