Organizing emergent safety organizations: The travelling of the concept 'netcentric work' in the Dutch safety sector

This paper is about the introduction of netcentric work in the public safety sector in the Netherlands. The idea behind netcentric work is that a common operational picture will help the professionals to overcome problems with sharing information during crisis. In this WIP paper we will pay attention to netcentric work principles and the dilemma of standardization of technologies versus local adaptation. In the Netherlands the government has chosen to introduce netcentric work via a Platform in which various options are discussed among members of Dutch safety regions. The outcome is a process of negotiation in what we call trading zones. In these trading zones netcentric work is (re)defined. Using theoretical concepts like soft-bureaucracy we show in this paper how netcentric work eventually is not about technology in the first place but a negotiated new way of working and organizing. Further research is needed to understand the full implications of netcentric work for the administration and organization of safety.