Leapfrog skills: Combining vertical and horizontal multi-skills to overcome skill trade-offs that limit prosperity growth

Fox, Stephen

doi:10.1016/j.techsoc.2016.10.001

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…An example of an open skill is any of the craft skills in construction work that involve developing adaptive expertise encompassing many different skills with many different tools and many different types of materials. In between the most closed and most open work skills are those skills acquired in factory work through job enlargement, for example in order to undertake several different tasks in car assembly work [ 111 ]. For workers with expertise in closed skills, repositioning and rework involve little need for the re-perfecting of their skills.…”

Section: Examplesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variational Principle of Least Psychomotor Action: Modelling Effects on Action from Disturbances in Psychomotor Work Involving Human, Cyborg, and Robot Workers

Fox

Kotelba

2019

Entropy

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Optimal psychomotor work can be expressed in terms of the principle of least psychomotor action (PLPA). Modelling psychomotor action encompasses modelling workers, work, and interactions between them that involve different types of situated entropy. Modelling of psychomotor workers encompasses three types of workers: human, cyborg, and robot. The type of worker and the type of work interact to affect positioning actions, performing actions, and perfecting actions undertaken in psychomotor tasks. There are often disturbances in psychomotor work, for example due to weather conditions, which have a determining influence on what work can be undertaken with least psychomotor action by different types of workers. In this paper, findings are reported from a study focused on the modelling disturbances in psychomotor work. Five contributions are provided. First, a heuristic framework for modelling disturbances and their effects is provided. In addition to PLPA and situated entropy, this framework encompasses Markov processes, the theory of perturbations, and calculus of variations. Second, formulae and ratios are provided for heuristic modelling of effects on internal action (S int ) from disturbances to psychomotor work. Third, formulae and ratios are provided for heuristic modelling of effects on external action (S e ). Fourth, examples are provided of heuristic modelling of disturbances in psychomotor work. Fifth, formulae and examples show how task complexity can be modelled heuristically in terms of microstates across the cyber domain and the physical domain of cyber-physical systems. Overall, the study reported in this paper addresses variational aspects of PLPA. Entropy 2019, 21, 543 2 of 26examples are provided of heuristic modelling of disturbances in psychomotor work. Fifth, examples show how task complexity can be modelled heuristically in terms of microstates across the cyber domain and the physical domain of cyber-physical systems. Together, these contributions enable heuristic modelling of effects from disturbances on interactions between diverse psychomotor work and workers: rather than on autonomous systems [1][2][3][4].The study reported here builds upon research reported in two previous papers in Entropy. The first paper [5] provided an explanation of how resources for physical production work, such as work instructions, product components, and workstations, can be carriers of situated information, and also carriers of various types of situated entropy. The second paper [6] expanded upon this [5] by generalizing from examples to the three categories of work setting, work composition, and work uncertainty, and to three aspects of worker action: positioning, performing, and perfecting. In addition, details were provided about the state-of-the-art for psychomotor capabilities of human, cyborgs, and robot workers. Moreover, the principle of least psychomotor action (PLPA) was introduced as follows: the preferred combination of worker types is that which can carry out psychomotor work with the least internal ...

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Section: Examplesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variational Principle of Least Psychomotor Action: Modelling Effects on Action from Disturbances in Psychomotor Work Involving Human, Cyborg, and Robot Workers

Fox

Kotelba

2019

Entropy

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“…Compared to craft practices, acquisition of industrial psychomotor skills can involve high capital investment costs, for example, an assembly line, but short acquisition time, for example, short assembly line training. Then, performance of industrial psychomotor skills is characterized by low versatility but high productivity and consistency [ 60 ].…”

Section: Workers: Plpa and Human Cyborg Robot Psychomotor Skillsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Short acquisition times for high psychomotor productivity and consistency in industry are achieved through industrial engineering that involves optimizing work settings, rationalizing work compositions, and minimizing work uncertainty. By contrast, craft training is focused on developing the worker to deal with irregular work settings, varying work compositions and much work uncertainty, for example, at construction sites [ 60 , 61 ]. Accordingly, both craft and industrial workers can achieve PLPA for supervision, thought and motion in familiar settings.…”

Section: Workers: Plpa and Human Cyborg Robot Psychomotor Skillsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Principle of Least Psychomotor Action: Modelling Situated Entropy in Optimization of Psychomotor Work Involving Human, Cyborg and Robot Workers

Fox¹,

Kotelba²

2018

Entropy

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Entropy in workplaces is situated amidst workers and their work. In this paper, findings are reported from a study encompassing psychomotor work by three types of workers: human, cyborg and robot; together with three aspects of psychomotor work: setting, composition and uncertainty. The Principle of Least Psychomotor Action (PLPA) is introduced and modelled in terms of situated entropy. PLPA is founded upon the Principle of Least Action. Situated entropy modelling of PLPA is informed by theoretical studies concerned with connections between information theory and thermodynamics. Four contributions are provided in this paper. First, the situated entropy of PLPA is modelled in terms of positioning, performing and perfecting psychomotor skills. Second, with regard to workers, PLPA is related to the state-of-the-art in human, cyborg and robot psychomotor skills. Third, with regard to work, situated entropy is related to engineering of work settings, work composition and work uncertainty. Fourth, PLPA and modelling situated entropy are related to debate about the future of work. Overall, modelling situated entropy is introduced as a means of objectively modelling relative potential of humans, cyborgs, and robots to carry out work with least action. This can introduce greater objectivity into debates about the future of work.

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Using digital fabrication tools to provide humanitarian and development aid in low-resource settings

Corsini

Aranda-Jan

Moultrie

2019

Technology in Society

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Leapfrog skills: Combining vertical and horizontal multi-skills to overcome skill trade-offs that limit prosperity growth

Cited by 6 publications

References 37 publications

Variational Principle of Least Psychomotor Action: Modelling Effects on Action from Disturbances in Psychomotor Work Involving Human, Cyborg, and Robot Workers

Variational Principle of Least Psychomotor Action: Modelling Effects on Action from Disturbances in Psychomotor Work Involving Human, Cyborg, and Robot Workers

Principle of Least Psychomotor Action: Modelling Situated Entropy in Optimization of Psychomotor Work Involving Human, Cyborg and Robot Workers

Using digital fabrication tools to provide humanitarian and development aid in low-resource settings

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