Carl Westin

34 Strategic Conformance: A Literature Survey To summarize, the benefits of strategic conformance are tied to the generation of positive attitudes, trust, and acceptance of automation and its output. Solutions generated by a strategic conformal system are, however, not expected to necessarily be better or more optimal than those of the human. As such, system performance related to specific solutions may not increase. Overall system performance, on the other hand, would benefit by an increase in acceptance, trust, and willingness to at least use automation so as to embrace the performance benefit it may offer. 2-5 Limitations and pitfalls of strategic conformance Thus far this article has conveyed a new perspective on causes underlying automa- tion acceptance issues and presented a possible solution in strategic conformance. It is also appropriate to take on a more critical perspective and consider the limitations and potential pitfalls of strategic conformance. 2-5-1 Drawbacks of individual-sensitive automation in teamwork In the context of adaptive cruise control, strategic conformal automation would be sensitive to individual differences in how smoothly drivers accelerate or brake. However, taking a whole system perspective, it would be desirable if all drivers and cars behaved the same way. That way, other agents (human or automation) would know better what could be expected in various traffic situations. There would be less uncertainty in the behavior of others, which would simplify automation design. This is a legitimate concern in safety-critical domains that rely on teamwork and transparency in task execution. Consider, for example, air traffic controllers who work together in teams of two (tactical and planner controller). With fre- quent handovers between the two it is important to continuously communicate and keep the other person “in the loop” so that a shared understanding is achieved and maintained. Training to harmonize working styles is essential in these domains. In other words, there may be an intrinsic desire to suppress individual differences in problem-solving and decision-making in work environments that rely on teamwork. 2-5-2 Requirements on consensus and inconsistency Strategic conformance relies on high internal consistency. That is, strategic confor- mance is not relevant unless users are consistent in their problem-solving styles over time. We expect that an expert will provide us the same answer to a given question no matter how many times we ask that question, provided that the preconditions are the same in all cases.