Modelling and simulation of complex sociotechnical systems: envisioning and analysing work environments

Figures & data

Figure 1 Hierarchical relations of organisational and technical systems impacted and impacted by local system activity (Leveson 2012).

Figure 2 A discrete event simulation model of an emergency department (AnyLogic^TM).

Figure 3 A system dynamics model for diffusion of a product (AnyLogic^TM).

Figure 4 The predator-prey agent-based model (AnyLogic^TM).

Figure 5 Example of an ABM-SD hybrid simulation model (AnyLogic^TM).

Table 1 Existing simulation models for safety.

No.	Author(s), date	Research aim	Type of study	Simulation technique
1	Rudolph and Repenning (2002)	‘… develop a general theory of how an organizational system responds to an on-going stream of non-novel interruptions to existing plans and procedures.’	Theory development	System dynamics
2	Cooke (2003)	‘This article describes a system dynamics analysis of the 1992 Westray mine disaster in Nova Scotia, Canada. It examines the causal structure of the Westray system, including relationships that could have led to conditions that caused the fatal explosion at the mine.’	Case study	System dynamics
3	Cooke and Rohleder (2006)	‘… to provide a theoretical basis for incident learning systems and provide motivation for managers to consider their implementation.’	Theory development	System dynamics
4	Sharpanskykh and Stroeve (2011)	‘An agent-based approach proposed in this paper focuses on modeling and analysis of safety culture in particular and addresses an existing gap between safety culture and organizational structures and processes.’	Methodological development	Agent-based modelling
5	Owens et al. (2011)	‘The general dynamic structure of procedure rework is described and the results of a study of procedure rework in NASA's Space Shuttle Mission Control are used to highlight implications of the structure's dynamic behavior for the investigation and utilization of these archetypes.’	Theory development	System dynamics
6	Feola et al. (2012)	‘… to investigate why PPE [personal protective equipment] underuse is so “rigid” against change in the study area. In so doing, the model is expected to uncover and represent the social processes underlying PPE misuse, and to support the identification of intervention strategies and their evaluation.’	Policy analysis or problem solving	System dynamics (agent-oriented)
7	Shin et al. (2014)	‘This paper aims to develop a system dynamics-based model of construction workers' mental processes that can help analyze the feedback mechanisms and the resultant dynamics regarding the workers' safety attitudes and safe behaviors.’	Theory development	System dynamics

LevesonN. G.2012. Engineering a Safer World: Systems Thinking Applied to Safety. Cambridge: MIT Press.

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RudolphJ. W., and N. P.Repenning. 2002. “Disaster Dynamics: Understanding the Role of Quantity in Organizational Collapse.” Administrative Science Quarterly47 (1): 1–30.

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CookeD. L.2003. “A System Dynamics Analysis of the Westray Mine Disaster.” System Dynamics Review19 (2): 139–166.

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CookeD. L., and T. R.Rohleder. 2006. “Learning from Incidents: From Normal Accidents to High Reliability.” System Dynamics Review22 (3): 213–239.

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SharpanskykhA., and S. H.Stroeve. 2011. “An Agent-Based Approach for Structured Modeling, Analysis and Improvement of Safety Culture.” Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory17 (1): 77–117.

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OwensB. D., N. G.Leveson, and J. A.Hoffman. 2011. “Procedure Rework: A Dynamic Process with Implications for the ‘Rework Cycle’ and ‘Disaster Dynamics’.” System Dynamics Review27 (3): 244–269.

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FeolaG., J. A.Gallati, and C. R.Binder. 2012. “Exploring Behavioural Change Through an Agent-Oriented System Dynamics Model: The Use of Personal Protective Equipment Among Pesticide Applicators in Colombia.” System Dynamics Review28 (1): 69–93.

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ShinM., H.Lee, M.Park, M.Moon, and S.Han. 2014. “A System Dynamics Approach for Modeling Construction Workers' Safety Attitudes and Behaviors.” Accident Analysis and Prevention. doi:10.1016/j.aap.2013.09.019.

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