Einzug der Rationalität in die Organisation? Digitale Systeme der Entscheidungsunterstützung in der Produktion

In the industrial sector digital decision support systems (DSS) in production planning and control are aimed at reducing the likelihood of incorrect machine scheduling decisions. DSS relate to the area of responsibility of the middle management level which is at the core of this article. On the basis of qualitative data, the author shows that DSS change the coordinating function and restrict the human decision-making competence. Beyond the middle managers, this also applies to the scope of decision making on the part of production employees as well as of partially autonomous working groups. On the one hand, this means that middle managers are relieved of the risk of making wrong decisions and gain space for other, non-repetitive tasks. On the other hand, digital decision support tends to contribute to an automation scenario and, by limiting autonomy, violates an important social and labour policy standard.