This article provides alternative viewpoints for what an HRO should look like. It contrasts normal accident theory with High Reliability Theory (HRT). It also shows how some organizations cannot become HROs, though they should continue striving to do so. HRO is a process, not an achievement. The authors suggest that NASA cannot become an HRO, though specific departments within NASA might demonstrate successful integration of HRO principles in their daily practice.
Boin, A., & Schulman, P. (2008). Assessing NASA’s safety culture: The limits and possibilities of high‐reliability theory. Public Administration Review, 68(6), 1050–1062. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6210.2008.00954.x