Interdependent Infrastructures as a Multiteam System: Enhancing Resilience

Abstract

Infrastructure systems such as water, electricity, gas, and so on are interdependent complex sociotechnical systems. As such, understanding the human or social component of these systems is critical for increasing resilience. Qualitative analyses, including cognitive task analyses conducted with utility systems personnel, suggested that the human or social part of these systems can be modeled as a multiteam system (MTS). The interdependent critical infrastructure systems (ICIs) that we examined were found to have all of the essential features of multiteam systems. Using the National Academy of Sciences resilience framework (plan, absorb, recover, adapt), we applied findings from the MTS literature to generate recommendations, cautions, and suggestions for future research in infrastructure systems design and practice.