Complexity of increasing knowledge flows: the 2022 Southwest Airlines Scheduling Crisis

Abstract The 2022 Southwest Airline Scheduling Crisis, resulting in approximately 15,000 flight cancellations, demonstrates the challenges of structuring infrastructure systems and their knowledge-making processes for increasingly disruptive conditions. While point-to-point configuration was focus immediate assessments failure, it became rapidly evident that crew-assignment software unable to operate effectively due scale disruption. airline failed recognize environmental shifts associated with internal external complexity, leaving operations vulnerable a known potential risk: computer telecommunications failures an extreme weather event knowledge failures. cascading crisis emphasize necessity invest adaptive capacity prior catastrophic events provide lesson other managers pursuing resilience face uncertain environments.