3,788 research outputs found
Combining social network analysis and the NATO Approach Space to define agility. Topic 2: networks and networking
No full textThis paper takes the NATO SAS-050 Approach Space, a widely accepted model of command and control, and gives each of its primary axes a quantitative measure using social network analysis. This means that the actual point in the approach space adopted by real-life command and control organizations can be plotted along with the way in which that point varies over time and function. Part 1 of the paper presents the rationale behind this innovation and how it was subject to verification using theoretical data. Part 2 shows how the enhanced approach space was put to use in the context of a large scale military command post exercise. Agility is represented by the number of distinct areas in the approach space that the organization was able to occupy and there was a marked disparity between where the organization thought it should be and where it actually was, furthermore, agility varied across function. The humans in this particular scenario bestowed upon the organization the levels of agility that were observed, thus the findings are properly considered from a socio-technical perspective
Challenges for digitisation – learning from analogue mission planning teams
No full textThis paper aims to consider the conventional, analogue, mission planning process with the objective of identifying the decision making constraints and challenges for digitisation. Prototypes of digital mission planning systems are beginning to be devised and demonstrated, but there has been concern expressed over the design of such systems which fail to understand and incorporate the human aspects of socio-technical systems design. Previous research has identified many of the potential pitfalls of failing to take Human Factors considerations into account as well as the multiplicity of constraints acting on the planners and planning process. An analysis of mission planning in a Battle Group is presented, based on an observational study by the authors. This study illustrates the efficiency of an analogue process which has evolved over many generations to form the Combat Estimate, a process that is mirrored by forces throughout the world. The challenges for digitisation include ensuring that the mission planning process remains easy and involving, preserving the public nature of the products, encouraging the collaboration and cooperation of the planners, and maintaining the flexibility, adaptability and speed of the analogue planning process. It is argued that digitisation should not become an additional constraint on mission planning
Where do we go from here? An assessment of navigation performance using a compass versus a GPS unit
No full textThe Global Positioning System (GPS) looks set to replace the traditional map and
compass for navigation tasks in military and civil domains. However, we may ask
whether GPS has a real performance advantage over traditional methods. We present
an exploratory study using a waypoint plotting task to compare the standard magnetic
compass against a military GPS unit, for both expert and non-expert navigators.
Whilst performance times were generally longer in setting up the GPS unit, once
navigation was underway the GPS was more efficient than the compass. For mediumto
long-term missions, this means that GPS could offer significant performance
benefits, although the compass remains superior for shorter missions.
Notwithstanding the performance times, significantly more errors, and more serious
errors, occurred when using the compass. Overall, then, the GPS offers some clear
advantages, especially for non-expert users. Nonetheless, concerns over the
development of cognitive maps remain when using GPS technologies
sj-docx-1-hij-10.1177_19401612221111997 - Supplemental material for Trump Lies, Truth Dies? Epistemic Crisis and the Effect of False Balance Reporting on Beliefs About Voter Fraud
No full textSupplemental material, sj-docx-1-hij-10.1177_19401612221111997 for Trump Lies, Truth Dies? Epistemic Crisis and the Effect of False Balance Reporting on Beliefs About Voter Fraud by Matthew David Jenkins and Daniel Gomez in The International Journal of Press/Politics</p
Command and control: The sociotechnical perspective
No full textMilitary command and control is not merely evolving, it is co-evolving. Technology is creating new opportunities for different types of command and control, and new types of command and control are creating new aspirations for technology. The question is how to manage this process, how to achieve a jointly optimised blend of socio and technical and create the kind of agility and self-synchronisation that modern forms of command and control promise. The answer put forward in this book is to re-visit sociotechnical systems theory. In doing so, the problems of 21st century command and control can be approached from an alternative, multi-disciplinary and above all human-centred perspective. Human factors (HF) is also co-evolving. The traditional conception of the field is to serve as a conduit for knowledge between engineering and psychology yet 21st century command and control presents an altogether different challenge. Viewing military command and control through the lens of sociotechnical theory forces us to confront difficult questions about the non-linear nature of people and technology: technology is changing, from platform centric to network centric; the interaction with that technology is changing, from prescribed to exploratory; and complexity is increasing, from behaviour that is linear to that which is emergent. The various chapters look at this transition and draw out ways in which sociotechnical systems theory can help to understand it. The sociotechnical perspective reveals itself as part of a conceptual toolkit through which military command and control can be transitioned, from notions of bureaucratic, hierarchical ways of operating to the devolved, agile, self-synchronising behaviour promised by modern forms of command and control like Network Enabled Capability (NEC). Sociotechnical system theory brings with it a sixty year legacy of practical application and this real-world grounding in business process re-engineering underlies the entire book. An attempt has been made to bring a set of sometimes abstract (but no less useful) principles down to the level of easy examples, design principles, evaluation criteria and actionable models. All of these are based on an extensive review of the current state of the art, new sociotechnical/NEC studies conducted by the authors, and insights derived from field studies of real-life command and control. Time and again, what emerges is a realisation that the most agile, self-synchronising component of all in command and control settings is the huma
