Collaborate and die! Exploring different understandings of organisational cooperation within Scotland's uncertain North Sea oil and gas industry.

Adams, Nicholas Norman; Mueller-Hirth, Natascha

Abstract

This study ethnographically explores how collaboration is enacted within two differently structured sub-sea engineering organisations local to the oil & gas industry in Aberdeen, Scotland. Literature suggests organisational collaboration practices are largely dependent on trust, historical cooperation, establishing interpersonal relations and information sharing networks. Such notions are suggested as readily enacted in Aberdeen. However, following changes in industry landscape, we uncover a variety of additional factors pertaining to macro-level local industry climate, and meso-level organisational cultures that shape different perceptions, understandings, and enactments of collaboration. To grow current scholarly thinking, we define how such diverse understandings actively prevent organisational collaboration in the restrictively competitive climate of Aberdeen’s oil & gas industry. Implications for expanding understandings of collaboration in employment sectors facing substantial industry destabilisation and reformation are discussed.

Citation

ADAMS, N.N. and MUELLER-HIRTH, N. 2021. Collaborate and die! Exploring different understandings of organisational cooperation within Scotland's uncertain North Sea oil and gas industry. Energy research and social science [online], 73, article ID 101909. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2021.101909

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 4, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Feb 10, 2021
• Publication Date: Mar 31, 2021
• Deposit Date: Jan 19, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 11, 2022
• Journal: Energy research and social science
• Print ISSN: 2214-6296
• Electronic ISSN: 2214-6326
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 73
• Article Number: 101909
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2021.101909
• Keywords: Organisational collaboration; Oil and gas; Organisational culture; Conflict and collaboration; Collaborative hydrocarbon extraction; Strategic collaboration
• Public URL: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/1127689