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Err… all welcome to UEL Lublic Pecture on why we just can’t help making mistakes - Tuesday 20 March

Friday 2 March 2007

To err is human, and we all make mistakes - but it takes someone special to make a career of it!

Donald Ridley, Principal Lecturer in Psychology at the University of East London (UEL) will spill the beans on the inevitability of human error in a Public Lecture at UEL’s Stratford Campus on Tuesday 20 March. Donald’s talk, entitled ‘Why we get things wrong: the psychology of human error’, will explore the underlying reasons why individuals and organisations, despite the very best intentions and the very latest technology, will never be able to completely eradicate error.

Donald, a Chartered Occupational Psychologist and Programme Leader for UEL's MSc Work Psychology, said: “From top-level government to lower-league football, mistakes are inevitable in all walks of life. Indeed, thinking that they can ever be entirely avoided is possibly the greatest mistake of them all.

"The errors are unavoidable and happen all around us; it’s how we deal with them at a personal and an organisational level that matters. For anybody who likes to worry, my lecture will also provide hints and tips about what to look out for the next time you take a train or plane, visit the doctor, vote in an election or simply go out for a drive.”

Donald Ridley is currently researching organisational errors in the aid and development sector and working on the establishment of a training programme for managers of the Trans-Siberian railway, soon to be privatised along the lines of the UK model.

The lecture will take place at 6.30pm in Room TL300 at the University of East London’s Stratford campus. For further details, call Franc Gooding on 020 8223 2884 or visit www.uel.ac.uk/lectureseries

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For details and pictures contact Patrick Wilson: 020 8223 2061 or 07951 797 975

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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