License to intervene : the role of team adaptation in balancing structure and flexibility in offshore operations

• The study reported here reviewed and analyzed multi-team organizations in offshore operations to identify and understand the factors that are essential for good operation. It was found that the most prominent contribution to good operations was the balancing of structure and flexibility during work (anchor handling operations). The enabling factor towards this balance seems to be a process of team adaptation, including adjustments and corrections, when performing operations. The multi-teams operate in an open climate with a commonly accepted allowance to stop any safety-threatened operational activity. In practice, this gives the operational teams a “license” to intervene and adjust or adapt to suddenly occurring anomalies. The operations are in turn based on a period of planning and preparing. During the actual balancing, the teams relied on communication and information sharing, coordination and cooperation, and anticipation (proactive behavior) and empowerment/autonomy as effective enablers of team adaptation. 

Subject headings

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Maskinteknik -- Produktionsteknik, arbetsvetenskap och ergonomi (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Mechanical Engineering -- Production Engineering, Human Work Science and Ergonomics (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Adjustments

Leadership

Multi-team

Proactivity

Resilience

Safety

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)