This paper seeks to understand the effects of formal and informal constraints on the operations and success of Highly Reliable Teams. Constraints reduce the risks that are inherently present during missions, but formal constraints, such as policies and standard operating procedures, are limited by the ability of regulators and teams to anticipate problems. Culture, social norms, and other informal constraints are not subject to the same limitation, and develop over time to support the process of complex problem solving in emergency response situations
