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In 2016, the US Forest Service initiated small-group safety discussions among members of its wildland firefighting organisation. Known as the Life First National Engagement Sessions, the discussions presented an opportunity for wildland firefighters…
Author(s): David Flores, Emily Haire
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Addressing the challenges of wildland fire requires that fire science be relevant to management and integrated into management decisions. Co-production is often touted as a process that can increase the utility of science for management, by…
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Purpose of Review: Prescribed fire escapes continue to challenge most fire and land management agencies and many communities. This article considers the issue from knowledge management (KM) and organizational learning (OL) perspectives. We review…
Author(s): Anne E. Black, P. Hayes, R. Strickland
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Recent scholarship on resilience has shed light on the processes by which organizations absorb strain and maintain functioning in the face of adversity. These theories, however, often focus on the operational impacts of adversity without accounting…
Author(s): Michelle Barton, William A. Kahn
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This Research Brief summarizes findings of a Joint Fire Science Program project focused on understanding radio communications as part of risk communication and sensemaking in wildland fire operations. Through observation of live and simulated radio…
Author(s): Anne E. Black, Rebekah L. Fox, Elena Gabor, David Thomas, Jennifer Ziegler
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Purpose – This paper aims to focus on research regarding organizational learning (OL) and knowledge management (KM), and to specifically investigate whether OL has been conceptually absorbed by KM. Design/methodology/approach – This study is based…
Author(s): Delio Ignacio Castaneda, Luisa Fernanda Manrique, Sergio Cuellar
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Within the Forest Service, we hold safety as the top priority. Fatality incidents are brutal reminders of what is at stake. To ensure we are performing at our best and in the safest way possible, it is necessary that all levels of the organization…
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The Forest Service has declared its intention of becoming a learning organization. As a means to that end, the Forest Service has borrowed and adapted the staff ride concept from the military. This paper describes the staff ride product and compares…
Author(s): Joseph R. Harris
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In an effort to improve organizational outcomes, including safety, in wildland fire management, researchers and practitioners have turned to a domain of research on organizational performance known as High Reliability Organizing (HRO). The HRO…
Author(s): Anne E. Black, Brooke Baldauf McBride
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The Cramer fire began as a fairly typical mid-slope ignition on the south-facing slope of the steep Salmon River Canyon during an extended drought that saw live fuel moistures in late July falling below the benchmark record of 2000. On July 22, the…
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Interagency wildland fire policy directs manager to apply 'best available science' to management plans and activities. But what does 'best available science' mean? With a vague definition of this concept and few guidelines for delivering or…
Author(s): Vita Wright
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Since the inception of organized fire suppression in the early 1900s, wildland fire management has dramatically evolved in operational complexity; ecological significance; social, economic, and political magnitude; areas and timing of application;…
Author(s): Tom Zimmerman, Tim Sexton
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Reflecting on the links between intentions and outcomes is a key practice of a learning organization (Garvin 2000). The After-Action Review (AAR) is a formal reflection process intended to assist groups in capturing lessons learned from a task. AARs…
Author(s): Anne E. Black, Kathleen Sutcliffe, Michelle Barton
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In every organization, individual members have the potential to speak up about important issues, but a growing body of research suggests that they often remain silent instead, out of fear of negative personal and professional consequences. In this…
Author(s): Jennifer J. Kish-Gephart, James R. Detert, Linda Klebe Trevino, Amy Edmondson
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If you were involved in the 2008 fire season in the West, you may have heard the term "Key Decision Log" or "KDL." This article describes the KDL concept, it's intent (past and present), how it was applied in 2008, and where the practice is heading.
Author(s): Anne E. Black
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Misspecification of the nature of organizations may be a major reason for difficulty in achieving performance improvement. Organizations are often viewed as machine-like, but complexity science suggests that organizations should be viewed as complex…
Author(s): Reuben R. McDaniel
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Accident investigators at any level are challenged with identifying causal factors and making preventative recommendations. This task can be particularly complicated considering that 70-80% of accidents are associated with human error. Due to…
Author(s): Michelle Ryerson, Chuck Whitlock
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This fieldbook, a compendium of 62 articles by consultants, facilitators and organizational psychologists, is organized into seven parts that describe in detail the skilled facilitator approach to running meetings and facilitating groups. This…
Author(s): Roger Schwarz, Anne Davidson, Peg Carlson, Sue McKinney
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This book describes a process of extracting knowledge from inside the heads of people who possess high expertise in their work, and then describes numerous ways this knowledge can be delivered to people with less expertise. People with high…
Author(s): Dorothy Leonard, Walter Swap
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In this book, Langer augments her previous work on mindfulness and artistic nature with insights on creativity. Langer discusses how creativity is not a rare trait, but a part of every person’s makeup. While all people have the ability to express…
Author(s): Ellen J. Langer
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