Interpreting and managing risk in a machine bureaucracy: Professional decision-making in NHS Direct

2006 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 257-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annmarie Ruston
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Managing Risk ◽  
Nhs Direct ◽  
Machine Bureaucracy

scholarly journals How to make good-enough risk decisions

2009 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 192-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Carroll
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Clinical Decision Making ◽  
Clinical Decision ◽  
Managing Risk

SummaryMaking decisions in the context of risk is an integral part of psychiatric work. Despite this, decision-making skills are rarely systematically taught and the processes behind decisions are rarely made explicit. This article attempts to apply contemporary evidence from cognitive and social psychology to common dilemmas faced by psychiatrists when assessing and managing risk. It argues that clinical decision-making should acknowledge both the value and limitations of intuitive approaches in dealing with complex dilemmas. After discussing the various ways in which clinical decision-making is commonly derailed, the article outlines a framework that accommodates both rational and intuitive modes of thinking, with the aim of optimising decision-making in high-risk situations.

scholarly journals Managing older people's money: assisted and substitute decision making in residential aged-care

2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHERYL TILSE ◽  
JILL WILSON ◽  
LINDA ROSENMAN ◽  
DAVID MORRISON ◽  
ANNE-LOUISE MCCAWLEY
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Older People ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Cognitive Capacity ◽  
Residential Aged Care ◽  
Financial Assets ◽  
Aged Care Facilities ◽  
Financial Decision ◽  
Managing Risk

ABSTRACTCurrent approaches to the assessment of cognitive capacity in many jurisdictions seek to balance older people's empowerment with their protection. These approaches incorporate a presumption of capacity, a decision-specific rather than global assessment of that capacity, and an obligation to provide the support needed for adults to make or communicate their own decisions. The implication is that older people are assisted to make decisions where possible, rather than using substitute decision makers. For older people, decision making about financial matters is a contentious domain because of competing interests in their assets and concerns about risk, misuse and abuse. In residential-care settings, older people risk being characterised as dependent and vulnerable, especially in relation to decisions about financial assets. This paper reports an Australian study of the factors that facilitate and constrain residents' involvement in financial decision making in residential settings. Case studies of four aged-care facilities explored how staff interpreted the legislative and policy requirements for assisted and substitute decision making, and the factors that facilitated and constrained residents' inclusion in decisions about their finances. The observed practices reveal considerable variation in the ways that current legislation is understood and implemented, that there are limited resources for this area of practice, and that policies and practices prioritise managing risk and protecting assets rather than promoting assisted decision making.

scholarly journals Protecting the Water Supply

2010 ◽  
Vol 132 (01) ◽  
pp. 34-36
Author(s):  
Kevin M. Morley ◽  
Jerry P. Brashear
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
National Standard ◽  
Risk And Resilience ◽  
Water Sector ◽  
Wastewater Systems ◽  
Water And Wastewater ◽  
Reduce Risk ◽  
Managing Risk ◽  
Selection Of

This article highlights various features of risk and resilience standard developed by the ASME-ITI and American Water Works Association. The American Water Works Association and ASME Innovative Technologies Institute have jointly developed an American National Standard to enhance the security and resilience of drinking water and wastewater systems. The ASME-ITI, under the Department of Homeland Security’s sponsorship, initiated discussions with the water sector to consider the development of sector-level guidance based on RAMCAP Plus. The RAMCAP Plus process is composed of seven interrelated analytic steps, which provides a foundation for data collection and interpretation, analysis, and decision making valuable for understanding and managing risk and resilience. The process is designed to guide the selection of options that reduce risk and increase resilience, including informing funding decisions. The joint standard fulfils the need identified in the water sector-specific plan. It facilitates the reduction of risk and the enhancement of resilience at water and wastewater systems across America.

