<P> A sociotechnical system is the term usually given to any instantiation of socio and technical elements engaged in goal directed behaviour . Sociotechnical systems are a particular expression of sociotechnical theory, although they are not necessarily one and the same thing . Sociotechnical systems theory is a mixture of sociotechnical theory, joint optimisation and so forth and general systems theory . The term sociotechnical system recognises that organizations have boundaries and that transactions occur within the system (and its sub-systems) and between the wider context and dynamics of the environment . It is an extension of Sociotechnical Theory which provides a richer descriptive and conceptual language for describing, analysing and designing organisations . A Sociotechnical System, therefore, often describes a' thing' (an interlinked, systems based mixture of people, technology and their environment). </P> <P> Autonomous work teams also called self - managed teams, are an alternative to traditional assembly line methods . Rather than having a large number of employees each do a small operation to assemble a product, the employees are organized into small teams, each of which is responsible for assembling an entire product . These teams are self - managed, and are independent of one another . </P> <P> Job enrichment in organizational development, human resources management, and organizational behavior, is the process of giving the employee a wider and higher level scope of responsibility with increased decision - making authority . This is the opposite of job enlargement, which simply would not involve greater authority . Instead, it will only have an increased number of duties . </P> <P> Job enlargement means increasing the scope of a job through extending the range of its job duties and responsibilities . This contradicts the principles of specialisation and the division of labour whereby work is divided into small units, each of which is performed repetitively by an individual worker . Some motivational theories suggest that the boredom and alienation caused by the division of labour can actually cause efficiency to fall . </P>

Advantages and disadvantages of socio technical system approach