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Ambiguity in the Operator's Sense
Author(s) -
Stralen Daved,
Mercer Thomas A.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of contingencies and crisis management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.007
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1468-5973
pISSN - 0966-0879
DOI - 10.1111/1468-5973.12084
Subject(s) - ambiguity , certainty , meaning (existential) , action (physics) , operator (biology) , context (archaeology) , computer science , risk analysis (engineering) , epistemology , business , philosophy , paleontology , biochemistry , physics , chemistry , repressor , quantum mechanics , biology , transcription factor , gene , programming language
Ambiguity is a central problem for operators working in dynamic, high‐risk environments. Operators must decide on a course of action before knowing with certainty how the system will respond. Though ambiguity is expected, how it presents is unexpected. We reduce ambiguity when we can give meaning to information and events through use of context, responsiveness of the system, and when we can view events from a higher level. Preparation and training for routine operations helps identify potential ambiguities before events begin. The experienced operator engages the situation relying on real‐time experience to learn what works through action, thus further reducing ambiguity.