QUEENSLAND’S NEW PETROLEUM LEGISLATION—ITS IMPLEMENTATION AND OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES

2006 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 525
Author(s):  
P.M. Green ◽  
S.G. Matheson ◽  
K.D. Ralph ◽  
M.E. Thompson ◽  
T.J. Brain
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Coal Seam ◽  
Petroleum Industry ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Coal Seam Gas ◽  
Petroleum Resources ◽  
Managing Risk

up-to-date legislative environment for the petroleum industry in that State. The legislation specifically addressed issues in relation to upstream competition for exploration acreage and provided for storage of petroleum for a third party. It implemented the coal seam gas regime which provides a mechanism for the optimisation of the State’s coal seam gas and petroleum resources. The rights of existing holders of petroleum tenure were protected through the continuation of the Petroleum Act 1923 for selected authorities to prospect and petroleum leases. A new safety regime was implemented with the aim of addressing and managing risk rather than the emphasis being on the prescriptive compliance with Regulations. The safety regime covered all aspects of petroleum, from its production, transportation and use. The implementation of the new legislation required the development of work procedures to assist with uniform decision-making under the new legislation. This is particularly important owing to the continuation of the Petroleum Act 1923.

A network-centric approach to managing risk

2014 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 483
Author(s):  
Bruce Hankinson
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Cognitive Biases ◽  
Stakeholder Management ◽  
Predictive Modelling ◽  
Division Of Labour ◽  
Playing Field ◽  
Business Units ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
Managing Risk

The strategies of many large organisations are underpinned by top down, hierarchical management, complex forecasting and predictive modelling, standardised processes, siloed business units, division of labour, information biases and disjointed stakeholder management. Rigid and inflexible, organisations are struggling to respond to the risks associated with unpredictable, ever changing and complex operational environments. Budget blowouts into the billions of dollars, stretched resources, increasing governance, social and political interdependencies and a complex playing field that is constantly changing as it grows and matures is what oil and gas companies in Australia today face. Proponents of Australia’s massive LNG boom are doing the hard yards and they are feeling the pressure. Unfortunately with pressure comes poor decision making. Lack of access to evidence based and up to date, real time information means decisions are often made based on intuition or unqualified, out of date information due to immature systems. Research has clearly proven that intuitive decision making results in cognitive biases. These biases results in perceptual blindness or distortion (seeing things that aren’t really there), illogical interpretation (being non-sensical) and inaccurate judgments (being just plain wrong). Without a system in place to manage risks in it’s operational space, companies will continue to make poor decisions that only increase the risks they try so hard to control. This paper proposes a new approach to better understanding organisational interdependency and risk management through adoption of a network centric approach. It explores the benefits of a network centric approach and how this it can be applied in a multi dimensional environment to not only reduce risk events and costs but enable a truly resilient and competitive business.

An Experimental Study of Feedback and Risk in Engineering Decision-Making

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mojtaba Arezoomand ◽  
Jesse Austin-Breneman
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Experimental Study ◽  
Behavioral Economics ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Factor Of Safety ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Design Factor ◽  
Objective Risk ◽  
Managing Risk ◽  
To Receive

Effectively managing risk is crucial to successful engineering design. Formal methods offer strategies for making decisions under uncertainty and mitigating risk. However, insights from other fields such as cognitive science and behavioral economics suggest that decision-makers may exhibit behaviors in response to feedback which can undermine these strategies. This study presents results from an experiment in which participants were tasked with selecting a design factor of safety for four design prompts under objective risk conditions. Participants were randomly assigned to receive only negative or positive feedback after each decision. Results suggest that the type of feedback influenced the choice of factor of safety even though subjects were provided with the exact benefits and probabilities of all possible outcomes. This experiment suggests further study of the mechanisms by which engineering decision-makers incorporate feedback is necessary.

