Files
Abstract
High Reliability Organizational (HRO) research suggest that some organizations and
systems are that routinely conduct complex operations with little or no error share certain
characteristics. A 76-year longitudinal case study of the evolution of error-intolerance of the
FAA’s air traffic control services produced a set of specific structural and behavioral actions
that, if implemented, promise to achieve high reliability and safe operations within transportation
systems. A conceptual systems model has been constructed to demonstrate how legislative
oversight, agency regulatory programs, and industry processes combine into a highly redundant
and effective operational structure. A scale has been created for measuring and improving
performance at the policy and agency levels of government and at operational transportation
levels. It is proposed that adoption of this model will deliver quantifiable improvement in both
service provision and safety of public and private transportation networks.