Identifying the Elements of a Technical System
Every morning, at the tortilla shop on the corner, one hot tortilla after another comes out. Is it just a machine and a little dough? If the machine breaks down, is having corn enough to keep working? In this section you will discover which pieces are needed for a technical activity to work, and why people matter as much as tools.
What Is a Technical System?
A technical system is a set of elements that relate to each other to achieve something: making tortillas, fixing a water faucet, cooking beans. If one element is missing or fails, the result changes or is not achieved.
A technical system does not exist in isolation. It takes place in a society (who needs it and who makes it), in a culture (how it is customarily done), and in nature (where the materials come from and where the waste goes).
Explain in your own words what each element of a technical system is (organization, means, materials, energy, knowledge and know-how) and give an example of each one…
Explain in your own words what each element of a technical system is (organization, means, materials, energy, knowledge and know-how) and give an example of each one taken from your kitchen at home or from a workshop you know.
The Seven Elements
These are the elements described in the curriculum. Imagine a kitchen at home where quesadillas are being made.
| Element | What it is | Example in the kitchen |
|---|---|---|
| Forms of organization | How tasks, times, and responsibilities are divided | One person chops, another heats the comal |
| Means | Tools, machines, and instruments | Comal, spatula, knife, stove |
| Materials | What is transformed or used | Tortillas, cheese, oil |
| Energy | What makes the means work | LP gas, electricity, the strength of your hands |
| Knowledge | Technical information, learned at school or in courses | Knowing that cheese melts with heat, reading a recipe |
| Traditional know-how | What the community passes down by tradition | "The comal is ready when a drop of water dances" |
| Experience | What you learn from having done the activity many times | Knowing, from practice, when to flip the tortilla |
In a neighborhood tortilla shop two people work in shifts. Classify each item according to the element of the technical system it belongs to: the corn; the tortilla…
In a neighborhood tortilla shop two people work in shifts. Classify each item according to the element of the technical system it belongs to: the corn; the tortilla machine and the griddle; the LP gas; the nixtamal recipe taught by the grandmother; the way shifts and the cash box are shared; the maintenance course the manager took.
A Complete System: The Tortilla Shop
Let's look at everything together in a community tortilla shop.
The diagram sums up the technical system of a community tortilla shop. Look at it and answer: which element of the technical system (organization, means, materials,…
The diagram sums up the technical system of a community tortilla shop. Look at it and answer: which element of the technical system (organization, means, materials, energy, knowledge or know-how) does the box marked with «?» belong to? Give two concrete examples of that element in the tortilla shop. Then write one example of each of the other five elements based on the boxes in the diagram.
Handmade System and Mechanized System
Doña Mary makes tortillas by hand. Her son suggests buying a machine. What changes? All the elements change, not just the means.
| Element | Handmade | Mechanized |
|---|---|---|
| Organization | One person does the whole process | Tasks are divided: someone runs the machine, someone else handles the register |
| Means | Stone or hand press and comal | Mill and tortilla-making machine |
| Materials | Corn selected by hand | Corn or flour, in larger quantities |
| Energy | Muscle power and firewood or gas | Electricity and LP gas |
| Knowledge | Little that is formal | Operation and maintenance of the machine |
| Traditional know-how | A lot: texture, the right consistency of the dough | They may stop being used if no one passes them down |
Doña Mary makes tortillas by hand and her son suggests buying a tortilla machine. Analyze how each element of the technical system (organization, means, materials,…
Doña Mary makes tortillas by hand and her son suggests buying a tortilla machine. Analyze how each element of the technical system (organization, means, materials, energy, knowledge and know-how) would change when moving from the artisanal system to the mechanized one, and point out what would be gained and what could be lost, for example in know-how or in taste.
People in the System: Who Takes Part
The "organization" element decides who does each task. And those decisions do not depend only on skill. They are also influenced by:
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Interests: what someone likes or what benefits them.
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Prejudices: ideas formed before getting to know the person, such as "women don't know how to use machines."
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Stereotypes: fixed images about a group, such as "the kitchen is only for women" or "the blacksmith shop is only for men."
When they are applied, they open doors for some people and close them for others. That is why, when analyzing a technical system, it is worth asking: Do all people have the same opportunities to learn and take part? If not, what can be changed, for example with schedules, courses, or rotating shifts?
Summary
Go back to the beginning: the tortilla shop does not run on just a machine and dough. It needs materials, means, energy, people who organize themselves, and knowledge, traditional know-how, and experience.