01334pab a2200145 454500008004000000100002200040245008300062260000900145300001200154362000800166520093400174650001801108700002501126773003701151180718b2002   xxu||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d  aRudolph, Jenny W.  aDisaster dynamics: understanding the role of quality n organizational collapse  c2002  ap.1-30.  aMar  aThis article examines the role that the quantity of non-novel events plays in precipitating diaster through the development of a formal (mathematical) system-dynamics model. Building on existing case studies of disaster, we develop a general theory of how an organization system responds to an on-going stream of non-novel interruptions to existing plans and procedures. We show how an overaccumulation of interruptions can shift an organizational system from a resilient, self-regulating regime, which offsets the effects of this accumulation, to a fragile, self-escalating regime that amplifies them. We offer a new characterization of the conditions under which organizations may be prone to major disasters caused by an accumulation of minor interruptions. Our analysis provides both theoretical insights into the causes of organizational crises and practical suggestions for those charged with preventing them. - Reproduced.  aOrganizations  aRepenning, Nelson P.  aAdministrative Science Quarterly