Technological disasters: policy imperatives in high-technology settings

In this paper, a cognitive analysis is presented of alternative paths available to an organization to slide into a technologically-induced crisis state from more routine modes of operation. Cognitive mapping of plausible crisis decision-paths results in a multi-path scheme that enables one to comprehend, even assess, the erratic development of political and socio-technological events. Contrasting the cognitive opportunities in crisis situations with the cognitive failures implicit in pre-crisis settings, the multi-path simulation technique enables a more sophisticated understanding of the dynamics of crisis development.