ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the typical positive and negative effects of awareness-based human factors or maintenance resource management (MRM) training. It explains some strategies that could be used to move toward the implementation of maintenance human factors principles. The chapter discusses sociotechnical systems perspective as it relates to the aviation maintenance environment and to a more action-based MRM program. It explores the social and technical issues related to understanding and harnessing that knowledge. The chapter also explains the progression from awareness of a problematic system to the implementation of a system designed for high performance. The Sociotechnical Systems (STS) approach is concerned with identifying and creating the conditions that lead to an optimum fit between people and their technology. STS analysis combines a technical systems view with a social systems view to capture the strength of both. STS is a theory and practice of organizational development in use for over 50 years and applied in a variety of industries worldwide.
