Towards a Contemporary Design Framework for Systems-of-Systems Resilience

Abstract

In an increasingly interconnected world, changes of uncertain nature and impact affect the functioning of human societies that depend on health, ecological, and economic systems. The proposed framework for systems-of-systems resilience explains ways of accommodating and responding to these challenges while encompassing the interfaces of the health, environment, and economy domains and their effect on communities. Resilience is defined as a continuous process and we distinguish between four system properties, five resilience capacities, and a variety of system activities.

Exploring indicators of system-of-systems resilience: outcomes of a health systems design workshop at an international conference

“…In the design domain, Taysom & Crilly (2017 offer a nuanced characterisation of the concept of resilience in socio-technical systems from the perspectives of different stakeholders. Within this line of research, Dreesbeimdiek et al (2022) propose the Design Framework for System-of-Systems Resilience, which adopts a characterization of resilience articulated across interconnected, complex adaptive systems (or CAS, see e.g. Buckley, 2017).…”

“…Building on Fricke and Schulz (2005), they differentiate resilience properties in terms of adaptability, robustness, agility, and flexibility. As noticeable in the reported quote, Dreesbeimdiek et al (2022) propose a notion of SoS resilience as a continuous process, rather than a system property -or, as Hollnagel et al (2006) define it, an "intrinsic ability". More specifically, the authors argue that since CASs constantly evolve and reconfigure, resilience-enhancing efforts (such as policymaking, strategic planning, risk management, or emergency preparedness and response) should not only arise as a response to discrete disruptions, but rather follow a process-view while continuously anticipating, accommodating, responding, learning and transforming.…”

“…More specifically, the authors argue that since CASs constantly evolve and reconfigure, resilience-enhancing efforts (such as policymaking, strategic planning, risk management, or emergency preparedness and response) should not only arise as a response to discrete disruptions, but rather follow a process-view while continuously anticipating, accommodating, responding, learning and transforming. Within this continuous process, Dreesbeimdiek et al (2022) identify decision-making on specific resilience strategies and activities as design questions, and point out the need for "designing resilience into contemporary systems".…”

“…To inform what they describe as continuous resilience processes, Dreesbeimdiek et al (2022) suggest identifying a set of existing indicators that can dynamically capture information on health, economic, environmental systems and their interfaces. An ambitious research goal in this sense is represented by the development of a composite Index of System-of-Systems Resilience, intended as a statistical tool using a range of relevant indicators across health, economic and environmental domains to support continuous resilience processes in an integrated fashion.…”

“…Even then, the Index would not substitute complex decision-making within continuous resilience processes, but rather provide additional tools, perspectives and insights to involved stakeholders. Especially, the Index should offer a way to consider health and environmental indicators next to economic ones, which are often over-relied on as measures of societal development (Dreesbeimdiek et al, 2022). Yet, such an Index would in itself neither suggest resilience-enhancing interventions, nor provide a clear-cut identification of a 'best' course of action; decision-makers would still need to make deliberate (and possibly difficult) design choices while defining resilience strategies for different contexts and challenges.…”