Analysis and utilization of operating experience for organizational learning

The objective of this thesis is to clarify the ways that organizational factors influence nuclear power plant performance in order to improve performance. Therefore, this thesis studied the nuclear power plant organizational environment by identifying and detailing its important work processes. These work processes are: the Work Request Work Process; the Condition Reporting Work Process; the External Operating Experience Work Process; the Design Change Process; and the Procedure Change Work Process. Using this information, a methodology of incident investigation that targets organizational deficiencies contributing to events was developed. Using this methodology to analyze recent significant incidents, a list of important organizational factors and the context within which they influence the successful completion of tasks was identified. These factors and the context within which they influence performance are: 1) Communication-Pervasive-Most important between different units and departments; 2) Formalization-Execution; 3) Goal Prioritization-Prioritization; 4) Problem Identification-Planning, scheduling, and return to normal line-up; 5) Roles and Responsibilities-Execution; and 6) Technical Knowledge (job specific knowledge and broad based knowledge)-Job specific knowledge-execution/Broad based knowledge -prioritization, planning, scheduling, and other tasks. Although safety culture and organizational learning are not listed, they are important.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Nuclear Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2001

Author dc:creator

• Weil, Richard Scott, 1976-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• George Apostolakis.

• Nuclear Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/8181

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/8181