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: work-as-imagined
Proxies for Work-as-Done: 1. Work-as-Imagined
In this seres of short posts, I outline briefly some proxies for Work-as-Done. Continue reading
Posted in Human Factors/Ergonomics, Safety, Systems Thinking
Tagged work, work-as-done, work-as-imagined
Learning About Healthcare Work in a Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has had one of the biggest effects on work-as-done in healthcare in living memory. So what might we learn about work from the perspectives of frontline workers? I asked a variety of practitioners to give a short … Continue reading
Posted in Human Factors/Ergonomics, Safety, Systems Thinking
Tagged change, COVID-19, learning, work, work-as-done, work-as-imagined, work-as-prescribed
1 Comment
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
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
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
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 top-down … 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
6 Comments
The Archetypes of Human Work: 7. Defunct
This is the seventh and last in a series of posts on The Archetypes of Human Work, which are based on the interactions or relationships between The Varieties of Human Work. For an introduction, see here. The seven archetypes are: … Continue reading
The Archetypes of Human Work: 6. P.R. and Subterfuge
This is the sixth in a series of posts on The Archetypes of Human Work, which are based on the interactions or relationships between The Varieties of Human Work. Continue reading
