sitemapCV: Randall Whitaker, Ph.D. ornament

CURRICULUM VITAE:

Randall D. Whitaker, Ph.D.

Senior Human Factors Engineer
Logicon Technical Services, Inc.
PO Box 317258
Dayton OH 45437-7258 USA

Adjunct Researcher
Department of Informatics
Umeå Universitet
Umeå Sweden

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Current Professional Focus

Owing to a background spanning the social sciences, systems theory, and information technology (IT), my interests and aptitudes focus upon the intersection of people, enterprises, and technology. The work and learning skills developed in the experimental Justin Morrill College environment and numerous practical experiences have equipped me for creatively addressing, analyzing, and solving the problems of bridging among these interdependent elements of the emergent workspace.
Generally, my research focuses on systemic approaches to human (inter-)action, human / computer interaction, and the ramifications for enterprises at all scales. My most recent work has been within the general area of computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) -- the field of enquiry addressing how IT can best facilitate collaborators' task-oriented communication and interactivity. Because CSCW seeks to bridge the gap between technology and collaboration, both media and the interactivity effected through them must be taken into consideration. This work is intertwined with the areas of human-computer interaction (HCI) and participatory design (PD). HCI is the field of enquiry concerned with fitting IT to user capacities, while PD addresses the means for fitting IT to social, political, and other factors in the users' workplace. I have applied these orientations to business process re-engineering (BPR), organizational learning, and organizational (re-)design. My most recent assignment (information warfare -- IW) is aimed at analyzing cognitive engineering aspects of collaborative information management and manipulation in very high performance real-time operations.

Doctor of Philosophy

Department of Informatics
Umeå Universitet (Sweden)

1992

Dissertation Title:

Venues for Contexture: A Critical Analysis and Enactive Reformulation of Group Decision Support Systems

Master of Science

Department of Computer Sciences
University of Wisconsin - Madison

1987

Office of Naval Research Fellow, 1985-1988
Outstanding Student Award (Department of Computer Sciences), 1985
University of Wisconsin Fellow, 1988

My Ph.D. program was transferred to Umeå Universitet in 1988. At that time, all doctoral coursework requirements had been satisfied or exceeded. The doctoral minor in (cognitive) psychology was completed effective December 1987.

Bachelor of Science

: Department of Computer and Information Science
East Tennessee State University
1985

Bachelor of Arts

Liberal Arts: Anthropology / Psychology
Justin Morrill College
Michigan State University

1974

National Merit Scholar
MSU Honors College (1969-1973)
Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society
Phi Beta Kappa

Senior Human Factors Engineer
Logicon Technical Services, Inc. (LTSI) (A component of Logicon)
Crew System Interface Division
Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)
June 1993 and continuing

Senior researcher under support contract to world's largest human factors laboratory. Provide technical and scholarly consultancy services to USAF customers. Also participate in proposal generation, contract competitions, and other LTSI business development activities. Specific task assignments have included:

Collaborative Systems Technology Laboratory
(CSTL)
Collaborative Systems Technology Branch, AFRL
June to December 1997

Tasked to establish a reconfigurable testbed facility for creating and demonstrating advanced collaborative technology concepts in the areas of (e.g.) command and control, remote sensing, intelligence analysis, and information warfare. Developed concept demonstration of distributed group IT applications in the context of battlespace management command and control. Aided in setting up human performance assessment software suite and Java-based interactive unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) remote control simulation suite.

Crew-Aiding and Information Warfare Analysis Laboratory
(CIWAL)
Information Analysis and Exploitation Branch, AFRL
April 1995 to present

Tasked to research and analyze cognitive and collaborative aspects of information warfare (IW). Conducted literature searches, compiled reference library materials, and participated in programmatic planning. Generated a cognitive engineering agenda addressing decision making demands in high performance real-time distributed command and control. Generated technical reports, proposals, briefing materials, and attendant graphic materials. Consulted and advised on research methodologies, computer support, distributed interactive simulation (DIS), and human-computer interaction issues relevant to other CIWAL programs. Ongoing activities include research and analysis on (a) group interface technologies for IW-related command and control, (b) cognitive engineering models for IW-oriented systems analyses, and (c) applications of semiotics and systems theory to IW.

