About the Author
Steven Shorrock is an interdisciplinary humanistic, systems and design practitioner interested in human work from multiple perspectives.
Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol) & Chartered Ergonomist and Human Factors Specialist (CErgHF)
Monthly Archives: October 2018
The Commercialisation and Commodification of Competency
Two or three years ago, I undertook a course involving UX ‘certification’. I had already undertaken courses in HCI and design as part of an MSc(Eng) in Work Design and Ergonomics some years (ahem…21) earlier. And I had already been … Continue reading
Posted in Human Factors/Ergonomics, Safety, Systems Thinking
Tagged certification, commercialisation, competence, competency, experience, qualification, safety, ux
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Giving Guidance to Government
This article was published in The Ergonomist, published by the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors, No. 568, Nov-Dec 2018. From healthcare and patient safety, to the latest developments in driver automation, human factors is not only relevant across … Continue reading
Posted in Human Factors/Ergonomics
Tagged accidents, automation, autonomy, cars, committees, driving, ergonomics, expert witness, expertise, government, gross negligence manslaughter, healthcare, human factors, learning, policy, reviews, roads
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The Real Focus of Safety-II
Safety-II has become a talking point. It is discussed not only among safety professionals, but – perhaps more importantly – among front line practitioners, managers, board members and regulators in a wide array of industries. Its practical and inclusive focus … Continue reading
Posted in Safety, Systems Thinking
Tagged accidents, archetypes, congruence, holism, local rationality, normal work, practice, safety, safety-I, safety-II, Systems Thinking, the messy reality, work-as-done, work-as-imagined, work-as-prescribed
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The problem with professional appropriation: The case of ‘human factors’ and ‘ergonomics’
In a recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper by journalist Liam Mannix (A difficult position: Experts question whether ergonomics holds up), a Sydney University Professor calls out physical ‘ergonomics’ as bad science and practice: Every year, companies around … Continue reading
Posted in Human Factors/Ergonomics
Tagged education, emergent expertise, ergonomics, experience, healthcare, human factors, profession, professional appropriation, professional desertification
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Work and how to survive it: Lesson 2. Understand variation inside your organisation
In this sporadic series of posts, I share a few insights, as they might apply to work and organisations, from ‘Life and How To Survive It’ and ‘Families and How to Survive Them’, by psychotherapist (late) Robin Skynner and comedian John Cleese. Continue reading
