Abstract
Maurits Van Camp was a key member of the tam driving business and technical transformation at Umicore. He understood that this kind of dramatic transition demands adaptation at the system, organisational and individual levels. Readiness - the capacity to recognize, understand, and respond to technological and organisational change - is key.
Based on our preliminary work with companies on the demands of industrial energy transitions and decarbonisation, we have derived three dimensions of readiness: (1) cognitive-technical readiness, (2) organisational-procedural readiness, and (3) social-motivational readiness. While many show strong cognitive-technical readiness, organisational and social readiness often lag.
Using situational awareness as a lens, we emphasize that human factors - communication quality, continuous learning, and shared meaning - are as critical as technological innovation in shaping safe, effective change.
Safety in high-risk environments hinges on resolving the control-trust paradox: organisations must enforce procedural control (rules, automation, formal training) to reduce error yet also cultivate interpersonal trust (confidence in operator competence, judgement and collaboration) to remain flexible when conditions deviate. This balance requires more than new tools, it calls for preparing people to act under uncertainty and treating safety as a situated, socio-technical process. The operators we interviewed highlight adaptive training, participatory communication, and reduced over-reliance on automation as essential for building trust.
We propose a focus on learning-based strategies - notably mindful learning and constructive disorientation - to strengthen judgement, collaboration and situational awareness.