The Knowledge Creation Process in High Reliability Organizations : A case study on intra-team learning at the Lambohov Fire Station

Abstract: Each organization has its specifics that affect the way knowledge is created and transferred. The existing literature in the field of knowledge creation, studies contemporary organizations and currently does not consider special cases such as high reliability organizations. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to complement the existing knowledge creation model by describing the knowledge creation process for high reliability organizations using the case study of the Lambohov Fire Station. A qualitative case study was conducted and carried out with the help of Lambohov Fire Station through non-participant observations and semi- structured interviews with one of the fire brigades. Our research has revealed that the learning processes in HROs differs from the existing theoretical framework. According to the literature, knowledge is created through conversion of tacit and explicit knowledge, while at the fire station the conversion involves tacit and implicit types of knowledge.