Collaborative Design Technology Laboratory
(CDT Lab)
June 1993 - April 1995

Hired as chief researcher for start-up CSCW program within U.S. Air Force human factors laboratory. Set up and maintained CDT laboratory with reconfigurable collaborative work testbed, Internet links, groupware tools, resident audio / video capacities, and remote video link. Conducted both experimental and observational studies of group design activities. Tested and evaluated group support products. Extended earlier cognitive science / knowledge elicitation work to support collaborative design teams operating in both co-located and distributed work settings. Additional duties include: technical writing, editing, proposal writing, meeting facilitation, generation of graphics and presentation materials, print and electronic literature searches, purchasing, and project planning with USAF and other partners. USAF budget cuts forced closure of CDT Laboratory in spring 1995. Specific CDT project areas included:

Organizational (Re-)Engineering (related terms = TQM, BPR): Research and applied work toward analyzing organizational structures, defining operational niches, and (re-) designing both organizational and operational features for better performance and service.
Advanced Group Interfaces: Interface devices providing information display, control of the display, control of the software driving the display, and direct data input (via handwriting recognition) at one unified surface.
Observational Studies of Work Teams: Analyses of teams' work activities, interactional patterns, and their usage of available IT resources. Results have informed: (1) work team members about possibilities for process improvement and (2) developers about how best to support such teams.
Experimental and Observational Studies of Collaborative Decision Making: Design, execution, analysis, and publication of team decision making research. Some of these studies employed real world experts in artificial experimental settings, and some involved structured interventions and process analyses of actual team meetings.
Video Teleconferencing: Installed a multi-channel audio / video link between our laboratory and the primary local presentation / meeting room, permitting multimedia support for local meetings as well as testing of the performance and usability characteristics of video conferencing tools.

Assistant Professor
Institutionen för Informatik
Umeå Universitet (Sweden)
July 1991 - June 1993

This was a fixed-term research post at a rank corresponding to assistant professor. Duties included conducting my own research (as described above); advising students on independent study projects; occasional teaching; dissertation advising; project proposal development; responding to academic and government inquiries (on network, data communication, and CSCW issues), and occasional consulting work.

I maintain an affiliation with the department as an Adjunct Researcher.

Systemvetare (Senior Systems Analyst)
Statskontoret (The Swedish Agency for Administrative Development)
November 1988-June 1991

Recruited for the agency's knowledge-based systems group. Duties included: conducting research and enquiry into a range of advanced IT (Information Technology) issues of interest to the Swedish government; training; and serving as Swedish representative to international working groups. More specific duties included:

Knowledge Engineer

Worked on design, implementation, and evaluation of knowledge-based systems (KBS) in government pilot projects. Planned successive phases of ongoing projects, reviewed new software tools, and participated in project management functions (e.g., budgeting, reporting). Advised programming staff on technical matters and oversaw ongoing elaboration of user interfaces.

National Representative: ICA Study Group on KBS in Government

Assigned as Swedish government's delegate to working group sponsored by the International Council on Information Technology in Government, researching the potentials and the pitfalls of knowledge based systems (KBS) in government operations. Planned program and drafted material for national representatives' discussions of KBS work / experiences. Served as both contributing author and editor for the group's final report presented (by me) to the ICA Annual International Conference in October 1990 and published by ICA in 1991. Reaction to the report and its presentation was sufficiently positive to motivate multiple requests for related consulting services and invited lectures throughout Europe.

National Project Leader: Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW)

Appointed national CSCW project leader for UtvecklingsRådet (the Development Council) -- a national program for promoting innovative IT applications in the public sector. Managed a working group comprised of representatives from government, business, defense, and labor. Budgeted and managed monies from Arbetsmiljöfonden (The Swedish Work Environment Fund). Conducted CSCW workshops, seminars, and surveys of technology trends, products, and prospective applications. Generated (a) a preliminary study outlining CSCW and its potential for theSwedish public sector, (b) recommendations for a public sector policy on CSCW research and development, and (c) an integrated package of project proposals.

