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Author Archives: stevenshorrock
Suitably Qualified and Experienced? Five Questions to ask before buying Human Factors training or consultancy
Ergonomics (or human factors) is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being … Continue reading
Posted in Human Factors/Ergonomics
Tagged accreditation, ergonomics, ethics, human factors, practice, qualification, training
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Work-as-Imagined Solutioneering: A 10-Step Guide
Have you ever come across a ‘problematic solution’ that was implemented in your workplace, and wondered, “How did this come to be?” Wherever you sit in an organisation, the chances are that you have. Many problematic solutions emerge from a … Continue reading
The Loneliest Profession in Healthcare
You’d expect that Human Factors/Ergonomics would be very relevant to the NHS. But is it actually integrated? Continue reading
Posted in Human Factors/Ergonomics, Safety
Tagged design, ergonomics, healthcare, human factors, practice, profession, safety
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Bonding and Bridging at the Philosophical Breakfast Club
On 26 April 2018, I presented at the ‘Philosophical Breakfast Club’ (@philosophicalBC) conference on High Performing Teams (#PBCHPT2018). It was a remarkable conference bringing together healthcare professionals, psychologists, sports scientists, athletes, managers, human factors/ergonomics specialists, military officers and specialists, and others, My first conversation while having tea before the conference was with a spinal surgeon and bomb disposal expert. Throughout the conference I had many other fascinating conversations with people from a diverse range of backgrounds.
This leads me to the focus of my talk: collaboration at the interfaces, and what happens between teams, groups, professions, layers of management, organisations… In this post, I summarise the talk, slide by slide, with tweet-sized explanations. Continue reading
The Organisational Homelessness of ‘Human Factors’
Most fields of professional activity have a settled home within the divisional and departmental structures of organisations. Operational staff work in operational divisions. Engineering staff work in engineering divisions. Everyone else tends to know their place: finance, human resources, legal, … Continue reading
Human Factors and Ergonomics: Looking Back to Look Forward
During the second world war, the United States lost hundreds of planes in accidents that were deemed ‘pilot error’. Crash landings were a particular problem for the Boeing B-17 ‘Flying Fortress’. The planes were functioning as designed, and the pilots … Continue reading
Posted in Human Factors/Ergonomics, Safety
Tagged aviation, ergonomics, healthcare, human factors, work-as-done, work-as-imagined
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Learning from Communities: A Conversation with Cormac Russell
The study of communities and community-building activities can provide important insights into collaboration within and between organisations. Over the last 21 years Cormac Russell has worked in 35 countries, with communities, agencies, non-governmental organisations and governments. This post includes the podcast and transcript of a conversation between Cormac Russell and me, about learning from communities. Continue reading
Posted in Culture, systems thinking
Tagged collaboration, community, focus groups, groupwork
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