3 Risk Perception Modifiers: Security, Risk & Management Sciences
Ridley Tony
Experienced Leader in Risk, Security, Resilience, Safety, and Management Sciences | PhD Candidate, Researcher and Scholar
Long before the management and mitigation of risk begins, how any one person, group or community perceives risk remains an essential yet routinely glossed over aspect of risk management and resilience practices.
That is:
What you think, see or believe to be a 'risk' determines your focus, interest and evaluation of that issue and all related factors
Moreover, these perceptions are influenced and created through varying lenses.
For example, you may observe directly a hazard, danger, threat, peril or 'risk'.
Not surprisingly, this personal perception is highly variable between people, cultures, time and experience levels.
Another perceptive lens is that of empirical research, evidence and scientific investigation, presented by an adequately competent, experienced and qualified individual or cohort.
Units of measure, verifiable and reliable data using scientific methods.
Lastly, and perhaps most confusing, is the virtual construct or risk relating to matters not fully observable, understood, comprehended by imprecise or incomplete information.
Virtual risk perception may overlap, taint or be interwoven with perceived and scientific risk perceptions further obfuscating and conflating errors, omissions and accuracy.
In short, three significant risk perception modifiers can be categorised as:
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Failure to adequately consider, compartmentalise or calculate risk in light of such modifiers (perception) negates accuracy and considerably modifies seemingly objective evaluations of matters relating to risk.
In sum, if you don't consider, calculate or identify the influence of perception within risk...you're wrong, to an as yet unspecified degree/margin of error
3 Risk Perception Modifiers
Adapted from: Adams, J. (2003) Risk and morality: three framing devices, in Ericson, R. and Doyle, A. (eds) Risk and morality, pp.87-106
The 'devil is in the detail'.
If you don't see perception in any risk evaluation, discussion, calculation or rating... don't trust it.
Especially if this value-laden risk is formed by groups or distributed beyond the individuals/group that created the risk rating.
In other words
don't trust the blackbox calculation if you can't see inside or receive accompanying instructions as to how the risk was first perceived and understood by the author/s
No declaration of risk perception, cognition or comprehension... no reliability in the risk calculation
Tony Ridley, MSc CSyP MSyl M.ISRM