ABSTRACT
Such work settings, known as “complex systems” (Perrow, 1999), generate electricity, refine crude oil, manage air traffic, transport products and people, and treat the sick, to name a few. They have brought substantial benefits to our way of life, and permitted a standard of living to which many have become accustomed, but when someone who works in these systems makes an error, the consequences may be severe. Although companies and their regulators typically establish extensive performance standards to prevent errors, these errors, which in other environments may be inconsequential, can, in these settings, result in severe consequences.
