Develop an understanding of the role socio-technical systems play in an organization's ability to respond to existing and emerging technological, organizational, and environmental issues.

References:

I. Context II. Identification of relevant problems III. Identification of Options or Alternatives IV. Decision Recommendations V. Implementation Tactics VI. Assessment Criteria for Success or Failure

Case Study: Nothing Special on the Ground: A Night at the Airport Nothing Special on the Ground Copyright 2016, Diane Shichtman, Ph.D. Page 1 of 7 As she walked to the Metro, Ruth reflected on the conference she had just attended. She regretted leaving early, but it had been fun. She'd enjoyed the discussions that day on management as a liberal art and liked the session on entrepreneurship at Starbucks. She did want to give case writing a try, and little did she know, she was about to unexpectedly experience a case in real time. Ruth's plane was scheduled to depart at 9:15 p.m. and although the trip to the airport could be quick, she thought she should skip the shops and get right to the train. She navigated the station, and the train arrived quickly. Before she knew it, she was at the airport. When she saw the departure display indicating her flight was running 45 minutes late, she briefly regretted leaving the conference as early as she did, but she proceeded to check in. With only one family ahead of her, Ruth got in line at the check-in counter, and someone got in line behind her. An employee came by, asked whether they were there to check in and said that anyone waiting to check in should use the self-check-in machines. When Ruth said she had a question, he asked what it was, and she replied that her plane was listed as delayed and asked whether there was a likelihood of further delays (she was hoping to find out whether the plane had left the ground from its previous destination). He got the flight information from her, went to a computer, and told her simply, "9:36." Ruth replied, "They've changed the departure time to earlier?" The employee then told her that the arrival time was 9:36 and the flight would depart at 10:01. She was a little surprised that he'd started out by telling her the arrival and not the departure time, since she'd already confirmed she was there to check in; but she shrugged it off and proceeded to check in. She found the self-check-in to be relatively straightforward, although a touch annoying. One of the first questions was whether she wanted to upgrade to first class (for a fee, of course), and throughout, one had to read carefully to select the correct (not necessarily intuitive) answer. She finished up, and knowing the TSA waiting lines for that hour of the evening were supposed to be no more than 9 minutes, she took the time to buy a few gifts for her family before proceeding to security. She was concerned that she didn't have room in her quart-sized liquids baggie for the snow globe she'd purchased for her daughter and wanted to have a backup gift. As she meandered through the outer portion of the airport, she glanced at the departures board to see whether the departure time had changed. She noted that the flight was listed with a blank departure time. Thinking that was odd, but considering that it might simply be a pause as the time was updated, she made another stop and then checked again. It was still blank, so she went to an information desk hoping someone there could clarify matters. The agent told her the flight was canceled and suggested she proceed to the ticket desk. Ruth went up to the third floor ticket desk and got in line before 8 p.m. There were fewer than 5 people ahead of her, but it took over half an hour to get to a desk, by which time the line behind her had grown considerably. While she was in line, she heard an announcement that the flight was canceled. She called her husband and asked him to check flight schedules to see whether there were any plausible flights out that night. He reported that thereCase Study: Nothing Special on the Ground: A Night at the Airport Nothing Special on the Ground Copyright 2016, Diane Shichtman, Ph.D. Page 2 of 7 was nothing practical for any of the DC-area airports. Ruth began chatting with another passenger bound for Albany and found out that the woman, Janet, had stopped at one of the airline desks downstairs and been rebooked for a 6:01 a.m. flight changing planes in Philadelphia, and arriving in Albany around 9:30. Finding they both had experience in information systems and systems design, they chatted for a while about their work, and noted some apparent flaws in the systems at the airport. Ruth got to the ticket agent and explained she was one of the passengers on the canceled Albany flight and asked for assistance in rebooking. The agent took her boarding pass, checked the computer, and said that Ruth had been rebooked for a 7 a.m. flight to Charlotte, with a connecting flight to Albany that would arrive around 3 p.m. Ruth replied that an 8-hour trip didn't make much sense to her, as she could get to Albany faster by train (She'd originally considered taking the train, but ultimately chose to fly to avoid the extra overnights rail travel would entail). She told the agent she wanted to get home sooner and asked about other flights. The agent then found the 6 a.m. route Janet had received and offered that. In order to rebook, the agent needed Ruth's identification and Ruth supplied her New York State driver's license. The agent finished setting up the flight and told Ruth to check in by 5 a.m., saying she was all done. It was clear the agent expected Ruth to take her driver's license and depart, but Ruth didn't understand why. Ruth asked where she was to stay that night, and the agent told her she should go home. Ruth then patiently pointed out to the woman who had just been looking at her New York State driver's license that she'd been trying to get home. Since the cancellation was due to mechanical failure, the airline should provide lodging. The agent said she'd provide a hotel voucher, but this turned out not to be a simple process. The agent disappeared into a back room for more than five minutes, and when she reappeared, she first went back to get something for the agent handling first class passengers. She told Ruth to take the voucher to a hotel Ruth had never heard of in Arlington and also gave her a taxi voucher. Ruth asked for an address and was at first told simply to tell the taxi driver the name of the hotel. Ruth persisted, so, the agent wrote the name, address, and phone number on a scrap of paper. Ruth was then given a meal voucher and told it was good only for the airport facilities. Ruth wondered whether this would be useful, as it was now almost 9 p.m. and based on her conversations with the store clerks, places in the airport started closing at 8:30. Ruth then text messaged her husband (at 8:57) and asked him to check on the hotel, thinking primarily of the possible amenities and wanting to know what to expect rather than anticipating any problems. She then suggested to Janet that after she (Janet) got her voucher, they share a cab to the hotel. Ruth lingered while the woman was taken care of, and found that Janet had been put in an adequate tourist-oriented chain hotel. Although they would not be traveling together, she and Janet went downstairs to retrieve Janet's checked luggage. The luggage was not in the collection assembled outside the airline's desk. While they were in line once again, waiting for Janet's luggage, Ruth's husband messaged back saying, "Reviews from last year not good - neighborhood and hotel. But might have improved. Suggest seeking another option if possible" (at 9:14). After calling him and confirming this meant that the neighborhood had been described as unsafe. Ruth decided to ask