High Reliability Organizing in Complex Temporary Organizations - Learning from Permanent Interorganizational Networks

This paper introduces the Complex Temporary Organization (CTO) as an impermanent organization that operates in a high-hazard environment. Its interconnectivity combined with its temporality calls for capabilities that go beyond what is required in permanent organizations or in permanent interorganizational networks, a situation both regulatory and organizational protective systems are currently poorly prepared for. The paper first addresses the central concepts in the CTO context: temporal interconnectivity, governance and operational reliability. The second part of this paper introduces the concept of High Reliability Organizing, the domain that focuses on how complex organizations are able to maintain function and structure in the face of unexpected change. It continues to discuss two approaches from the field of permanent interorganizational networks that have adopted HRO principles.