THE NATURE OF 'RESILIENT' SYSTEMS: USING COMPLEXITY THEORY TO FRAME INVESTIGATIONS INTO SOCIO-TECHNICAL SYSTEMS RESILIENCE

Resilience theories originating from the natural sciences are now being applied across a wide range of network types and complex systems including critical infrastructure, information systems, urban (crisis) management, public... [ view full abstract ]

Resilience theories originating from the natural sciences are now being applied across a wide range of network types and complex systems including critical infrastructure, information systems, urban (crisis) management, public management, and research networks to name just a few. In the case of urban and critical infrastructure systems, a rapidly changing climate and increasingly extreme weather events raise the bar for critical infrastructure managers, while globalisation, political unrest and terrorism pose challenges for societal systems worldwide.  Across the different contexts, there are numerous different definitions of resilience and an equivalent range of perspectives adopted by social science and engineering researchers.

This paper explores the nature of ‘resilience’ through a complexity framework applied to different types of social-technical systems. Traditional analyses of resilient systems are often carried out in a linear fashion that ignores adaptation and interdependency among agents and across systems.  Complexity theory provides a framework from which to understand these features and develop more effective interventions to improve resilience.  Specifically, this paper will build upon empirical research on critical infrastructure systems in Dublin, Ireland and compare the model for resilience management developed in this context to existing literature on resilience in social and technical systems to identify similarities and differences in our conceptual understanding of these systems and the recommendations for improving resilience arising therefrom.

We conclude with the implications of the analysis for theory-building and practical management of socio-technical systems in the public sector upon which society depends and which are increasingly at risk due to environmental and socio-political changes.