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Understanding and Improving Work & Life

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"I felt quite good most of yesterday" "That's always the danger zone"
  • Health and Wellbeing

I Crash: Texts from M.E.

  • by Steven Shorrock
  • Posted on 17/05/202627/05/2026

Low-energy summary For the last two years, my messaging apps have contained a record that…

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  • Health and Wellbeing

Reflections on the Autistic Spectrum: A Critical Response to Uta Frith’s Views

  • by Steven Shorrock
  • Posted on 13/03/202614/03/2026

Professor Uta Frith’s recent TES interview has prompted intense debate about autism, diagnosis, and the meaning of the spectrum. This response considers some of her central claims in light of current research, lived experience, and the possible consequences of public commentary by influential figures.

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  • safety

People in Control: A Conversation With Captain James Burnell

  • by Steven Shorrock
  • Posted on 30/10/202530/10/2025

Aviation is heavily reliant on procedures, but procedures can never replace human adaptivity in all…

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  • Humanistic Psychology

Seeing the People In Control

  • by Steven Shorrock
  • Posted on 14/10/202503/05/2026

This article is a slightly edited reproduction of the Editorial published in HindSight magazine issue 36 (Autumn 2024)…

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  • safety

The Wrong Kidney

  • by Steven Shorrock
  • Posted on 24/05/202427/05/2024

The post discusses a short fictional film, ‘The Wrong Kidney’, created to explore the complexities…

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  • safety

“Why Are We Having More Incidents?” Causal Loops in Reactions to Unwanted Events

  • by Steven Shorrock
  • Posted on 29/01/202427/05/2024

One way to understand the links between unwanted events, conditions and interventions is via causal…

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  • Systems Thinking

“Why Aren’t They Reporting Incidents?” Influences on Reporting Behaviour

  • by Steven Shorrock
  • Posted on 17/11/202330/10/2025

Reporting behaviour associated with safety-related accidents, incidents, and hazards is a concern for many managers,…

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  • Human Factors/Ergonomics

Human Performance in the Spotlight: ‘Human Error’ and ‘Honest Mistakes’

  • by Steven Shorrock
  • Posted on 20/10/202330/10/2025

This article is a reproduction of an article published in HindSight magazine issue 35 in September 2023 (all issues available…

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  • Systems Thinking

Diversity of Thought: Surviving and Thriving in a Changing World

  • by Steven Shorrock
  • Posted on 29/09/202330/10/2025

In a rapidly evolving world, organisations must adapt to survive and thrive. However, the key lies not only in technological innovation, but in the diversity of thought within an organisation. This article sheds light on the crucial role diversity of thought plays in navigating the complexities of our changing world.

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  • Human Factors/Ergonomics

A Desk Is a Dangerous Place From Which to Watch the World

  • by Steven Shorrock
  • Posted on 06/03/202330/10/2025

This article is a reproduction of an article published in HindSight magazine issue 28 in February 2019 on the…

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About the Author

Steven Shorrock is an interdisciplinary humanistic, systems and design practitioner interested in understanding and improving work and life.

Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol) | Chartered Ergonomist and Human Factors Specialist (CErgHF) | BSc (Hons) MSc (Eng) PhD

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Categories

  • safety (122)
  • Human Factors/Ergonomics (95)
  • Systems Thinking (84)
  • Culture (30)
  • Humanistic Psychology (21)

Tags

  • safety (75)
  • human factors (64)
  • Systems Thinking (59)
  • safety-II (51)
  • work-as-done (51)

Year

  • 2026 (142)
  • 2025 (30)
  • 2024 (36)
  • 2023 (107)
  • 2022 (52)

Human Factors & Ergonomics in Practice

'Human Factors & Ergonomics in Practice' concerns the real practice of human factors and ergonomics (HF/E), conveying the perspectives and experiences of practitioners and other stakeholders in a variety of industrial sectors, organisational settings and working contexts. Buy direct from Routledge.

Tags

ABCD accidents album1 album2 album3 album4 album5 album6 album7 album8 album9 album10 album11 album12 art ATC aviation blame change communication community competency context culture decision making deformation professionelle design empathy ep4 ergonomics expertise fatigue featured healthcare human error human factors Humanistic psychology human performance just culture justice language learning local rationality management mental health methods normal work organisational culture organisations practice profession professionalism psychology ptsd research safety safety-I safety-II safety culture safety management systems safety Systems Thinking targets teams teamwork technology theatre training wellbeing work work-as-disclosed work-as-done work-as-imagined work-as-judged work-as-prescribed

Top Posts

  • Reflections on the Autistic Spectrum: A Critical Response to Uta Frith's Views
  • Invisible Worlds: Celtic Folklore for Living with Chronic Conditions and Dynamic Disability
  • I Crash: Texts from M.E.
  • The Varieties of Human Work
  • Mind your Mindset: Safety-I and Safety-II
  • Four Kinds of ‘Human Factors’: 2. Factors of Humans
  • Four Kinds of 'Human Factors': 1. The Human Factor
  • Why Is It Just So Difficult? Barriers to ‘Just Culture’ in the Real World
  • 'Human Factors' and 'Human Performance': What's the Difference?
  • Proxies for Work-as-Done: 1. Work-as-Imagined

Archives

    Work-as-done is the work that people actually do, cognitive, verbal and manually. Work-as-judged is the judgement, evaluation or appraisal of work, via other proxies for work-as-done. Work-as-simulated is the work that is imitated or recreated in some way for the purposes of learning, testing, design, research, assessment, or exploration. Work-as-instructed is the explanation and demonstration describing how work is to be conducted or performed; the work that people are taught to do. Work-as-analysed is the process and product of examination, decomposition, categorisation, modelling and representation of work. Work-as-measured is the quantification of aspects of work: the work that is represented through numbers, metrics, indicators, scores, targets, dashboards, and other forms of quantification. Work-as-observed is the observation of the work of others, formally or informally - directly, remotely, live, or recorded - and the interpretation of what is observed by the observer. Work-as-disclosed is the work that people say that they (or others) do or did, either in formal or informal accounts. Work-as-prescribed is the formalisation, specification and design of work. It is the work that people ‘should do’, especially according to policies, procedures, rules, and so on.

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