Interruptions in manufacturing from a distributed cognition perspective
Year: 2014
Type: dissertation
Abstract: This thesis aims at portraying interruptions in the socio-technical domain of manufacturing industry, from a distributed cognition perspective. The research problem addressed is the lack of naturalistic inquiry in prior interruption research. Further, manufacturing is a complex socio-technical domain where interruptions have not previously been studied. In this thesis, a workplace study is applied with distributed cognition as its theoretical framework. The results of the study identify two new types of interruptions, as well as one new dimension of interruptions. This result shows that interruptions are a multifaceted phenomenon that frequently occurs within manufacturing. An integration of the theoretical background and the empirical work resulted in five recommendations concerning how to reduce the amount of interruptions and how to minimize their disruptive effects. This study complements prior interruption research, emphasises the importance of studying interruptions in natural settings, and provides several insights regarding future interruption research.
Author: Rebecca Andreasson
Language: English
Subfield: Information Systems and Management
Field: Decision Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W271118106