Following Routines: A Challenge in Cross-Sectorial Collaboration

The aim of this study is to examine how personnel from three different organizations create meaning and intend to act in a potentially dangerous situation. The article reports an experiment depicting a bomb at an elderly care center and the participants were to describe the situation and decide how to act. The participants were personnel from the police, rescue services and an elderly care centre. The findings show that participants had different types of understanding of the situation and how to act. The personnel at the elderly care centre were confused by the situation but they were familiar with their work routines. The emergency organizations were familiar with the situation and the task, but not with the work routines.