Systems Learning: Managing Human & Organizational Performance

Organizations managing hazardous operations face persistent challenges that are tied to human fallibility and the unpredictable nature of complex adaptive systems. Traditional management responses such as retraining, procedure revisions and disciplinary action often fail because they focus on frontline workers rather than examining the organizational structures that shape workplace performance. This book offers a different approach: a risk-informed management discipline that helps leaders understand how their organizations actually work, moving beyond the question "who did it?" to ask "what conditions allowed this to happen?"Building on the principles established in Risk-Based Thinking (9781138302495, 2018) and Critical Steps (9781032115078, 2022), this title applies systems thinking to the continuous learning cycle essential for operational success. It guides managers through three iterative phases of systems learning: discovery, understanding, and realignment. Early chapters establish foundational concepts about organizations, systems, and complex adaptive systems, then introduce the Iceberg Model; a framework for examining events, patterns, structures, and mental models. Practical systems thinking tools help managers analyze how organizational functions interact to influence human performance in real-world conditions. The final chapter demonstrates systems learning in action through analysis of the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash, revealing how organizational structures contributed to pilot performance and the subsequent tragedy. Readers will gain the ability to make effective, adjustments to their systems by getting more of what they want and less of what they don't want.Systems Learning: Managing Human and Organizational Performance is for anyone responsible for managing high-risk industrial operations where human performance is essential to the operation of technical systems. Other managers of various organizational functions will find help in optimizing various system goals, such as safety, quality, productivity, and efficiency, through people.

About the Author

Tony Muschara is Principal Consultant of his own consultancy in the US since 2007 and is a specialist in the field of human and organizational performance (H & OP), 7. He is the author of Risk-Based Thinking (9781138302471) and co-authored Critical Steps (9781032114293). During his employment at the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO), he wrote several nuclear industry publications on human performance. Mr. Muscara served in the U.S. Navy submarine service where he qualified in submarines and certified as an Engineer of Naval Nuclear Propulsion Plants by Naval Reactors, managing operation and maintenance of nuclear reactors, propulsion, and electric generating systems. After his service in the U.S. Navy, he spent several years as a nuclear plant control room simulator instructor, while employed by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Mr. Muschara earned a Master of Business Administration degree (MBA) from Kennesaw State University near Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and a Bachelor of Science degree in general engineering (mechanical) from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, USA.

Jim Marinus is Owner and Principal Consultant of Jamar Operations, LLC, USA, where he advises organizations across energy, defense, aviation, research, and industrial operations on reliability, resilience, leadership, and critical risk management. From nuclear-powered submarines to national laboratories, he has built a career leading and improving operations in some of the world's most demanding high-risk environments. His work has supported organizations including Idaho National Laboratory, the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations, the International Atomic Energy Agency, Battelle, Bechtel, Lockheed-Martin, Conoco Phillips Alaska, American Airlines, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Department of Defense. Mr. Marinus previously directed research operations at Idaho National Laboratory's 890-square-mile site, where he led significant gains in productivity, mission scope, funding, and safety performance. He also served aboard U.S. Navy nuclear submarines as a mechanical operator, radiological protection technician, and chemist. He is co-author of Critical Steps: Managing What Must Go Right in High-Risk Operations (9781032114293) and continues to contribute to international communities advancing human and organizational performance, high reliability, and resilience.