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Systemic risk analysis of complex socio-technical systems from the safety-II perspective

Systemic risk analysis of complex socio-technical systems from the safety-II perspective
Systemic risk analysis of complex socio-technical systems from the safety-II perspective

Modern complex socio-technical systems demand systemic risk analysis approaches that can holistically address the interdependencies between human, technological, and organizational components. Traditional models often fall short in capturing the dynamic and emergent nature of these interactions. This study introduces a novel, integrated risk analysis framework grounded in the Safety-II paradigm, which emphasizes understanding how systems succeed under varying conditions rather than focusing solely on failure. The proposed methodology combines the Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM) with Bayesian Networks to overcome FRAM’s qualitative limitations and enable quantitative assessment of performance variability. The framework is further enriched by integrating complementary techniques, including Monte Carlo Simulation and canonical probabilistic models. This holistic toolkit enables a rigorous and scalable approach for modelling uncertainty and systemic variability across complex operational environments. The methodology is demonstrated through a case study of seaport operations, a representative example of a complex socio-technical system. The results show that the integrated Safety-II-informed framework improves the quantification of systemic risk and enhances the capacity to manage complexity and uncertainty in real-world settings.

Bayesian network, Complex socio-technical system, FRAM, Safety II, Seaport operations, Systemic risk
0951-8320
Mohsendokht, Massoud
8ed80c02-0caa-46e8-ba6f-524474301823
Li, Huanhuan
5e806b21-10a7-465c-9db3-32e466ae42f1
Kontovas, Christos
c9eb0f70-1036-405b-ad6a-3ef92150ac71
Chang, Chia-Hsun
357f9b32-154d-49fa-a86a-1abc5121ab7b
Qu, Zhuohua
f44dbc72-b19f-415f-95f0-64b016818eaf
Yang, Zaili
82d4eebc-4532-4343-8555-35169e79bb6d
Mohsendokht, Massoud
8ed80c02-0caa-46e8-ba6f-524474301823
Li, Huanhuan
5e806b21-10a7-465c-9db3-32e466ae42f1
Kontovas, Christos
c9eb0f70-1036-405b-ad6a-3ef92150ac71
Chang, Chia-Hsun
357f9b32-154d-49fa-a86a-1abc5121ab7b
Qu, Zhuohua
f44dbc72-b19f-415f-95f0-64b016818eaf
Yang, Zaili
82d4eebc-4532-4343-8555-35169e79bb6d

Mohsendokht, Massoud, Li, Huanhuan, Kontovas, Christos, Chang, Chia-Hsun, Qu, Zhuohua and Yang, Zaili (2026) Systemic risk analysis of complex socio-technical systems from the safety-II perspective. Reliability Engineering & System Safety, 270, [112200]. (doi:10.1016/j.ress.2026.112200).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Modern complex socio-technical systems demand systemic risk analysis approaches that can holistically address the interdependencies between human, technological, and organizational components. Traditional models often fall short in capturing the dynamic and emergent nature of these interactions. This study introduces a novel, integrated risk analysis framework grounded in the Safety-II paradigm, which emphasizes understanding how systems succeed under varying conditions rather than focusing solely on failure. The proposed methodology combines the Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM) with Bayesian Networks to overcome FRAM’s qualitative limitations and enable quantitative assessment of performance variability. The framework is further enriched by integrating complementary techniques, including Monte Carlo Simulation and canonical probabilistic models. This holistic toolkit enables a rigorous and scalable approach for modelling uncertainty and systemic variability across complex operational environments. The methodology is demonstrated through a case study of seaport operations, a representative example of a complex socio-technical system. The results show that the integrated Safety-II-informed framework improves the quantification of systemic risk and enhances the capacity to manage complexity and uncertainty in real-world settings.

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Accepted/In Press date: 5 January 2026
e-pub ahead of print date: 7 January 2026
Published date: 14 January 2026
Keywords: Bayesian network, Complex socio-technical system, FRAM, Safety II, Seaport operations, Systemic risk

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 509015
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/509015
ISSN: 0951-8320
PURE UUID: a58f1965-03ac-4472-81a2-7f02eea7360a
ORCID for Huanhuan Li: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-4293-4763

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 10 Feb 2026 17:34
Last modified: 11 Feb 2026 03:17

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Contributors

Author: Massoud Mohsendokht
Author: Huanhuan Li ORCID iD
Author: Christos Kontovas
Author: Chia-Hsun Chang
Author: Zhuohua Qu
Author: Zaili Yang

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