Adaptation as a source of safety in complex socio-technical systems: A literature review and model development

We present a systematic review of the safety literature using a grounded theory approach from a variety of industrial domains and theoretical standpoints to identify the key features within complex socio-technical systems that describe how adaptation and safety are related. A model for adaptation, developed from these ideas, is then described. This model is then used to explain the response of UK oceanic air traffic controllers to the closure of US airspace following the terrorist attacks in the US on the 11th September 2001. The case study highlights how the model aids an enquiry into the features of adaptation that are present within complex socio-technical systems. The review also identifies the need for further research to assist industrial practitioners connect the role of adaptation at the level of the individual to the adaptive capacity at the level of the organisation.
Source: Safety Science - Category: Occupational Health Source Type: research