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Concept information

social science subjects > business and management > organization studies > organization theory > normal accident theory
... > social science subjects > politics and international relations > governance > crisis management > sociology of crisis management > normal accident theory
... > social science subjects > business and management > management settings > business management > governance > crisis management > sociology of crisis management > normal accident theory

Preferred term

normal accident theory  

Definition

  • Normal accident theory describes organizations and technologies that are so complex that accidents are to be expected as a normal outcome. In Normal Accidents, Charles Perrow examined such high-risk technologies as nuclear power, petrochemical plants, and air travel (as well as the organizations managing them), and concluded that it is the combination of complex interaction and tight coupling among the subparts of these systems that makes them accident-prone, regardless of the precautions taken. [Source: Encyclopedia of Governance; Normal Accident Theory]

Broader concept

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URI

http://data.loterre.fr/ark:/67375/N9J-Z9659126-L

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