A framework for identifying and analyzing sources of resilience and brittleness: a case study of two air taxi carriers

Abstract

The increasing interest in resilience engineering (RE) as a safety management paradigm for complex systems has demanded methods for undertaking safety assessments from its perspective. Thus, this article introduces a framework for identifying and analyzing sources of resilience (SR) and sources of brittleness (SB) that have an impact on safety. Firstly, a description of the socio-technical system should be performed, giving visibility to the informal practices that maintain the system operational. Next, a protocol to assess the use of four RE principles should be designed and applied. Based on the data generated in the previous stages, the sources might be identified and analyzed across five categories: the opposite SR or SB; the risk of the SB; the effectiveness of the SR; either originated from internal processes or external environment; either originated from formal or informal practices. A case study of two air taxi carriers illustrates the application of the framework, providing a basis on which one may discuss their drawbacks, practical and theoretical insights.

Resilience engineering; Brittleness; Adaptations; Complex systems; Air taxi carriers