Reflections on the Practice of Human Factors

In this webinar, I reflected on 25 years of practice in aviation and other sectors, and pick out some key lessons from experience, which are typically not taught in University. The lessons are critical to the success of Human Factors in practice.

The post selects and combines some of the (25) lessons from here:
https://humanisticsystems.com/2022/11/06/twenty-five-years-reflections-on-the-practice-of-improving-work/

Presented as a EUROCONTROL Safety and Human Performance Webinar on 5 April 2023. Webinar recording here: https://learningzone.eurocontrol.int/ilp/pages/mediacontent.jsf?mediaId=19376136&catalogId=896431&menuId=1106

1. Reflections on the Practice of Human Factors Steven Shorrock
2. The Journey from Theory to Practice
3. The Many Routes to Human Factors
4. What is and isn’t taught
5. The Experiential Basis of Reflection
6. Nurture relationships 6 1
7. Can you think of a situation where relationships were the critical factor to the progress, or difficulty, of a project?
8. Complicated, safety- critical, technology and processes Complicated standards, methods and tools Quality of relationships is the most potent influence on change
9. process world relational world Pat Bakke CC BY 2.0 https://flic.kr/p/7zkTJ7
10. Empathic rapport Process empathy Person empathy http://bit.ly/hsempathy
11. What can we do to enrich the relationships that underlie progress in Human Factors?
12. Consider all stakeholders 2
13. Can you think of a situation where an important stakeholder was not properly considered in a project?
14. Many stakeholders are affected or have influence And many are not seen ‘User’-centred design and UX often individualistic
17. Just Culture Task Force
18. Government Public Judiciary Media Planning Design & Engineering Management Operational Staff Researchers HR , Training Safety, Health Quality, Env. Regulators Suppliers COMPANY INDUSTRY SOCIETY Unions & Associations Insurers
19. How can we recognise the missing stakeholders for a given application? What stakeholders do we need to involve for wider impact?
20. Stay on the edge and help connect the disconnected 3
21. Can you think of a situation where you felt that your profession or group was insular or disconnected?
22. All change – no matter how technical – happens through relationships Most opportunities can be found in the interfaces Change is likely to happen by collaborating with people ‘different’ to yourself
23. Photo: Clement127 CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 https://flic.kr/p/qmZ7hw “Every community, every peer group, every affinity group, has this invisible boundary that says to the world ‘these are the people who are in, and these are the folks who are out.’” Cormac Russell
24. The boundaries and limits of groups Déformation professionnelle and trained incapacity Problems and opportunities at the boundaries
26. Who might we connect with to dissolve boundaries? How can we develop cultural fluidity or identify natural connectors? What approaches might help explore the edges?
27. Be mindful of your roles 4
28. Can you think of a situation where your role was unclear or unhelpful?
30. Yin – Consultant as Artist Yang – Consultant as Scientist Soft focus Hard focus Inner world-directed Outer world-directed Explores through experience Applies theories Attuned to feelings & intuitions Attuned to thoughts & senses Attends to the relational dance Attends to boundaries & rules Concerned with being Concerned with doing Expresses & creates Diagnoses & tabulates Mulligan and Barber (2001, in Sadler, Ed)
31. Objective observer/reflector Process counselor Fact finder Alternative identifier & linker Joint problem solver Trainer/educator Informational expert Advocate Lippitt and Lippitt (1986)
32. Implementers | Naïve Enthusiasts Promotors | Oversimplifying Popularisers Innovators | Gooroos Critics | Curmudgeons Benjamin Taylor Steven Shorrock
33. How can we identify the roles we are playing? When and how do we transition roles? What roles are we neglecting?
34. Seek system-wide as well as local influence 5
35. Can you think of a way in which the principles and practices of Human Factors can be extended further within a system?
36. Government Public Judiciary Media Planning Design & Engineering Management Operational Staff Researchers HR , Training Safety, Health Quality, Env. Regulators Suppliers COMPANY INDUSTRY SOCIETY Unions & Associations Insurers
41. How can we have greater influence throughout a system of interest? How can we retain contact with or competency in day-to-day HF practice?
42. Be a translator & communicating artfully 6
43. Can you think of a situation where your or others’ HF work could be communicated more effectively?
44. Practice ≠ technical rationality Practice is craft embedded in multiple contexts Translation is critical yet neglected
45. Foreign and alienating concepts and methods We overestimate others’ willingness to read our stuff
46. 46 Resilience Engineering and Safety-II – Challenges and Opportunities for Practice
47. www.bit.ly/SCCARDS
50. PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE https://humanisticsystems.com/series/
51. How can we use art to engage imagination, elicit feelings, and make communication memorable? How can we make it easier to understand HF concepts, theories and findings, without oversimplifying?
52. Think critically (but pragmatically) 7
53. Can you think of a situation where new concepts have led to conflict?
54. “One of the greatest pains to human nature is the pain of a new idea.” Walter Bagehot
56. It’s important to think critically and challenge established concepts. Exploring the practical value of new concepts takes time. Old concepts can provide a foot in the door. It pays to be pragmatic and integrative.
57. How can we constructively challenge concepts and communication? How can we accept criticism and challenge constructively?
58. Be mindful of the mode of change 8
59. Can you think of a situation where an intervention seems to be done to people rather than with them?
61. Persecutor Rescuer Victim Karpman (1968) The Drama Triangle
62. How can we communicate the modes? How can we recognise the most effective mode for a given situation? How can we avoid getting caught up in the drama triangle?
63. Remember work-as-done is the only real thing 9
64. Can you think of a situation where there was a loss of contact with the real work?
65. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center CC BY 2.0 https://flic.kr/p/cgrLLNAdaptation Steven Shorrock Work-as-Done Work-as-Imagined
66. Work-as-Done Work-as- Analysed Work-as- Measured Work-as- Judged Work-as- Observed Work-as- Simulated Work-as- Prescribed Work-as- Imagined Work-as- Disclosed Work-as- Instructed Image: Steven Shorrock CC BY-NC 4.0
67. Work-as-Done Work-as- Analysed Work-as- Measured Work-as- Judged Work-as- Observed Work-as- Simulated Work-as- Prescribed Work-as- Imagined Work-as- Disclosed Work-as- Instructed personal social & cultural political societal legal & regulatory economic temporal physical & environ- mental procedural organis- ational technol- ogical inform- ational Image: Steven Shorrock CC BY-NC 4.0
68. How can we stay close to work as done? What proxies do we need to combine to do so?
69. Take care of yourself (and each other) 10
70. Can you think of a situation where your or a colleague’s wellbeing has been affected by HF work?
71. Frequent travel Being an in- betweener Groupwork
72. Alongsider Healer Researcher Educator Advocate Organiser Regulator Mental health helping octagon (Shorrock, 2022) Connector
73. How can we use recognise our limits, and needs, as well as our gifts? How can we seek and provide support?
74. www.bit.ly/HindSightMagazine