ABSTRACT
This chapter is the first in a series of chapters devoted to specific topics. We begin with a discussion of conscious awareness. This topic is fundamental to how we think about the roles of humans within systems. Often implicitly, our systems’ designs assume that humans are consciously aware of their actions and are operating in a knowing manner, cognizant of what they are doing and why they are doing it. We exhibit a bias to assume conscious awareness in interpreting the actions of others, and with our own actions, as well. It is unsatisfying to think that a person might have no explanation for an erroneous action. Likewise, it is hard to accept that the logic on which we base our beliefs might often reflect an after-the-fact rationalization. This is understandable given that we experience life through the medium of conscious awareness and have limited access to those processes and knowledge that exist outside our conscious awareness. In filling our roles as designers, engineers, analysts, managers, or otherwise, there is value in recognizing the extent to which our assumptions regarding conscious awareness shape our thinking and often make us vulnerable to certain biases, as well as the influence of others.
