To err is human; to learn from it is divine: Georgia Tech IE grad tackles mistake mitigation in Critical Thinking

摘要

Nobody’s perfect and mistakes happen; we all know that.But learning from them by analyzing their causes and effects can help us develop a strategy to reduce them.Author Gerald J.Watson Jr., a Vietnam War veteran with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in industrial management from Georgia Tech and a Ph.D.from North Carolina A&T, takes this approach in Critical Thinking: Learning from Mistakes and How to Prevent Them.He uses his 30 years of experience working in industry as an industrial engineer, plant and safety team manager to propose error reduction strategies in human decision-making by educating readers how to reduce the likelihood of mistakes.He offers various cost-effective methods for eliminating costly errors through a discussion of anthropometry, crew resource management, human factors, industrial engineering, scientific management and usability.As examples of engineering to cut human error, he cites the addition of gas tank indicators in vehicles and the quick ejection of ATM cards as ways to help humans navigate their own shortcomings.“Critical thinking is essential to obtaining maximum benefits when employing usability engineering,” he writes.Other examples include error mitigation to avoid work stoppages, accidents and lost-time injuries, packaging missteps and poorly crafted instructions that cost time and money.His methods will be of interest to professionals and students in the areas of industrial engineering, human factors, logistics, quality control, manufacturing, human resources, and safety.