Part 2 of Meadow’s banger ‘Indicators and Information Systems for Sustainable Development’. Extracts: · “Indicators are partial reflections of reality, based on uncertain and imperfect models” · “The stock market price is not the value of the company. No indicator is the real system. Indicators are abstractions from systems” · And are “are abstractions from abstractions, from models,… Continue reading “Indicators are partial reflections of reality, based on uncertain and imperfect models” – Part 2 Donella Meadows sustainable indicators
Tag: systems approaches
Preventing serious injuries & fatalities: time for a sociotechnical model for an operational risk management system
Here’s a 2008 article from Fred Manuele which was included in my SIF compendium (link to compendium & article below). Fred explores a sociotechnical approach to preventing SIFs. The fatality rate in the US from 1971 to 2005 decreased from 17 to 4, but remained stable from 06 to 2011 at ~3.5; hence SIF prevention… Continue reading Preventing serious injuries & fatalities: time for a sociotechnical model for an operational risk management system
Leverage points to intervene in a system – Donella Meadows
In the lead up to next week’s compendium on systems thinking, here’s a banger from Donella Meadows. She explores system leverage points. Not a summary, but some extracts: · Leverage points are “places within a complex system .. where a small shift in one thing can produce big changes in everything” · The “state of the system”… Continue reading Leverage points to intervene in a system – Donella Meadows
The systems approach to medicine: controversy and misconceptions — Dekker & Leveson
This was a really brief discussion paper from Dekker and Leveson, covering systems thinking in medicine. Three parts – see comments. Nothing new for most, but they cover: · “The ‘systems approach’ to patient safety has recently led to questions about its ethics and practical utility” · E.g. A recent paper from a retired neurosurgeon questioned systems… Continue reading The systems approach to medicine: controversy and misconceptions — Dekker & Leveson
SafetyInsights.org 