Charles Ian Cowley, D. Denyer, E. Kutsch, Kim Turnbull-James
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引用次数: 4
Abstract
On the basis of a qualitative study of three different operational oil and gas and petrochemical sites, in the Middle East, Asia-Pacific and Europe, we examine how actors construe error prevention and error management and how they reconcile these approaches in their everyday practice. Our repertory grid data reveal that actors recognise the importance of error prevention, but also appreciate that emergent and unexpected issues require error management in order to trap, address or mitigate problems in the making. Errors are also regarded to play an important role in adaptation, innovation and learning. However, our interview data and analysis of incident investigation reports reflect a narrower range of factors and indicates a strongly institutionalised predisposition towards error prevention. There are practical implications for the management of process safety and for incident analysis, which may be overlooking the importance of error management, and also for individuals at the sharp end who may be coping with the gap between what they believe is important in terms of process safety and what they bring to the surface, share and document.
期刊介绍:
The mission of AMD is to publish phenomenon-driven empirical research that theories of management and organizations neither adequately predict nor explain. Data on these poorly-understood phenomena can come from any source, including ethnographic observations, lab and field experiments, field surveys, meta-analyses, construct validation research, and replication studies. AMD welcomes exploratory research at the pre-theory stage of knowledge development, where it is premature to specify hypotheses, and which generates surprising findings likely to stimulate and guide further exploration and analysis. This research must be grounded in rigorous state-of-the-art methods, present strong and persuasive evidence, and offer interesting and important implications for management theory and practice. Read the Discoveries FAQs.