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)
Tag Archives: systems safety
Ten Contextual Conversations
All human activity, along with associated emergent problematic situations and opportunities, is embedded in context. The ‘context’ is, however, a a melange of different contexts. An approach that I have found useful is to spend time considering contextual influences (e.g., on decision making, at multiple levels of organisations) on problematic situations or potential solutions, more explicitly. Continue reading
Posted in Human Factors/Ergonomics, Safety, Systems Thinking
Tagged context, human factors, opportunities, problems, systems safety, Systems Thinking, work
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Four Kinds of Thinking: 2. Systems Thinking
Understanding and intervention for system performance and human wellbeing is rooted – to some extent – in four kinds of thinking. In this short series, I outline these. This post concerns Systems Thinking. Continue reading
Posted in Human Factors/Ergonomics, Safety, Systems Thinking
Tagged systems safety, Systems Thinking
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System Safety: Seven Foes of Intervention
In this short series, I highlight seven foes and seven friends of system safety, both for explanation and intervention. Each is a concept, meme, or device used in thinking, language, and intervention (reinforced by more fundamental foes that act as barriers to thinking). They are not the only foes or friends, of course, but they are significant ones that either crop up regularly in discussions and writings about safety, or else – in the case of friends – should do.
In this post, I outline seven foes of intervention. Continue reading
Posted in Human Factors/Ergonomics, Safety, Systems Thinking
Tagged culture, incentives, just culture, never events, performance targets, safety, systems safety, Systems Thinking, targets, work-as-done, work-as-imagined, work-as-prescribed, zero harm
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System Safety: Seven Foes of Explanation
In this short series, I will highlight seven foes and seven friends of system safety, both for explanation and intervention. Each is a concept, meme, or device used in thinking, language, and intervention (reinforced by more fundamental foes that act as barriers to thinking). They are not the only foes or friends, of course, but they are significant ones that either crop up regularly in discussions and writings about safety, or else – in the case of friends – should do. Continue reading
Posted in Safety, Systems Thinking
Tagged causation, crew resource management, five whys, human error, monolithic explanations, root cause, safety, safety culture, situation awareness, systems safety, Systems Thinking, violations
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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
Work and how to survive it: Lesson 1. Understand ‘how work goes’
In this sporadic series of posts, Icshare 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
Posted in Human Factors/Ergonomics, Safety, Systems Thinking
Tagged deformation professionelle, fantasy, ignorance, normal work, safety-I, safety-II, systems safety, the messy reality, trained incapacity, work-as-done, work-as-imagined, work-as-prescribed
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Why do we resist new thinking about safety and systems?
Something I have been thinking about for a while is the way that we look at safety and systems – the unstated assumptions and core beliefs. The paradigm and the related shared ideas about safety are little different now to … Continue reading
Posted in Humanistic Psychology, Safety, Systems Thinking
Tagged new ideas, systems safety, Systems Thinking
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