In this thesis we have examined the Swedish nuclear power plant Ringhals by asking three questions: How does the
search for legitimacy take shape at Ringhals?, What kinds of disciplining in Foucault’s terms can we find, and how do
these affect the organization? and Which types of learning can we find at Ringhals and how do they learn from
experiences? To answer these questions we have interviewed 24 employees, mainly about learning issues, but found
indicators for legitimacy seeking and disciplining as well. The special characteristics of the nuclear power industry with
its safety rules, authority control, terrorist threat, public fear, risk management and environmental issues, make it
interesting to study. In line with our questions we have analyzed the material along three master tracks; new
institutional theory, disciplining and organizational learning. We have been overloaded with ingredients, which we have
tried to sort out, cook, package and serve in a delicious takeaway meal, provided in this thesis. We concluded that the
search for legitimacy has many faces at Ringhals. Giving an old phenomenon a new costume brings attention to the
issue and might speed up the change process, which always is slow due to inertia. We also found fractions of strong
corporate culture (or brainwashing, depending on which mood you’re in), separation from the outside world, division of
space and functional locations. Although Ringhals has a substantial learning toolbox, we have considered high reporting
frequency as a crucial prerequisite for learning, which turned our interest to factors contributing to reporting. Besides
the reporting, we believe that their practice to ask “Why” is a good way of learning from experiences. If you think that...
