Beyond Resilience in Sociotechnical Systems

Abstract

Sociotechnical systems are those in which people, institutions, communities, and electronic infrastructures are interconnected. Hidden interdependencies, unknown vulnerabilities, or unforeseen situations that arise from the context of the operation of these systems may compromise their performance. A critical characteristic of resilience in sociotechnical systems is recovering from adversities. However, as crucial as recovering from adversities, sociotechnical systems need to be antifragile, not only recovering from adversities but also growing stronger in the face of adversity. This work is about going beyond the approach of design systems to meet the known requirements, which leads to fragile systems. New design philosophies are required to developed sociotechnical systems, systems philosophies that enable systems to learn, adapt, and improve themselves to unforeseen events.