Other Duties

Swedish representative to the working group that established the CO-TECH (Collaboration Technology) initiative under the EC's COST program.
Evaluator for strategies and products for public access to large databases.
Technical writer and editor of scientific articles and other publications.

Other Employment

Claims Representative
Social Security Administration
1977-1985

Public contact representative for SSA. Adjudicated claims for a variety of benefits at both the initial and appeal stages. Conducted trips to remote service sites and claimants' homes. Provided liaison services and referrals to other assistance agencies. Responsible for an SSI client population of approximately 3000 and annual SSI payments totalling between $4.5 million and $5 million. Received employee achievement awards September 1982 and December 1984. Maintained full range of responsibilities while pursuing BSc degree in computer sciences (1981 through 1985). Last summary performance appraisal (October 1984) carried an "Excellent" rating. Left in August 1985 to attend graduate school.

Specialized duties included training, debt management, fraud investigation, stress management training, and computerization issues.

Draftsman / Chief Draftsman
Bristol Metals, Inc. (Synalloy Corp.)
1973 - 1977

Reviewed incoming drawings and plans from customers. Produced preliminary design drawings for cost estimation and feasibility evaluation as well as final detail drawings for use by the fabrication shop. Managed work assignments, training, and quality oversight for up to four draftsmen in addition to myself. Received incoming jobs and allocated them to the draftsmen. Reviewed specifications and material requirements. Checked others' drawings for adequacy and accuracy. Served as reference person for questions from the fabrication shop.

Professional Musician (self-employed)
1966 - 1980

Graphic Illustrator (self-employed)
1973 - 1978

Television Cameraman (public access channel)
1976 - 1977

Clerk/Typist
1971 - 1973

Communication / Presentation Skills:: Excellent writing, editing, reviewing, graphics, and presentation skills. Over ten years' experience as a consulting technical writer, editor, facilitator, and presentor. Substantial experience in generating planning and proposal documentation. Extensive experience in diverse communications / presentation media including audio, video, electronic / printed text, hypertext, and multimedia.
Team / Project Skills:: A consistently effective collaborator in teams ranging from 3 to over 40 members. Extensive experience with cross-organizational and international work groups involving public and private sectors. Experience in project and project group planning, budgeting, and management. Extensive experience in proposal generation and funding solicitation.
Internet:: Over ten years' experience and established presence in the global networks. Editor of Internet newsletter / journal. Author of numerous WWW pages.
Facilitation Tools:: Flowcharting, concept mapping, semantic modelling, logic modelling, ethnography, qualitative research, conversational analysis, IDEF, storyboarding, and multiple original techniques developed over the years.
Operating Systems:: OS/VS1, CMS, VMS, Unix, MS-DOS, Windows, Macintosh.
Programming Tools:: Fortran (IV,V,77), COBOL, PL/1, C, C++, Prolog, SmallTalk, Pascal, HyperTalk, HTML, expert systems shells, various 4GL's and API's.
Software:: Diverse text processing, communications, graphics, publishing, database, artificial intelligence, groupware, presentation, and other packages.

Brown, C., Selvaraj, J., Zaff, B., McNeese, M., and Whitaker, R. (1994).

An integrative bargaining paradigm for investigating multidisciplinary design tradeoffs.
Proceedings of the 38th Annual Meeting of the Human Factors Society, 2 , (pp. 1028-1032).

Brown, C., Whitaker, R., Selvaraj, J., and McNeese, M. (1995, April).

The Development of TRACE: An Integrative Bargaining Paradigm for Investigating Multidisciplinary Design Tradeoffs.
Dayton OH: USAF Armstrong Laboratory Technical Report AL/CF-TR-1995-0073.

Carmel, E., Whitaker, R., and George, J. (1992, November).

Participatory design versus joint application design: Transatlantic differences in systems development.
Paper presented at the Participatory Design Conference, Cambridge MA.

Carmel, E., Whitaker, R., and George, J. (1993).

