It is noted that technology has matured to the point that it should be possible to design automation in ways that support, complement, and extend the capabilities of human operators and, further, to do so in ways ensuring that the person-machine system as a whole can behave with more informational and procedural power, efficiency, and productivity than in early eras when the machine or the person was instead expected to act strictly in service of or response to the other. It is argued that the potential of such technology can be realized only as there is success in designing the overall machine in prope operational complement to the cognitive structure of its human user.>

At a time when more and different people are using more and different computer systems, there is growing awareness that if technology is to give companies the “competitive edge” they are seeking, it must be used to support business goals. This means that systems must work within the existing organization to improve and extend its functioning. This also means that the design of these systems must enhance the organization, not disrupt it. Yet technology is, by its very nature, a stimulus for change. The question then becomes: How can this intrinsically de-stabilizing technology be designed and implemented in a way which supports the organization, without destroying it? It is the purpose of this panel to explore this basic question.