http://www.loc.gov/mods/v3 http://www.loc.gov/standards/mods/v3/mods-3-2.xsd
Studying improvisation in a system with strict procedural discipline by means of focused interviews based on real-life cases
How do complex organizations doing dangerous work in dynamic environments cope with unexpected events? In this case, we discuss how we developed and used a methodology to identify and test a unique form of leadership redundancy in the subsea operations that inspect and repair the oil and gas installations on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, one of the largest in the world. These complex operations are conducted by a set of interdependent teams, led by one individual. The literature on High Reliability Organizations has documented the use of a variety of forms of redundancy to create organizational slack, including formally designed leadership redundancy (such as having a co-pilot to back up the pilot when necessary). However, in the subsea operations that we studied, there is no formal backup for the leader of the execution phase of the operation. Instead, we observed in our initial field study that if the leader was unable to respond to an unexpected and potentially dangerous event, some individuals who had sufficient time, expertise, and will would manage the situation--even though it was outside their normal responsibility and no official delegation had occurred. We called this form of organizational slack informal leadership redundancy. We tested our understanding of this controversial, infrequent, yet crucial leadership dynamic by conducting interviews with people in representative roles across the industry, asking them to comment on actual situations we had observed in the field. Our research adds to knowledge on how High Reliability Organizations combine structure and flexibility to manage unexpected events.
Idar Alfred Johannessen, Philip Woods McArthur.
Includes bibliographical references and index.