This theory article examines the concept of a ‘mechanical authority’ and establishes that the cognitive layers have mechanical equivalents: there are qualitative differences between different kinds of non-sentient thing that are similar to the qualitative differences between different kinds of thinking. We also examine the interactions between human work and mechanical work. It assumes familiarity with the model of cognitive layering that was illustrated in Ladder of Trust, and specified in Cognitive Disjunctions.

这篇理论文章研究了“机械权威”的概念，并确立了认知层具有机械等同物：不同种类的非感觉事物之间存在质的区别，类似于不同种类的思维之间的质的区别。 我们还研究了人类工作与机械工作之间的相互作用。 它假定熟悉“ 梯形图”中说明的认知分层模型，并在“ 认知分离”中指定。

第1层：物理工具，自动化 (Layer 1: Physical tools, automation)

Layer 1 is the layer at which you do things. So a layer 1 machine corresponds with the things we typically think of as machines. Cars take you places. The internet carries data. Pens mark paper. An email filter moves emails into a different folder.

第1层是您执行操作的层。 因此，第1层机器与我们通常认为的机器相对应。 汽车会带你到位。 互联网承载数据。 笔标记纸。 电子邮件过滤器会将电子邮件移动到其他文件夹中。

第2层：计划和脚本 (Layer 2: Plans and scripts)

Layer 2 has direct control over layer 1. Software code (instructions to the computer) is a layer 2 machine. A standard operating procedure (instructions to the assembly line worker) is also a layer 2 machine. Call centre scripts, assembly instructions, project plans: anything that arranges instructions in time and space, and communicates a sequence that starts from a specific point and proceeds from there.

第2层可以直接控制第1层。软件代码(计算机指令)是第2层计算机。 标准操作程序(流水线工人的说明)也是第二层机器。 呼叫中心脚本，组装说明，项目计划：可以在时间和空间上安排说明并传达从特定点开始并从该点开始的序列的任何内容。

第三层：系统和规格 (Layer 3: Systems and Specifications)

If you have a picture of the finished lego, but no instructions, you have more freedom (and cognitive difficulty) in assembling the object. A completed piece of software (with all its functionality) is a system.

如果您具有完成的乐高玩具的图片，但没有任何说明，则组装对象时您将有更多的自由度(和认知困难)。 一个完整的软件(具有所有功能)就是一个系统。

A paper form is a specification: you can fill in the spaces on the form in any order you like, but the form will not be complete unless you fill in all the (appropriate) blanks. If there’s no appropriate blank for the information you want to provide, then you don’t get to provide it without breaking the rules of the form.

纸质表格是一种规范：您可以按自己喜欢的任何顺序填写表格中的空格，但是除非填写所有(适当的)空白，否则表格是不完整的。 如果要提供的信息没有适当的空白，那么您就必须在不违反表单规则的情况下提供信息。

This article attempts to specify ‘mechanical authority’ and forms part of a ‘cognitive layering’ system when combined with related articles, and is a layer 3 machine.

本文尝试指定“机械权限”，并在与相关文章结合时构成“认知分层”系统的一部分，并且是第3层机器。

第4层：语言 (Layer 4: Language)

The thing that makes it possible to express a specification is a language. Working the calculation in the opposite direction, when you have a collection of meaningful words that you can arrange, adding them together causes a language to emerge. The purpose of these cognitive layering articles is to equip readers with a language that they can use to describe characteristics of an organization.

语言可以表达规范。 当您具有可以安排的有意义的单词集合时，按相反的方向进行计算，将它们加在一起会产生一种语言。 这些认知分层文章的目的是为读者提供一种可以用来描述组织特征的语言。

第5层：指标和报告 (Layer 5: Indicators and Reports)

A speedometer is an authority that reports the speed of your car. A flashing yellow light on the side of a car (when used properly) indicates that the car is about to turn. Histories, reports, all of these things are mechanical entities that make something visible.

速度计是报告汽车速度的授权机构。 汽车侧面闪烁的黄灯(正确使用时)表示汽车即将转弯。 历史，报告，所有这些都是使某些东西可见的机械实体。

If you want to get especially fancy about it, you can pay attention to the fact that a speedometer tells you one thing about a car, while the dashboard reports the state of the system, and turning on the cruise control activates a plan for managing the speed of the car. But that’s a level of complexity we’re going to set aside for now, because I promised to tell you about how mechanical authorities interact with humans.

如果您想特别喜欢它，可以注意一个事实，即速度表会告诉您有关汽车的一件事，而仪表板会报告系统状态，然后打开巡航控制系统会激活一个管理车速表的计划。汽车的速度。 但这是我们现在要保留的复杂程度，因为我答应告诉您有关机械机构如何与人互动的信息。

机器作为人类增强 (Machine as human augmentation)

Cars (that are not completely self-driving) add to the capabilities of the driver, who controls the car. Unlike many machines, cars have fuel gauges that communicate a need to the driver, as well as subtler forms of communication (funny noises coming from the engine, perhaps). In most cases, the car doesn’t override the commands it receives from the driver; however, speed limiters, traction control and ABS are cases where the car will obey the engineers who built it, not the driver.

