Joint cognitive systems: Patterns in cognitive systems engineering

Joint Cognitive Systems: Patterns in Cognitive Systems Engineering is the second in a two part series exploring work in complex socio-technical systems in which humans and technical artifacts perform as a joint cognitive system (JCS). The first book, Joint Cognitive Systems: Foundations of Cognitive Systems Engineering (Hollnagel and Woods 2005), outlines the foundations of JCS with a detailed discussion of the importance to characterise complex work in terms of human – technology co-agency, as neither the human nor technical artifacts act independently to achieve system goals. This perspective ensures that whole system performance remains at the forefront of any attempts to understand core issues such as the design and use of artifacts in order to cope with complexity, manage time and improve control. By understanding patterns in cognitive systems engineering (CSE), this second book aims to draw from emergent themes observed in hospital intensive care units (ICUs), nuclear power control rooms, space shuttle control centres and other complex systems to explain the roles of coordination and miscoordination, resilience and brittleness, affordance and clumsiness. Woods and Hollnagel contend that ‘telling stories’ relating to mishaps, patterns of execution and areas of breakdown is the only way that researchers can learn from examples in the field and realise the potential of CSE. Patterns in Cognitive Systems Engineering provides insight into some infamous and widely reported catastrophic incidents such as Three Mile Island, but thankfully avoids the temptation to retell the same old stories from a CSE perspective. The case studies selected are likely to be unknown to many readers but this neutrality is irrelevant as each story excels in conveying the slips and pitfalls characterising breakdowns in joint cognitive function. The first few chapters reiterate the fundamental principles of JCS through the discussion of core activities and values such as the distinction between the sharp and blunt ends of complex systems and of the mores and manners of methodology and practice in the investigation of JCS. The book makes a slow start, partly reflecting the need to cover similar ground to the first book, yet familiarity with foundations of CSE is recommended for those wishing to fully understand the nuances of this new treatment. The trade-off is that those with a deep understanding of the models and perceptual cycles beating at the heart of CSE may find that the early style projects very basic impressions, delaying a rise in significant reader interest until the later chapters. Chapter three chronicles Richard Cook’s ‘Being Bumpable’, which pertains to practice in hospital ICUs, where individual workers adapt to address system limitations. This case is discussed at length with many pages dedicated to explaining the terminology and general practice in ICUs; however, the context provided is not as redundant as it may first appear because the story is ubiquitous throughout and surprisingly cogent in its ability to illustrate research as functional synthesis. Functional synthesis, a mode of research critical Ergonomics Vol. 51, No. 5, May 2008, 768–773