In the interest of furthering a science of service systems, the language-action perspective may be relevant. Business-oriented researchers have an appreciation of the gap between what people say and what they do, but may not be familiar with the development of this framework coming from computer science. Two decades of the language-action perspective were recently marked since the publication of Understanding Computers and Cognition in 1986 by Terry Winograd and Fernando Flores. It’s been almost three decades since “Doing and Speaking in the Office” by Fernando Flores and Juan Ludlow first appeared in an IIASA conference proceedings in 1980. This approach was foundational to the Commitment Management Protocol, as described in Adaptive Enterprise: Creating and Leading Sense-and-Respond Organizations by Steve Haeckel in 1999. The language-action perspective can provide some clarity in describing coordination within a service system.
Let’s trace the development of ideas, following milestones in three major sections:
- 1. What’s the linkage between language and action at work? Doing and speaking in the office
- 2. How do computers fit into collaborative work? Understanding computers and cognition
- 3. How can empowered workers coordinate outcomes and roles? Commitment management protocol
These works were published in 1980, 1986 and 1999. The viewpoints are all complementary, with each oriented towards slightly different issues.