From STS Roundtable

Activities

The STS/RT’s activities consist primarily of educating both members and the public about the theory and practice of socio-technical systems concepts through the creation of learning opportunities of various types. The STS/RT, Inc. engages in the design, hosting, and delivery of forums, panels, lectures, discussions, conferences and educational sessions open to the public and its members; these activities are focused on the theory and practice of socio-technical systems design, and its application to all forms of organized activity.

Annual Meeting

The organization sponsors an annual meeting that is a forum for a global network of business leaders, researchers, trade unionists, academics, managers, and consultants who share the principles and practices of socio-technical systems theory, and a common interest in developing more humane and effective organizations. Each gathering is open to non-members, and is designed to inform and educate the public as well as the membership about advances in learning about socio-technical systems theory and application. In the future, it will also sponsor regional gatherings for information-sharing and educational purposes, as well as virtual information-sharing opportunities through web-based communication and collaboration.

Purpose

The central purpose of the meetings is to advance learning and knowledge about the theory, research, and practice of socio-technical systems theory, and to help support the concept of better places to work and places that work better. The STS/RT network provides opportunities for individuals to come together to study, share experiences, and learn more about the field of socio-technical systems work. The STS/RT is an open learning community advancing the values, theory and practices that create healthy and powerful human work systems that are demonstrably capable and responsible. Through presentations, discussions, directed learning efforts, forums, and other group activities, these meetings provide opportunities for this open learning community to devote time and energy to learning how to advance the connections between the principles of democracy and the social and economic objectives of organizations. Meetings are open to all members and the general public, and meeting sessions are solicited from both groups.

Outreach

As part of the STS/RT ongoing educational outreach activity, members of the organization with approval from the Board of Directors will make occasional presentations to other educational organizations about our work. For example, in January 2007, a team from the STS/RT, Inc. presented a workshop at the 2007 LERA (Labor/Employer Research Association) Conference in Chicago, IL; the title of the workshop is “Socio-Technical Theory and Practice: A Way to Workplace Democracy and High Performance”. Presenters self-funded in 2007, though we hope to be able to pay some or all expenses for such efforts in the future. Such expenses would be paid from grant and solicitation funds as well as membership fees.