Markers and Patterns of Organizational Resilience for Risk Analysis
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In recent years, the concept of resilience has been introduced in risk analysis and some approaches have been proposed as an alternative (or a complement) to the conventional safety assessment for sociotechnical systems. In that way, Integrated Risk Analysis (IRA) has been developed at EDF to treat different risk causalities linking human, organizational, technical and environmental factors in a unified framework using performance shaping factors (PSF). However, research is still needed to address the issues relating to the modelling of resilience when considering organizational influences on human activities. Thus, this paper aims contributing at the definition and derivation of resilient markers and, consequently, to consider both resilient and pathogenic organizational patterns in a unified risk model. The risk model is initially proposed as a fourth generation method of risk analysis based on probabilistic graphical modelling of causal mechanisms. The model is proposed for safety assessment of technical systems integrating human, environmental and organizational factors. Finally, the feasibility of our proposals is shown on an illustrative case of Integrated Risk Analysis (IRA).Keywords:
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The sociotechnical regime of the print-on-paper prevails as the main medium of textual communication despite concerns on its environmental implications. Radical innovation in the form of application of generic technologies is required to address these sustainability concerns. Electronic book technologies are seen as those applications of IT providing an alternative form of textual display. According to sociotechnical transitions theory the electronic book is positioned as a niche in relation to the print-on-paper regime. SNA is applied in order to describe the niche as a sociotechnical network. It emerges that network substructures indicate potential sociotechnical trajectories regarding the development of the electronic book niche.
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A model of sociotechnical change takes into account different sociotechnical configurations and their interactions in a multi-level framework consisting of three major levels: niche innovations, a sociotechnical regime and a sociotechnical landscape. The sociotechnical changes can be analysed by studying the transition pathways along different multi-level interactions. The pressure from the landscape level and niche-innovations from the bottom level reinforce the relationships and operations on the regime level. This paper discusses the results of the study and illustrates the on-going development and the future changes in sociotechnical regimes of electric mobility in Finland. The regime changes have been analysed using a three-level perspective. The levels comprise an industry level, a value networks level and an enduser level. The results of the regime analysis show that there is a great deal of uncertainty in the operation environment and that new actors and new business models are needed to for the system to work properly. According to earlier research, sociotechnical transition pathways can be categorised based on the environmental change and the type of transition. In the case of electric mobility, the transition does not fit directly with any of the category types. Electric mobility will most likely follow the reconfiguration transition pathway. The changes in Finland are taking place slowly. This development can be aggregated via governmental support and incentives for organisations and consumers.
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Information Systems support business, people and government, and e-Government (SGE), Social Information Systems (SIS) or Social Systems (SS) are examples of such systems. A complex sociotechnical network is formed around SGE/SIS/SS and each element is an actor of influence. Challenges emerge with the relationships between the actors and the particularities of each region. Investigating the sociotechnical nature of these types of systems is relevant to the analysis and understanding of the technological development that occur over the years in each scenario. Based on this motivation, the objective of this research is to identify sociotechnical elements of SGE/SIS/SS through a systematic mapping study. As a contribution, this study identifies a set of sociotechnical elements relevant to these systems and points out the need for sociotechnical studies towards the development of different regions, especially in Brazil.
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Abstract Algorithmic fairness (AF) has been framed as a newly emerging technology that mitigates systemic discrimination in automated decision‐making, providing opportunities to improve fairness in information systems (IS). However, based on a state‐of‐the‐art literature review, we argue that fairness is an inherently social concept and that technologies for AF should therefore be approached through a sociotechnical lens. We advance the discourse on AF as a sociotechnical phenomenon. Our research objective is to embed AF in the sociotechnical view of IS . Specifically, we elaborate on why outcomes of a system that uses algorithmic means to assure fairness depend on mutual influences between technical and social structures. This perspective can generate new insights that integrate knowledge from both technical fields and social studies. Further, it spurs new directions for IS debates. We contribute as follows: First, we problematize fundamental assumptions in the current discourse on AF based on a systematic analysis of 310 articles. Second, we respond to these assumptions by theorizing AF as a sociotechnical construct. Third, we propose directions for IS researchers to enhance their impacts by pursuing a unique understanding of sociotechnical AF. We call for and undertake a holistic approach to AF. A sociotechnical perspective on AF can yield holistic solutions to systemic biases and discrimination.