汽车(不是完全自动驾驶)增加了控制汽车的驾驶员的能力。 与许多机器不同，汽车具有与驾驶员沟通需求的油量表以及更巧妙的通信方式(也许来自发动机的有趣声音)。 在大多数情况下，汽车不会覆盖从驾驶员那里收到的命令。 但是，限速器，牵引力控制和ABS可以让汽车服从制造它的工程师，而不服从驾驶员。

机器担任主管 (Machine as supervisor)

Every Roman fort was built to the same plan. This significantly increased the efficiency of the Roman army: a soldier could walk into a fort and know immediately where the latrines were, where to store his gear, and where to sleep.

每个罗马堡垒都按照相同的计划建造。 这大大提高了罗马军队的效率：士兵可以走进堡垒，立即知道厕所在哪里，在哪里存放他的装备以及在哪里睡觉。

Every Roman fort was built by humans. They had to obey the standard layout when they laid out the fort, built the walls, and dug the trenches. Therefore, the machine (the specification for the fort) was a relevant authority regarding the work.

每个罗马堡垒都是人类建造的。 当他们布置堡垒，建造墙壁和挖沟时，他们必须服从标准布局。 因此，机器(堡垒的规格)是有关工作的权威。

Call centre scripts are especially notorious mechanical authorities — no matter how much effort the call centre agent puts into sounding friendly, we can usually tell pretty quickly that we’re talking to a machine with a human voice attached to it, not a real person who is capable of connecting with us in an empathic way.

呼叫中心脚本是特别臭名昭著的机械机构-不管呼叫中心代理人付出多大的努力听起来友好，我们通常都可以很快地说出，我们是在与带有人声的机器通话，而不是真正的人。能够以同理心的方式与我们联系。

机器作为拷打者 (Machine as torturer)

Speaking of call centres, let’s consider the brutal way in which statistics are misused in call centres around the world. “Your average handle time is 20 seconds higher than the target” says the supervisor “And your customer satisfaction ratings are 6.7, they need to be an 8.” It’s a spectacularly useless and counter-productive mode of communication. The agent has been tasked at layer 1 (follow the script, type into the computer), and is being given directives at layer 3 (here are the specifications: achieve them).

说到呼叫中心，让我们考虑一下在全世界的呼叫中心滥用统计数据的残酷方式。 主管说：“您的平均处理时间比目标时间长20秒。您的客户满意度等级为6.7，必须为8。” 这是一种极其无用且适得其反的沟通方式。 该代理已在第1层完成任务(按照脚本，输入计算机)，并在第3层获得了指令(此处是规范：实现它们)。

By reading directly from the report, the call centre supervisor fails to add any value. (They could theoretically give the agent some useful advice that would help them provide a better, faster service, but failure to do so is at epidemic levels.)

通过直接从报告中读取，呼叫中心主管无法添加任何值。 (从理论上讲，他们可以向代理商提供一些有用的建议，以帮助他们提供更好，更快的服务，但失败的原因是在流行病方面。)

监督机器作为推动者 (Supervised machine as enabler)

If you’re reading this article, you’ve probably heard the words “Unexpected item in bagging area.” The automated checkout is a mechanical authority that is responsible for charging you for the things you’ve bought, and it tries to stop you from cheating. More often than not, it complains about things that it shouldn’t be complaining about: perhaps you bought something from a different shop and put it into the bagging area to free your hands.

如果您正在阅读本文，您可能已经听说过“装袋区域中的意外物品”一词。 自动结帐是一种机械授权，负责向您收取所购商品的费用，并试图阻止您作弊。 它常常抱怨不应该抱怨的事情：也许您是从另一家商店买了东西，然后放进装袋区以解放双手。

Fortunately, supermarkets have worked out how to address this pretty quickly: they have human beings standing near the automatic checkouts, who will walk over, tell the machine not to worry, and let you get on with bagging your groceries. We tend to understand instinctively that machines which do things in the real world need supervisors.

幸运的是，超市已经找到了解决该问题的方法：他们使人站在自动结帐旁，他们会走过去，告诉机器不要担心，让您继续用杂物装袋。 我们倾向于本能地理解，在现实世界中做事的机器需要管理者。

无人监督的机器成为障碍 (Unsupervised machines as obstacles)

Who’s supervising your forms? Who’s supervising your organization structure? Is there information you need that isn’t being captured? Is there information you don’t need that you’re demanding, wasting the time of your employees and the goodwill of your customers? Are your cost-cutting methods preventing essential facilities from being provided? We often don’t notice when we delegate authority to a machine, leaving them catastrophically unsupervised.

谁在监督您的表格？ 谁来监督您的组织结构？ 是否有您需要的未被捕获的信息？ 是否存在您不需要的信息，从而浪费了员工的时间和客户的信誉？ 您的削减成本方法是否妨碍了提供基本设施 ？ 当我们将权限委派给机器时，我们通常不会注意到，而使它们处于灾难性的无人监督状态。