Citation

Hoffman RR, Hancock PA. Hum. Factors 2017; 59(4): 564-581.

Affiliation

University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0018720816686248

PMID

28134573

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: As human factors and ergonomics (HF/E) moves to embrace a greater systems perspective concerning human-machine technologies, new and emergent properties, such as resilience, have arisen. Our objective here is to promote discussion as to how to measure this latter, complex phenomenon.

BACKGROUND: Resilience is now a much-referenced goal for technology and work system design. It subsumes the new movement of resilience engineering. As part of a broader systems approach to HF/E, this concept requires both a definitive specification and an associated measurement methodology. Such an effort epitomizes our present work.

METHOD: Using rational analytic and synthetic methods, we offer an approach to the measurement of resilience capacity.

RESULTS: We explicate how our proposed approach can be employed to compare resilience across multiple systems and domains, and emphasize avenues for its future development and validation.

CONCLUSION: Emerging concerns for the promise and potential of resilience and associated concepts, such as adaptability, are highlighted. Arguments skeptical of these emerging dimensions must be met with quantitative answers; we advance one approach here. APPLICATION: Robust and validated measures of resilience will enable coherent and rational discussions of complex emergent properties in macrocognitive system science.

Language: en

Keywords

adaptability; macrocognitive systems; measurement capacity; resilience; sensemaking