Session Summary

Session Number:206
Session ID:S205
Session Title:Errors in Organizations: New Perspectives
Short Title:Errors in Organizations
Session Type:Division Joint Symposium
Hotel:Hyatt East
Floor:LL2
Room:GndBall E
Time:Monday, August 09, 1999 9:00 AM - 10:20 AM

Sponsors

OB  (Robert Liden)bobliden@uic.edu (312) 996-4481 
OMT  (Joseph Porac)j-porac@staff.uiuc.edu (217) 244-7969 

General People

Chair Goodman, Paul S. Carnegie Mellon U. pg14@andrew.cmu.edu (412)-268-2288 
Discussant Roberts, Karlene A. U. of California, Berkeley karlene@haas.berkeley.edu (510)-641-5221 

Submissions

Relational Foundations of Collective Mindfulness and Error Mitigation in a Temporary, High-Reliability Organization 
Presenter Bigley, Gregory A. U. of Cincinnati Greg.Bigley@uc.edu (513) 556-7118 
Studying Variations in Errors: The Concept of Organizational Vulnerability 
Presenter Ramanujam, Rangaraj  Carnegie Mellon U. rr3x@andrew.cmu.edu (412)-268-1815 
Presenter Goodman, Paul S. Carnegie Mellon U. pg14@andrew.cmu.edu (412)-268-2288 
Medical Professional Culture, Medical Collegiality and Medical Mistakes 
Presenter Rosenthal, Marilynn M. U. of Michigan mmrosent@umich.edu (734)-996-4545 
A Mindful Infrastructure For Organizational Reliability 
Presenter Sutcliffe, Kathleen M. U. of Michigan ksutclif@umich.edu (734)-764-2312 

Abstract

The goals of this symposium are to present some new theoretical perspectives on organizational errors and to understand errors in different organizational contexts. By errors we refer to classes of events that cause actual or potential negative consequences that are significant to the organization. Examples range from Three Mile Island and the Challenger to the bankruptcy of Barings Bank. One contribution of this symposium will be to focus on some new theoretical ideas. Much of the existing literature has examined errors that have adverse physical consequences (e.g., loss of life). We will explore different types of errors and losses (e.g., financial, reputational). In the current research, technological complexity has been an important explanatory factor in understanding errors in organizations. We will explore errors related to organizing versus errors tied to tightly coupled technologies. Other processes such as shifting decision structures and cultivation of resilience are proposed as antecedents to error-free operations. Another contribution of this symposium will be understanding errors in different contexts. Much of the literature has focused on complex technical systems (e.g., nuclear power plants). We will explore more people-intensive organizational contexts, such as financial institutions, medical settings, and fire fighting. Also, we will look at errors in permanent and temporary organizations. This change in organizational context provides the opportunity to explore new conceptualizations of errors as well as their antecedents.