People and Organizations

This book is about people who operate, maintain, design, research, and manage complex systems, ranging from air traffic control systems, process control plants and manufacturing facilities to industrial enterprises, government agencies and universities. The focus is on the nature of the work these types of people perform, as well as the human abilities and limitations that usually enable and sometimes hinder their work. In particular, this book addresses how to best enhance abilities and overcome limitations, as well as foster acceptance of the means to these ends. Preface.

The Author.

1: The Path of Serendipity.

2: Estimation, Mental Models & Teams.

3: Processes, Networks & Demands.

4: Tasks, Errors & Automation.

5: Failures, Detection & Diagnosis.

6: Displays, Controls, Aiding & Training.

7: Information, Knowledge & Options.

8: Products, Systems & Services.

9: Invention, Innovation & Options.

10: Challenges, Situations & Change.

11: Value, Work & Transformation.

12: People, Organizations, and Serendipity.

Index.

William B. Rouse, PhD, is Executive Director of the Tennenbaum Institute at Georgia Institute of Technology and a Professor at the Institute's College of Computing and School of Industrial and Systems Engineering. He has held faculty positions at several other leading universities and has founded and led two innovative software companies. He is the author of hundreds of articles. Among his other books are Enterprise Transformation, Organizational Simulation, and Essential Challenges of Strategic Management, all published by Wiley. Dr. Rouse is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the IEEE, INCOSE, INFORMS, and HFES.

The Serendipitous Path to Effective Problem-Solving and Planning for Complex Systems

This innovative book enables you and your organization to pursue goals and achieve success in ways that you might never have imagined. It does not prescribe a rigid methodology and plan. Instead, the author sets forth a process known as Human-Centered Design, which focuses on enhancing the abilities and overcoming the limitations of people within organizations. This process enables you to move forward and, at the same time, be on the alert for and recognize serendipitous events that enable you to solve complex systems problems in unexpected ways in order to meet and surpass your goals.

Specifically, the process described in this book helps you discover critical distinctions and connections across industries, disciplines, and cultures. As a result, unexpected hybrid approaches emerge, forming the basis of new insights and ideas. These hybrid approaches, or transdisciplinary approaches as termed by the author, represent an integrated framework populated with concepts from a range of disciplines.

At the heart of this book is an understanding of how people operate, maintain, design, research, and manage complex systems. This understanding stems from author William Rouse's almost four decades of experience in the fields of individual and organizational performance, decision support systems, and information systems. His approach has proven successful with a broad range of organizations, from private industry to government agencies to academia.

Case studies and examples are presented throughout the text, illustrating how Human-Centered Design works in practice. If you are seeking to harness the power of the individuals in your organization to make your enterprise more effective, efficient, and successful, this text sets you on the right path.