Abstract
Rail network control is a function which depends upon the expertise of controllers for successful performance, and this expertise is situated in social skills and interactions as much as technical knowledge. A work analysis framework has been established which gets around some of the difficulties found in using cognitive work analysis, and allows structured investigation at the environment, domain, activity, scenario and expertise levels. Within this major research programme a video ethnography study was carried out to explore the work and work systems of the rail controllers in more detail, with specific reference to social interactions. Discussion centres around the strategies, communications, social relationships, learning and development and inter-team differences that were identified in the video ethnography.
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Acknowledgments
The work reported here was part of a much larger research programme, funded by EPSRC through Rail Research UK, and by Network Rail. Colleagues on the RRUK grant included Gemma Cox, Richard Bye and Bob Hockey, and we are very grateful for their contributions and insights. For Network Rail we thank the Ergonomics National Specialist Team for all their knowledge and efforts on behalf of our work, and also all the staff and managers in Control who contributed willingly and so significantly to the success of the work.
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Farrington-Darby, T., Wilson, J.R. Understanding social interactions in complex work: a video ethnography. Cogn Tech Work 11, 1–15 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10111-008-0118-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10111-008-0118-z