Initiating and Managing Risk Assessments within a Risk Analysis Framework: FDA/CFSAN'S Practical Approach

2004 ◽  
Vol 67 (9) ◽  
pp. 2058-2062 ◽  
Author(s):  
ROBERT L. BUCHANAN ◽  
SHERRI DENNIS ◽  
MARIANNE MILIOTIS
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Risk Management ◽  
Risk Analysis ◽  
Risk Assessments ◽  
Analysis Framework ◽  
Regulatory Decision ◽  
Managing Risk ◽  
Risk Managers ◽  
The U.S

Management of risk analysis involves the integration and coordination of activities associated with risk assessment, risk management, and risk communication. Risk analysis is used to guide regulatory decision making, including trade decisions at national and international levels. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) formed a working group to evaluate and improve the quality and consistency of major risk assessments conducted by the Center. Drawing on risk analysis experiences, CFSAN developed a practical framework for initiating and managing risk assessments, including addressing issues related to (i) commissioning a risk assessment, (ii) interactions between risk managers and risk assessors, and (iii) peer review.

Knowledge As The Currency Of Managing Risk: A Novel Framework To Unite Quality Risk Management And Knowledge...

2010 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marty Lipa ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Risk Management ◽  
Scientific Data ◽  
Quality Risk Management ◽  
Regulatory Governance ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Quality Risk ◽  
Managing Risk ◽  
Use Of Knowledge ◽  
Consistent Application

This particular study represents novel thinking around the concepts of Knowledge Management (KM) and Quality Risk Management (QRM) practices, both as they relate to each other, as well as the regulatory governance on which life science organizations rely. Further, this paper is relevant to the ongoing revision of ICH Q9, Quality Risk Management, announced by ICH earlier this year which aims to improve the understanding and consistent application of QRM, specifically related to QRM outputs and risk-based decision making. These two areas have been identified in this paper as topics that may benefit from better linkages between QRM and KM, as a better use of knowledge can lead to risk assessments that have lower levels of subjectivity via an increased use of scientific data, and more reliable estimates of risk and risk reduction. Focusing risk-based decision making on knowledge and designing KM systems to support QRM activities has many potential benefits. First and foremost, there can be increased protection and value for patients – via the decisions reached that resulted in consistently high quality and available medicines for patients, in addition to operational benefits for companies.

Managing Risk under Time Stress

1992 ◽  
Vol 36 (13) ◽  
pp. 1019-1023 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Smith ◽  
P.A. Hancock
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Decision Support ◽  
Domain Knowledge ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Time Pressure ◽  
High Stress ◽  
Time Stress ◽  
Currency Exchange ◽  
Management Interventions ◽  
Managing Risk

The evolution of automated and semi-automated systems is rendering continuous regulation relatively obsolete, leaving periodic “management” interventions as the main way in which operators exercise control. Consequently, the human is now more frequently required to respond in uncertain, unusual, or “emergency” conditions. Such circumstances connote high stress environments. Consequently, the research reported here investigates expertise at decision making under stress. The source of stress is ubiquitous in occurrence, namely time pressure. We present a process model that explains and predicts the decision behavior of skilled operators as they manage risk under time stress. The model identifies three components of decision making, (1) attention, (2) assessment, and (3) intervention. Attention (1) scans widely among information displays and focuses action narrowly upon one of three procedures for (2) assessing the attended information. Separate procedures assess (α) the risks posed by the environment, (β) risks generated by interacting with the environment, and (α) uncertainty about those risks. The uniquely appropriate intervention (3) is selected by a small set of rules that match heuristically the assessments of risk and uncertainty to a short list of alternative actions. The model is validated with respect to the operation of skilled operators in the domain of currency exchange. In comparing performance versus simulation data, the model identifies the one procedure that resists automation - the assessment of risks posed by the environment. This assessment involves causal arguments that often rely upon extensive domain knowledge. In contrast, attention to displays, heuristic matching, and the procedures for assessing uncertainty and the risk of interaction can be delegated to an automated decision support system. This result has clear implications for the the design of systems to support skilled decision making under emergency conditions: decision support systems for dynamic environments like currency trading must notify the operator of the occurrence of system parameters that require assessments of environmental risk and incorporate these assessments into automated procedures that recommend appropriate interventions.

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