Sixteenth International Conference on Technology, Knowledge & Society

Abstract

In Technology-Based Crises, technology plays a pivotal role in the cause, prevention, and/or resolution of the crisis. Crisis Compliance, developed from Normal Accident Theory and the Theory of High Reliability Organizations, provides a theoretically based framework for evaluating the role and appropriate use of technology across seven key types of Technology-Based Crises: Crises in Diverse Areas, Unprecedented Crises, Beyond Design Risk Crises, Crises with Deterministic versus Stochastic Risks, Contained versus Cascading Crises, Crises with Internal Versus External Loci of Control, and Crises with Malicious Origins. This paper extends the Crisis Compliance model to encompass Transparency and Trust. Transparency is defined in the organizational literature as: Disclosure of all relevant information, Clarity in communication, and Accuracy of the information. Trust is defined as: the Ability of the trustee in terms of knowledge and influence in the relevant domain, a Benevolent attitude toward the trustor by the trustee, and Integrity in terms of shared ethical principles between the parties. This paper will argue that Transparency and Trust can enable the resolution of crises, but that the complexity and abstract nature of technology can hinder these enablers. Case studies of Y2K and Fukushima are presented to illustrate examples of good and bad Transparency and Trust in Technology related crises. Research propositions regarding the roles of Transparency and Trust emerge from the analysis.