Organizational culture during the accident response process

Conference · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:7204458

Shurberg, D A; Haber, S B

The ability of an organization to effectively move from an anticipatory to an ad hoc strategy may well depend on the organization having the ability to balance these two apparently dichotomous cultural styles. The organization which is most capable of making the necessary transition in an optimal manner may well exhibit some aspects of both cultural styles during normal operations. Data collected at one NPP does exhibit this pattern of results, with the organization exhibiting a clear hierarchical chain of command and perceived conventional behavioral expectations as well as exhibiting a more decentralized and collegial approach to decisionmaking, a team work orientation, and informal communications. Thus, it is expected that this organization possesses the capabilities to make a successful transition from an anticipatory to an ad hoc strategy. Data collected at a second NPP more strongly exhibits the traditional style suggested as being important during the anticipatory strategy, with more formal communications and bureaucratically controlled decision-making. This organization may experience difficulty if faced with the need to make a transition from an anticipatory to an ad hoc strategy. These conclusions are further validated based on observation of Emergency Preparedness Exercise Inspections, which suggest that the more anticipatory types of behaviors actually inhibit successful performance during an ad hoc response. The final validation of these hypotheses needs to be demonstrated with cultural data collected during emergency simulations. The mechanism to obtain such data during these types of situations is an area for future research.

• Research Organization: Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: NRC; Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76CH00016
• OSTI ID: 7204458
• Report Number(s): BNL-NUREG-47342; CONF-920606--37; ON: DE92018164
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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ACCIDENTS
DECISION MAKING
EMERGENCY PLANS
MANAGEMENT
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
PLANNING
POWER PLANTS
REACTOR ACCIDENTS
REACTOR SAFETY
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THERMAL POWER PLANTS