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While systems engineers and philosophers of technology have analysed failure in artefacts, the nature of failure in sociotechnical systems has been largely underdeveloped. Sociotechnical systems differ from artefacts in that they are made up of relationships between people and technologies, and this difference means that failure needs a different analysis. In this article, we provide an account of two kinds of malfunctioning in sociotechnical systems. To accomplish this, we draw on resources from the disciplines of Human Factors, Systems Engineering, and Philosophy of Technology. We offer an account of two kinds of malfunction that are not only dependent on functions but also on roles of people involved in the functioning of sociotechnical systems. Hence, we aim to broaden the discourse of malfunctions in sociotechnical systems in terms of relations (relational roles). Primarily, we address two roles of users and operators and show how these different roles involve different kinds of malfunctions. Specifically, we highlight that two kinds of malfunctions can occur in sociotechnical systems: ambiguity-based failure and expectation-based failure.
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The sociotechnical system of the printed paper text prevails for the diffusion of textual communication in the form of the bound volume despite concerns on the environmental effects of paper consumption. Information technology is identified as one of the generic technologies that has the potential to address the unsustainability of the incumbent regime. The electronic book is perceived as those applications of Information Technology that provide an alternative form of textual display to printed paper. According to sociotechnical transitions theory the electronic book can be perceived as a niche in relation to the print-on-paper regime.
An alternative conceptualisation of transitions as the reconfiguration of sociotechnical networks is suggested. Although the multi-level perspective has been effective in the analysis of historical case studies, it can be less adequate for the examination of transitions in progress as the distinctions between the levels are less evident. In the MLP sociotechnical change results from the interaction between three delineated levels out of which the niche is defined as the source of radical innovation. The MLP is informed by a combination of structuration and quasi-evolutionary theories. Instead, the suggested network approach draws on relational concepts of agency and the distributed nature of innovation. Unlike the nested hierarchy of the MLP, sociotechnical networks are flat representations of reality. Yet, the emphasis remains on long-term, systemic innovation. Niches and regimes are viewed as networks of organisational and technological actors enacting practices. Sociotechnical change emerges through diverse forms of interaction between incumbent and emergent organisations and technologies. The MLP levels can be identified as retrospective constructions rather than as the starting point of analysis. In addition, the concept of societal functions is problematised to illustrate how the boundaries of sociotechnical systems are evasive.
On the basis of a relational approach, Social Network Analysis (SNA) techniques are used for the visualisation and analysis of the emergent electronic book innovation network and its links to incumbent actors in the print-on-paper regime. The depiction of sociotechnical change in the form of networks can contribute to transitions research as innovation concepts become expressed through SNA measures. It has been argued that a balance between diversity and homogeneity is required for the emergence and diffusion of innovation. Network heterogeneity measures can help assess the level of interaction between homogeneous and heterogeneous actors and thus indicate factors that enable or inhibit innovation. One of the main questions in transitions research is to identify patterns of sociotechnical change. The MLP transitions pathways are defined by the nature and timing of interaction between levels. In a network perspective of transitions, patterns can be identified through network structure. Network substructures on the basis of cohesion can be indicative of potential sociotechnical trajectories as actors located in cohesive areas of a network are more likely to share similar goals and understanding of innovation. The role of pivotal actors in transitions has also been addressed in the literature. There are a number of SNA measures that identify actors occupying gatekeeping positions and the relative importance of gatekeeping roles in the context of different networks.
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