The objective of WP1 is to develop new knowledge concerning how organisations and humans contribute to resilience of an existing technological system, and knowledge concerning how improvisation may contribute to resilient organisations.

In order to meet this objective, we have to bridge three research traditions: (1) study of safety barriers, (2) studies of problem solving and improvisation, and (3) theory of high reliability organizations. A promising approach is to conceptualise human contributions to resilience in terms of (a) contributions to safety barriers, (b) robust work practices, and (c) capacity for improvisation. This approach builds on the work in an earlier HSE Petroleum program. Incidents and near-misses with successful recovery have been used as a source for knowledge about organizational and human preconditions for resilience. The results of the WP1 will provide a basis for developing guidelines for developing a resilient organisation.