Cognitive work analysis: coping with complexity
No full text'Complex sociotechnical systems' are systems made up of numerous interacting parts, both human and non-human, operating in dynamic, ambiguous and safety critical domains. Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA) is a structured framework specifically developed for considering the development and analysis of these complex socio-technical systems. Unlike many human factors approaches, CWA does not focus on how human-system interaction should proceed (normative modelling) or how human-system interaction currently works (descriptive modelling). Instead, through a focus on constraints, it develops a model of how work can be conducted within a given work domain, without explicitly identifying specific sequences of actions (formative modelling).The framework leads the analyst to consider the environment the task takes place within, and the effect of the imposed constraints on the way work can be conducted. It provides guidance through the process of answering the questions of why the system exists, what activities can be conducted within the domain as well as how these activities can be achieved, and who can perform them.The first part of the book contains a comprehensive description of CWA, introducing it to the uninitiated. It then presents a number of applications in complex military domains to explore and develop the benefits of CWA. Unlike much of the previous literature, particular attention is placed on exploring the CWA framework in its entirety. This holistic approach focuses on the system environment, the activity that takes place within it, the strategies used to conduct this activity, the way in which the constituent parts of the system (both human and non-human) interact and the behaviour required. Each stage of this analysis identifies the constraints governing the system; it is contended that through this holistic understanding of constraints, recommendations can be made for the design of system interaction; increasing the ability of users to cope with unanticipated, unexpected situations. This book discusses the applicability of the approach in system analysis, development and evaluation. It provides process to what was previously a loosely defined framewor
Crash dieting: The effects of eating and drinking on driving performance
No full textPrevious research suggests that compared to mobile phone use, eating and drinking while driving is more common and is seen as lower risk by drivers. Nevertheless, snacking at the wheel can affect vehicle control to a similar extent as using a hands-free phone, and is actually a causal factor in more crashes. So far, though, there has not been a controlled empirical study of this problem. In an effort to fill this gap in the literature, we used the Brunel University Driving Simulator to test participants on a typical urban scenario. At designated points on the drive, which coincided with instructions to eat or drink, a critical incident was simulated by programming a pedestrian to walk in front of the car. Whilst the driving performance variables measured were relatively unaffected by eating and drinking, perceived driver workload was significantly higher and there were more crashes in the critical incident when compared to driving normally. Despite some methodological limitations of the study, when taken together with previous research, the evidence suggests that the physical demands of eating and drinking while driving can increase the risk of a crash
The campaign for democratic socialism 1960-1964.
No full textPhDIn early 1960 it seemed likely that the official Labour
Party defence policy would be defeated by a unilateralist
resolution at the Scarborough Conference. In response to
this possibility the Campaign for Democratic Socialism,
or CDS, was established.
The CDS projected the image of a grass-roots movement
inspired by Gaitskell's "fight and fight again" speech.
But it was run by a Campaign Committee which included
leading members of the Party like Tony Crosland, Roy
Jenkins and Patrick Gordon Walker, as well as less well
known members like Bill Rodgers, Dick Taverne, Philip
Williams, Brian Walden, Denis Howell and David Marquand.
This highly talented group launched an elaborate and
successful lobbying, publicity and briefing operation
which was influential in overturning the unilateralist
vote at the Blackpool Conference of 1961. After Blackpool
the Campaign helped many of its leading members find
seats in the House of Commons while continuing to put the
"revisionist" case through its newspaper Campaign.
The importance of the CDS in the history of the Labour
Party is, primarily, as the first internal pressure group
organised by the right of the Party. It was also the
first internal Party group to use such sophisticated
lobbying techniques. Moreover, the subsequent careers of
the leading members of the Campaign influenced the
development of the Labour Party. The CDS was an important
formative political action for many of them. Finally many
of the CDS supporters set-up or joined the SDP when it
was launched
_online_supp – Supplemental material for Public Beliefs about Falsehoods in News
No full textSupplemental material, _online_supp for Public Beliefs about Falsehoods in News by Karolina Koc-Michalska, Bruce Bimber, Daniel Gomez, Matthew Jenkins and Shelley Boulianne in The International Journal of Press/Politics</p
- …
