The Need to Reconcile Concepts that Characterize Systems Facing Threats

Area of Science:

• Systems Management
• Emergency Response
• Organizational Performance

Background:

• System performance in the face of threats is described by multiple, often conflated, management concepts.
• Existing literature and expert opinion show a lack of consensus on the precise definitions and applications of these concepts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and differentiate nine key system performance concepts: adaptability, agility, reliability, resilience, resistance, robustness, safety, security, and sustainability.
• To provide distinct definitions and a conceptual framework for improved system planning and management strategies.

Main Methods:

• Conducted semistructured interviews with journal editors in emergency response and systems management.
• Performed a comprehensive literature review and incorporated professional judgment.
• Analyzed expert responses, linguistic definitions, and mathematical frameworks to formulate comparative visualizations and distinct definitions.

Main Results:

• Identified nine related system performance concepts frequently used interchangeably.
• Revealed a significant lack of consensus among experts regarding the usage of these terms.
• Developed enriched linguistic definitions integrated with mathematical framing to propose distinct conceptualizations.

Conclusions:

• Clearer, distinct definitions of system performance concepts enhance understanding for system planners.
• A proposed conceptual framework facilitates the selection of appropriate management strategies aligned with system dynamics and performance objectives.
• Improved conceptual clarity supports more effective pursuit of desirable system performance under threat.