Shaping Socio-technical System Innovation Strategies using a Five Aspects Taxonomy

This paper introduces and describes a five aspect taxonomy for the engineering of complex systems, including structural, behavioral, contextual, temporal and perceptual aspects. The taxonomy has proven useful for (1) characterizing methods to ensure coverage of essential aspects of engineering complex systems; (2) providing a focusing framework to develop and select systems engineering innovation strategies; and (3) providing an organizing structure for classifying methodological research projects. Each of the five aspects is described, and the taxonomy is used to discuss recent and ongoing research on innovation strategies within and across the five aspects. Introduction and Motivations Modern socio-technical systems exhibit complexities in multiple dimensions, driving the need for innovation strategies beyond those used in non-complex product engineering. Innovation in the systems context involves a broad perspective and new ways of thinking beyond traditional systems engineering practice (Rhodes and Hastings 2004). Innovation in complex systems may occur at multiple levels of the system (component, subsystems, systems and system of systems levels). As such, any innovation at the component level will likely impact system behavior at the broad system level in some manner. Analysis of localized impact must be carefully assessed for secondary impact on the entire system and its environment. In complex systems the technological system and the enterprise system are intimately interconnected, and therefore innovation in one will certainly impact the other. For example, a new organizational structure in a company developing a product system is likely to influence innovations in the product system architecture itself. Another important consideration in regard to complex systems is that innovation at the interfaces is equally or more important than at the component level. In developing socio-technical systems, it is important to realize that decisions should be made in a manner that will set up the possibility for innovation in future. Any decision must be carefully made to enable options and possibilities such as downstream changes or insertion of new technologies. Innovators need to think across multiple dimensions with sensitivity to time, context, and the diverse preferences of large sets of system stakeholders. As complexity increases, the difficulty of identifying innovation strategies grows but there is a corresponding increase in the potential value of individual innovations as these can impact the larger whole. Wheatley (1999) describes innovation as being “fostered by information gathered from new connections; from insights gained by journeys into other disciplines or places; and from active, collegial network and fluid, open boundaries.” She notes that innovation arises from ongoing circles of exchange, where information is not just accumulated or stored, but created. The result is that “knowledge is generated anew from connections that weren't there before.” The