PD and Joint Application Design: A transatlantic comparison.
Communications of the ACM, 36 (4), 40-48.

Citera, M., McNeese, M., Brown, C., Selvaraj, J., Zaff, B., and Whitaker, R. (1995).

Fitting information systems to collaborating design teams.
Journal of the American Society of Information Science, 46 (7), 551-559.

Docherty, P., and Whitaker, R. (1992).

Introduction to groupware.
in Docherty, P. (ed.), CSCW -- A Promise Soon to be Realized?, Stockholm: Teldok report 71, 1-10.

McNeese, M., Zaff, B., Citera, M., Brown, C., and Whitaker, R. (1995).

AKADAM: Eliciting User Knowledge to Support Participatory Ergonomics.
International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 15 (5), 345-364.

Whitaker, R., O. Östberg, O., and Amick, B. (1988).

Kultur, Språk och Artificiell Intelligens (Culture, Language, and Artificial Intelligence): Report on the International Conference.
Stockholm: Teldok, 1988 (in Swedish).

Whitaker, R., and Östberg, O. (1988, July).

Channeling knowledge: Expert systems as communications media.
AI & Society, 2, (3), 197-208.

Whitaker, R., Östberg, O., and Essler, U. (1989).

Communications and coordination of concerted activity.
Human Interface News and Report, 4 (4), 325-338.

Whitaker, R. and Essler, U. (1990).

Teknikstöd för Grupparbete (Technology Support for Groupwork).
Stockholm: UtvecklingsRådet (The Development Council) (in Swedish).

Whitaker, R., Essler, U. and Östberg, O. (1991, December).

Participatory Business Modeling.
Luleå (Sweden): Tekniska Högskolan i Luleå, TULEA Report 1991:31.

Whitaker, R. (1992a, March).

Site report on University of Michigan and EDS Capture Lab.
in Docherty, P. (ed.), CSCW -- A Promise Soon to be Realized?, Stockholm: Teldok report 71, 66-78.

Whitaker, R. (1992b, March).

Personal reflections on the 1991 Teldok "Groupware" study tour.
in Docherty, P. (ed.), CSCW -- A Promise Soon to be Realized?, Stockholm: Teldok report 71, 126-131.

Whitaker, R. (1992, December).

Venues for Contexture: A Critical Analysis and Enactive Reformulation of Group Decision Support Systems.
Umeå (Sweden): Umeå University Dept. of Informatics research report UMADP- RRIPCS 15.92 (doctoral dissertation).

Whitaker, R., and Östberg, O. (1992).

Expert systems: Channels for dialogue.
in Göranzen, B., and Florin, M. (eds.), Skill and Education: Reflection and Experience, London: Springer-Verlag, 107-119.

Whitaker, R. (1993a).

Interactional models for collective support systems: An application of autopoietic theory.
in Glanville, R., and de Zeeuw, G. (eds.), Interactive Interfaces and Human Networks, Amsterdam: Thesis Publishers, 119-135.

Whitaker, R. (1993b).

Topical Index: Autopoiesis and Cognition (Maturana & Varela, 1980). Available for download via FTP at:

ftp://ftp.eeng.dcu.ie/pub/autonomy/observer

Whitaker, R. (1994, March).

Autopoiesis and social systems I.
The Observer, issue 9.

Whitaker, R. (1994, June).

GDSS' formative fundaments: An interpretive analysis.
Computer Supported Cooperative Work: An International Journal, 2, 239-260.

Whitaker, R. (1995, April).

Autopoiesis and social systems II.
The Observer, issue 10

Whitaker, R., Longinow, N., and McNeese, M. (1995, April).

Group Interfaces: A Profile and a Prototype.
Dayton OH: USAF Armstrong Laboratory Technical Report AL/CF-TR-1995-0069.

Whitaker, R., Selvaraj, J., Brown, C., and McNeese, M. (1995, April).

Collaborative Design Technology: Tools and Techniques for Improving Collaborative Design.
Dayton OH: USAF Armstrong Laboratory Technical Report AL/CF-TR-1995-0086.

Whitaker, R. (1995, September).

