Systems Learning Managing Human & Organizational Performance

1. Human & Organizational Performance: A System Within Systems. 2. Organizational Systems: Imperfect Complex Adaptive Systems. 3. Systems Thinking: Understanding the Engine of H&OP. 4. Systems Learning: Flipping the Iceberg. 5. A Systems Perspective of Pilot Performance:
The Crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302. 

Biography

Tony Muschara is Principal Consultant of his own consultancy in the US since 2007 and is a specialist in the field of human and organizational performance (H&OP), 7. He is the author of Risk-Based Thinking (9781138302471) and co-authored Critical Steps (9781032114293). During his employment at the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO), he wrote several nuclear industry publications on human performance. Mr. Muscara served in the U.S. Navy submarine service where he qualified in submarines and certified as an Engineer of Naval Nuclear Propulsion Plants by Naval Reactors, managing operation and maintenance of nuclear reactors, propulsion, and electric generating systems. After his service in the U.S. Navy, he spent several years as a nuclear plant control room simulator instructor, while employed by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Mr. Muschara earned a Master of Business Administration degree (MBA) from Kennesaw State University near Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and a Bachelor of Science degree in general engineering (mechanical) from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, USA.

Jim Marinus is Owner and Principal Consultant of Jamar Operations, LLC, USA, where he advises organizations across energy, defense, aviation, research, and industrial operations on reliability, resilience, leadership, and critical risk management. From nuclear-powered submarines to national laboratories, he has built a career leading and improving operations in some of the world’s most demanding high-risk environments. His work has supported organizations including Idaho National Laboratory, the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations, the International Atomic Energy Agency, Battelle, Bechtel, Lockheed-Martin, Conoco Phillips Alaska, American Airlines, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Department of Defense. Mr. Marinus previously directed research operations at Idaho National Laboratory’s 890-square-mile site, where he led significant gains in productivity, mission scope, funding, and safety performance. He also served aboard U.S. Navy nuclear submarines as a mechanical operator, radiological protection technician, and chemist. He is co-author of Critical Steps: Managing What Must Go Right in High-Risk Operations (9781032114293) and continues to contribute to international communities advancing human and organizational performance, high reliability, and resilience.

 

“The concept of complexity has important implications for anyone who manages, or has influence over, the operation of businesses which have exposure to potential large losses through safety issues and/ or business disruption. This new book introduces the characteristics of complex systems, explains the reasons why complex systems require adjustments in how we think about safety, and introduces tools to help manage within the complex socio-technical businesses of today. I highly recommend this book as a great way to enhance a manager’s approach to safety and loss control.”

 

Steve McDougall, Nuclear Power Operations Executive (retired), Canada

 

 

“Tony Muschara and Jim Marinus’ book, Systems Learning: Managing Human and Organizational Performance, is a timely and much needed contribution to the fields of safety, systems engineering, and operational leadership. The book succeeds in bridging the gap between academic models and the realities of day-to-day operations in high-risk environments. They integrate systems thinking, complexity, and learning in a way that is both rigorous and accessible to practitioners. It deserves a place on the shelf of anyone responsible for improving safety and performance in complex, adaptive systems.”

 

Dr. Martijn Flinterman, Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, Netherlands

 

 

“After beginning our H&OP journey several years ago, we ultimately realized just how powerful systems learning can be in driving organizational improvement. Having a masterpiece resource like Systems Learning from the start would have been invaluable.”

 

Dave Vanderpool, Senior EH&S Manager, Global Elevator & Escalator Industry, USA

 

 

“Tony Muschara and Jim Marinus have tackled an area that has received little attention in the field of human performance. As Jim Reason discussed in his landmark book, Managing the Risks of Organizational Accidents, and the case studies discussed in Organizational Accidents Revisited, systems performance and its improvement through learning is an area in need of attention. This book provides guidance to systems management at all levels on how to improve.”

 

John Wreathall, Specialist in Systems Engineering and Human Performance, USA

 

 

“Systems Learning reframes human performance as a risk and strength to be managed systemically – control the work, adapt to change, and learn systemically – offering leaders a practical framework to adopt during daily operations."

 

Renato Pereira, Head of Operations, Linde Gas Southeast Asia, Singapore/USA

 

 

“Building on the foundations of Risk‑Based Thinking and Critical Steps, Systems Learning equips practitioners, engineers, and managers with a knowledge base (as uncomfortable as it is) and practical tools to translate safety concepts into form and function. The result is a disciplined and pragmatic approach to managing serious injury and fatality (SIF) risk, maintaining system integrity, and recognising organisational drift before it becomes consequential.”

 

Cindi Nandlal, Health/Safety/Security/Environment | Process Safety Manager, Downstream Energy Industry, Trinidad and Tobago