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Ever wondered what GMail, Toyota and sports injury prevention have in common?
This is the thrust of our latest review paper, which looks at what we can learn from other industries to enhance sports injury prevention...
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs40279-019-01232-4
This is the thrust of our latest review paper, which looks at what we can learn from other industries to enhance sports injury prevention...
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs40279-019-01232-4
First, some thoughts on complexity.
The software industry, manufacturing industry and sports injury prevention all exist within complex systems.
This means that there are a number of moving parts that all influence each other in ways that are often difficult to predict.
The software industry, manufacturing industry and sports injury prevention all exist within complex systems.
This means that there are a number of moving parts that all influence each other in ways that are often difficult to predict.
Complexity has 'big' implications
1 The effect of interventions is uncertain - it's hard to work out what works!
2 Transferability is uncertain - something that works in one situation, might not work in another.
3 Systems evolve - it did work, doesn't mean it will always work.
1 The effect of interventions is uncertain - it's hard to work out what works!
2 Transferability is uncertain - something that works in one situation, might not work in another.
3 Systems evolve - it did work, doesn't mean it will always work.
Designing products for complex markets is full of uncertainty. Just because a product 'works' is no guarantee of its success.
You simply can't KNOW how it will be taken up by the market.
You simply can't KNOW how it will be taken up by the market.
Sports injury prevention suffers with this problem.
We have a lot of interventions that we know work well - BUT athletes and coaches are still pretty reluctant to use them.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25995308?dopt=Abstract
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27293086?dopt=Abstract
So how do we address this problem?
We have a lot of interventions that we know work well - BUT athletes and coaches are still pretty reluctant to use them.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25995308?dopt=Abstract
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27293086?dopt=Abstract
So how do we address this problem?
We need to account for uncertainty in our design process.
The software industry doesn't design final products, they design prototypes and beta versions, give these to users and then learn from and improve these products based on these experiences.
GMail spent > 5 years in beta!
The software industry doesn't design final products, they design prototypes and beta versions, give these to users and then learn from and improve these products based on these experiences.
GMail spent > 5 years in beta!
We also need to search for continuous improvement.
Toyota have famously applied the 'Kaizen' principle to search for small, but continuous incremental improvements in their processes leading to continued effectiveness, even while the market changes and evolves.
Toyota have famously applied the 'Kaizen' principle to search for small, but continuous incremental improvements in their processes leading to continued effectiveness, even while the market changes and evolves.
Unfortunately, in sports injury prevention, the design cycle usually stops when researchers prove that something works (successful randomised control trial).
This leads to the creation of products that aren't a good fit across a broad range of contexts.
This leads to the creation of products that aren't a good fit across a broad range of contexts.
This isn't always the case.
This excellent research from New Zealand's RugbySmart program demonstrates how injury interventions can improve and evolve by responding to feedback from end users.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs40279-019-01177-8
This excellent research from New Zealand's RugbySmart program demonstrates how injury interventions can improve and evolve by responding to feedback from end users.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs40279-019-01177-8
The common thread among these examples of organisations that have been successful in complex systems is investment in iterative cycles of product design and improvement.
The product is NEVER final, the process NEVER stops!
The product is NEVER final, the process NEVER stops!
Sports injury prevention research was never meant to stop at the point of finding an effective solution, but often we fail to repeat the cycle, or 'close the loop'!
Our aim is to encourage researchers to 'close the loop' more often by establishing iterative and ongoing research cycles.
In this way, we can determine what works, in what contexts and why, leading to more adaptable solutions that will hopefully be adopted more frequently.
In this way, we can determine what works, in what contexts and why, leading to more adaptable solutions that will hopefully be adopted more frequently.