(Re-)Design of self-organizing enterprises.
Paper presented at the workshop on "Groupware for Self-Organizing Units - The Autopoietic Turn in Organization Science and its Relevance for Groupware", ECSCW'95 (Fourth European Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work), Stockholm.

Whitaker, R. (1995, December).

Self-Organization, Autopoiesis, and Enterprises.
ACM SIGOIS Illuminations, available via WWW at:

http://www.acm.org/siggroup/ois/auto/Main.html.

Whitaker, R. (1996, April).

Nichepicking: A tool for (re-)designing self-organizing enterprises.
ACM SIGOIS Bulletin, 17 (1), 21-22.

Whitaker, R. (1996, August).

Managing context in enterprise knowledge processes.
European Management Journal, 14: 4 (August 1996), Special Issue on 'The Epistemological Challenge', 399-406.

Whitaker, R., and Kuperman, G. (1996, October).

Cognitive Engineering for Information Dominance: A Human Factors Perspective
Dayton OH: USAF Armstrong Laboratory Technical Report AL/CF-TR-1996-0159, October 1996.

Whitaker, R. (1997, in press).

Niche formulation for self-organizing enterprises.
to appear in P. Mambrey, M. Paetau, W. Prinz , and Wulf, V. (eds.), Self-Organization: A Challenge for CSCW, Berlin: Springer-Verlag.

Whitaker, R. (1997, April).

Informationskrigsföring -- ett växande hot (Information warfare -- a growing threat).
Öppna System, (Stockholm: Statskontoret), nr. 1:1997, pp. 18-19. (in Swedish: Translated by A.-M. E. Löwinder)

Whitaker, R. (1997a, November).

Exploring and employing autopoietic theory: Issues and tips. Paper presented for the opening plenary session in Biology, Cognition, Language, and Society: An international symposium on autopoiesis. Belo Horizonte (Brazil), 18 November 1997.

Whitaker, R. (1997b, November).

Is that a hole in your parentheses, or are you wholly parenthetical? Keynote paper on cognition, presented at Biology, Cognition, Language, and Society: An international symposium on autopoiesis. Belo Horizonte (Brazil), 18 November 1997.

Östberg, O., Whitaker, R., and Amick, B. (1988).

The Automated Expert: Technical, Human, and Organizational Considerations in Expert Systems Applications.
Stockholm: Via Teldok report 12.

Additional Publications and Professional Activities

Editor / Contributor / Presentor:

Knowledge-Based Systems Technology in Government Administration.
London: ICA (International Council on Information Technology in Government), October 1990.
The CEC IMPACT-2 Programme -- A Swedish Response.
Stockholm: Civildepartementet, June 1991.
SOSIP: The Swedish Government Draft OSI Standard.
Stockholm: Statskontoret, 1991 / 1992.

Editor:

The Observer: An Internet journal / newsletter on autopoiesis and enactive cognitive science.
1993 to present.
Available FTP: ftp://ftp.eeng.dcu.ie/pub/autonomy/observer.
Available email: rwhitake@alpha.wright.edu.
The Observer Web: The largest Internet site dedicated to autopoiesis and enaction, and related work. Repository for research resources and documentation. Established April 1996. Mirrored in Portuguese at UFMG, Brazil.
http://www.informatik.umu.se/~rwhit/AT.html

Editorial Advisory Board:

Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW): The Journal of Collaborative Computing

Organizing Committee:

Biology, Cognition, Language, and Society: An international symposium on autopoiesis, Belo Horizonte (Brazil), 18-21 November, 1997.

Consultant / Invited Lecturer on Topics Including:

Technology Support for Group Work.
Knowledge Based Systems.
Computer Supported Cooperative Work.
Groupware.
Knowledge Based Systems in Government Administration.
Scandinavian Participatory Design.
Programmatic Concerns in Human-Computer Interaction Research: A Military Perspective.
Change Agency in Military Research Organizations.
Group Decision Support for Change Agents in Large Organizations.
Internet as a Medium for Business Development.
Applying Self-Organization in Enterprise (Re-)Engineering.
Applications of Autopoietic Theory