start this chapter by discussing the OSER system, the unit of analysis. In the articles, the
OSER systems and their organizational aspects are treated primarily as empirical phenomena.
To illustrate OSER systems and reflect on the empirical findings in terms of organization
theory, I apply Mintzberg‟s understanding of the structuring of organizations; in section 2.2, I
create a model of an „ideal‟ OSER system using Mintzberg‟s organizational core elements
(Mintzberg, 1983). The „ideal‟ model provides a tool for illustrating and discussing the
organizational structures of OSER systems. I return to the model in section 5.4. to deliberate
on the structure of the Norwegian and Russian OSER system to generalize on the empirical