Hollnagel, E. & Woods, D. D. (2005). Joint cognitive systems: Foundations of cognitive systems engineering. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press / Taylor & Francis.
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Hollnagel, E. & Woods, D. D. (2005). Joint cognitive systems: Foundations of cognitive systems engineering. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press / Taylor & Francis. |
Preface
Deciding what to write in a preface is not as easy as it seems. If there is anything of substance to say about the subject matter, it should clearly be in the main text of the book rather than in the preface. And if there is nothing of substance to say, then why say it? Prefaces can therefore easily become the place where the authors can write their more personal views on matters large and small, express their gratitude to various people, and lament about the state of the world in general. Prefaces can also become the authors’ encomium for their own work. Publishers welcome that, since it can be put on the back cover or on the website, but common decency usually intervenes in time.
After this beginning there are pretty few options left for us to do, except to briefly reminisce on how this book came about. The collaboration between the two authors began around 1979 and soon led to the ideas that became formulated as cognitive systems engineering (CSE), first in an internal report in 1982, and later as a paper in the International Journal of Man-Machine Studies. About ten years later, in the beginning of the 1990s, we started talking about writing a book on CSE. One motivation was that the idea seemed to have caught on; another was that we by that time individually and together had produced a number of writings that both had developed the original ideas further and illustrated how they could be applied in practice.
The route from word to deed is, however, usually longer than initially hoped for. While the intention to write a book together was never abandoned, progress was painfully slow, partly because we both had entangled ourselves in too much interesting work, and partly because the much coveted opportunity to sit down together for a couple of weeks on a desert island never quite materialised.
In the end the book became a reality because we adopted a pragmatic solution – in good according with the ethos of CSE. Instead of writing one book together, the project was split into two parts, leading to two books that complement each other. While we appear as joint authors of either book, the order differs to reflect the fact that the first author in each case is the main responsible for the writing. This also helps to solve the practical problem that a single book would have been rather large. Furthermore, we had over the years developed different styles of working and writing, one being more contemplative, the other being more practical.
The end result is therefore not one but two books of which this is the first. Both books are entitled Joint Cognitive Systems with the subtitles indicating the specific focus – and therefore also what distinguishes them from each other. The subtitle of the present book is ‘Foundations of Cognitive Systems Engineering’, while the subtitle of the second book is ‘Patterns in Cognitive Systems Engineering’. The intention is that either book can be read independently, but that they also will complement each other by emphasising the theoretical and the practical aspects respectively. It is no requirement that they are read in a specific order. Yet if people after reading either would find it necessary to read also its counterpart, we would feel we had achieved our purpose.
Erik Hollnagel David D. Woods
Table of Contents
| Preface | |
| 1
– THE DRIVING FORCES
The focus of CSE is how humans can cope with and master the complexity of processes and technological environments, initially in work contexts but increasingly also in every other aspect of daily life. The complexity of the current technological environment is not only something that must be mastered, but paradoxically also provides the basis for the ability to do so. This entangling of goals and means is mirrored in the very concepts and theories by which we try to understand the situation of humans at work. To set the context, this chapter gives an overview of the scientific developments of the 20th Century that have shaped our thinking about humans and machines. |
Introduction |
|
2
– EVOLUTION OF WORK
The
human use of technology has a long history. The uptake of technology in
work, and the consequent transformation of work, can be described as going
through a number of stages. An understanding of the major technological
innovations and solutions in the 20th Century is helpful to
understand how the nature of work has undergone radical changes, and to
give an idea of the possibilities and problems that may lie ahead. |
Technological
Systems As Amplification |
|
3
– THE BASICS OF A SCIENCE
It
is a paramount characteristic of a scientific study that it is systematic.
It must be based on a model, from which can be derived a classification
scheme and a set of methods. For measurements, it is important to avoid
that they are based on loosely formulated folk models. This chapter
describes the basic principles behind CSE, as the study of how cognitive
systems perform rather than of cognition as a mental process, and
introduces the three main threads: Coping with complexity, use of
artefacts, and joint cognitive systems. |
Model
– Classification – method |
|
4
– COPING WITH COMPLEXITY
The
basic issue for CSE is how to maintain control of a process or an
environment. Both processes and environments are dynamic and therefore
complex, and joint cognitive systems are striving to cope with this
complexity. The coping takes place at the both the individual and
organisational levels, the latter as in the design of work environments,
of social structures, and of technological artefacts. |
Introduction |
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5
– USE OF ARTEFACTS
|
.Introduction |
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6
– JOINT COGNITIVE SYSTEMS Humans and artefacts have traditionally been considered as separate systems that perforce must interact. CSE proposes that the human-artefact ensemble is seen as a joint cognitive system in its own right, and that design and analysis starts from this level. Joint cognitive systems can be defined recursively, and accentuates the necessity to provide clear definitions of the boundaries and the capabilities of the systems. |
Introduction |
|
7
– CONTROL AND COGNITION
The
main thrust of CSE is how control can be improved. This chapter discusses
the essential issues in control, such as closed- and open-loop control,
and how automation and technological support fit into that. CSE applies a
basic cyclical model, which can be extended to account for multiple
simultaneous layers of control. This is necessary to give a realistic
description of how a joint cognitive system functions. |
Introduction |
|
8
– TIME AND CONTROL
Since CSE is about the control of dynamic processes and environments, time is of fundamental importance. Time plays a role in coping with complexity as well as in handling data and information. The chapter describes how time is an integral part of the CSE models, as well as the various techniques and strategies that can be used to overcome a possible shortage of time. |
Orthodoxy
in Modelling |
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9
– CSE AND ITS APPLICATIONS
This
chapter provides a brief overview of the actual and potential applications
of CSE. These include work and task design, control room design, decision
support, etc. The problems are, of course, well known, since they stem
from the practical problems of working life and of human-machine systems.
CSE provides a consistent approach to address these problems, as well as a
set of methods with a common conceptual basis. |
What
should CSE Be About? |
| BIBLIOGRAPHY | |
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AUTHOR INDEX |
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| SUBJECT INDEX |