Organizing for resilience in high-risk organizations: The interplay between managerial coordination and control in resolving stability/flexibility tensions in a nuclear power plant
Natalia Jubault Krasnopevtseva, Catherine Thomas, Renata Kamińska
Abstract
• Resilience involves both reducing uncertainty (stability) and coping with uncertainty (flexibility). • Building resilience requires rethinking the design of coordination and control mechanisms. • Design of rules and compliance control are crucial for resolving stability/flexibility tensions. • Over-reliance on rigid rules and inappropriate use of indicators may undermine resilience. • Understanding limits of coordination and control prevents a dangerous illusion of safety control. To avoid accidents, organizations operating in high-risk environments must develop resilience in the face of uncertainty. While uncertainty can be reduced through anticipation and prevention via procedural barriers—ensuring organizational stability—it can also be managed through actor autonomy, allowing for prompt, localized responses that enhance organizational flexibility. Despite growing scholarly interest in managing the stability/flexibility tension for building resilience, their intertwinement and joint development through the design of coordination and control mechanisms remain significant theoretical and managerial challenges. Our qualitative case study of a European nuclear power plant reveals the limitations of managerial control and coordination, highlighting the adverse effects of their interaction on resilience. We contribute to the prevailing theory on resilience by demonstrating that how rules are developed, formalized (whether more or less rigid), and how their application is controlled are critical to their effectiveness.