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Systems Savvy: Practical Intelligence for Transformation of Sociotechnical Systems

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Abstract

Systems savvy, a new construct derived from foundations of practical intelligence, is the capacity to see the interdependence of technological and social/organizational systems and to construct synergies between them. Understanding systems savvy is valuable for managing the changes that go along with rapidly evolving technical and social/organizational systems that are part of the group decision and negotiation landscape. We first define the construct of systems savvy and position it in recent research on practical intelligence and tacit knowledge. We differentiate it from several other individual characteristics often used in research and practice. We use a critical incident technique with 13 subject matter experts to create a situational judgment test measure of systems savvy that can be used for research or assessments to support training. Preliminary validation of the measure uses a sample of 39 successful professionals and 182 novices. Systems savvy represents a contribution to research streams focused on understanding technology with implications at the team and organizational levels of analysis. We conclude with a discussion of the limitations of the current research and offer possible next steps toward using the systems savvy construct for understanding and supporting the future of work, especially within teams.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA, USA

    Terri L. Griffith

  2. University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA

    John E. Sawyer

  3. University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA

    M. Scott Poole

Authors
  1. Terri L. Griffith
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  2. John E. Sawyer
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  3. M. Scott Poole
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Correspondence to Terri L. Griffith.

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Appendices

Appendix 1: Example Systems Savvy Situational Judgment Test (Scenario)

[O Organization, T Technology, E Emergent]

Virtual Team Your group is taking on a complex, new innovation project, but you don’t have access to enough people locally (Western United States) to succeed. Your best partner location is in China. China has engineers who have the skill set you need, are excited about the technology you are working on, and represent an important new market for your finished product. Please rank order each action from 1 (most effective) for organizing the team and the work in this environment to 5 (least effective).

O:

Break the project down into tightly defined pieces for which clear start and finish metrics can be identified. Have small teams made up of either all United States or all China employees work on the tightly defined pieces and assemble at the end.

E:

Let the workflow and process emerge based on the experience and training of the engineers. Have meetings at important milestones where you assess the current methods and consider whether changes should be implemented.

T:

Require a “level playing field.” All team members will telecommute (work from home) and use the company’s sophisticated technology tools to share and communicate the work. Everyone is working from the same location—the Internet.

TO:

Create sub-teams with engineers from both the United States and China. Give these sub-teams tightly defined projects; then put them all together at the end. Use video conferencing and small group trips between the full-team meetings.

TOE:

Create one team consisting of all the engineers at both locations. Give responsibility for the whole project to the single team, but let sub-groups emerge. Give the team a budget that they can use to fund travel or communications tools.

Appendix 2: Sociotechnical Awareness Assessment

Response Scale Totally False, Largely False, Somewhat False, As Likely to be True as False, Somewhat True, Largely True, Absolutely True (Scored − 3 to + 3)

  1. 1.

    When I adopt a new technology, I always consider other changes in my workflow that might help.*

  2. 2.

    Other people come to me for advice on how to implement organizational changes that include a technology tool.**

  3. 3.

    I always consider the technology changes we will have to make if we adopt a particular organizational change.

  4. 4.

    I always look for changes to organizational processes that could be improved with a technology tool.

  5. 5.

    I always consider what organizational changes are necessary to get the benefits of a proposed technology tool.

  6. 6.

    I always look for adjustments to technology implementations that may not fit our organization.

  7. 7.

    When I adopt a change in my workflow, I always consider technology changes that might help in combination.*

  8. 8.

    Other people come to me for advice on how to integrate technology tools into our organizational setting.**

* Covaried item 1 and 7 error variances due to reflected wording

** Covaried item 2 and 8 error variances due to reflected wording

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Griffith, T.L., Sawyer, J.E. & Poole, M.S. Systems Savvy: Practical Intelligence for Transformation of Sociotechnical Systems. Group Decis Negot 28, 475–499 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10726-019-09619-4

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