A Surgeon’s Take on Human and Organisational Factors: A Conversation with Manoj Kumar

Healthcare is perhaps the most complex safety-critical sector, and the challenges have only increased throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Increasingly, human and organisational factors have come under the spotlight. Manoj Kumar is a consultant general surgeon with a background also in safety, human factors, and training. In this conversation with Steven Shorrock, Manoj provides insights and perspectives on the realities of work in healthcare, and the team’s role in improvement.

Work-As-Imagined Solutioneering: Ten Traps Along the Yellow Brick Road

On major projects, some surprises unfold slowly via ‘work-as-imagined solutioneering’. Based on observations in several industries, Steven Shorrock presents ten traps that we can all fall into.

Why Learn from Everyday Work?

This article is a reproduction of the Editorial published in HindSight magazine issue 31 in December 2020…

Surprises, Fast and Slow: Preparing for the Limits of Work-as-Imagined

This article is a reproduction of the Editorial published in HindSight magazine issue 34 in…

HindSight 34: Handling Surprises (Tales of the Unexpected) is out now

HindSight is a magazine on human and organisational factors in operations. HindSight magazine is free…

Getting a Handle on Three Zones of Performance

Reflections on what distinguishes the three zones of performance in the well-known graph associated with Safety-II.

Staying In Control: Five Suggestions From a Long-Distance Psychologist on the Centenary of Air Traffic Control

On the centenary of air traffic control, and the International day of the air traffic controller, I offer five suggestions that have emerged from my experience of working with air traffic controllers over 25 years of practice as a psychologist. 

“Above All Else…” Reflecting on the Gifts of Richard I. Cook

Sometimes, people come into your life and – through a rare blend of qualities – support you through the challenges and struggles in a way that few can. Richard Cook has been such a presence in my life.

On the Spread of Ideas: Four Roles and Four Traps 

In this post, I describe four roles for the spread of new ideas, and reflect on corresponding ego traps or shadow roles.

We Need to Talk About Engineering

When it comes to human performance, most efforts to understand work are dedicated to operational roles such as air traffic controllers and professional pilots. In this article, I outline five challenges for engineers in the drive for digitalisation.