Performance of hybrid automated systems—a social cybernetic analysis

The science of behavioral cybernetics deals with the analysis of human behavior as a closed‐loop, self‐governed process. Social cybernetics focuses upon the reciprocal feedback interactions between two or more individuals in a group or organizational setting. Human‐computer interaction (HCI) also can be characterized as a social cybernetic process. The central thesis of this paper is that social cybernetics provides a comprehensive conceptual framework for understanding the nature and sources of variability in performance of hybrid automated systems, defined by reciprocal interactions between the work force, the organization, and the technology. Implications of the social cybernetic model for interpreting findings from studies of advanced manufacturing technology (AMT) operations are addressed. @ 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.