In the business world, the pursuit of safety excellence is often recognized as a critical component of overall business success. However, simply desiring a "safety culture" falls short. The true challenge lies in focusing energy effectively and cultivating the capability for sustainable results.
Understanding Safety as a Cultural Element
Safety, akin to quality or customer service, is an integral aspect of an organization's culture. It cannot be relegated to a single group or individual. For safety to be a core value, it must be integral to the organization's daily operations, and consistently reinforced at decision-making moments. However, it's important to note that overemphasis can lead to diminishing returns.
Aligning Safety with Leadership and Operational Levels
The key to embedding safety as a core value lies in its alignment with the organization’s top leadership. The behaviors and focus of the Board of Directors set a tone that resonates throughout the company. Establishing clear, behaviorally defined safety roles and responsibilities at the executive level and cascading them through every organizational level has shown significant improvements in safety performance.
Quality Over Quantity in Safety Efforts
Organizations aspiring for safety excellence understand that the effectiveness of safety initiatives is more important than their quantity. A common misstep is directing safety efforts reactively, often towards misaligned objectives. The goal is to identify and focus on transformative improvements rather than mere increases in safety-related activities.
Setting Clear and Transformative Goals
Success in safety culture hinges on setting a clear, concise direction, focusing on a single transformative goal over a period, like 90 days. This approach, albeit abstract, has proven effective for numerous organizations. The emphasis is on transformative targets rather than small incremental changes.
Motivation and Measurement in Safety Excellence
Visible progress towards established goals often serves as a stronger motivator than monetary rewards or recognition. As safety improves and incident data loses its statistical significance, the shift towards achievement metrics, rather than failure metrics, becomes crucial.
Leveraging Success Stories and Employee Participation
An underutilized strategy in cultivating a safety culture is sharing success stories. Ensuring that employees are aware of the safety achievements encourages participation and a sense of ownership. The main barrier to employee participation often is the perception of ineffectiveness, stemming from a lack of awareness of these successes.
Rethinking Measurement as a Positive Tool
The perception of measurement within an organization is pivotal. It should be viewed as a tool for improvement rather than a source of mistrust or fear. Addressing negative perceptions around measurement is crucial for transformation and validating efforts in safety culture.
Building Internal Capability and Sustainable Cultures
Developing an internal capability to focus and achieve results is essential. Relying less on external assistance over time is key to establishing a sustainable safety culture. Such cultures are not off-the-shelf solutions but are built through a clear, aligned focus and a passionate commitment to excellence at all levels.
Adapting Safety Practices to Fit Organizational Culture
Finally, creating a sustainable safety culture is more about the approach than the actions. It's crucial to adapt safety practices to fit the unique culture and operations of an organization, rather than trying to mold the operations to fit a predefined program. This tailored approach is the most effective way to add sustainable value and establish a robust safety culture.
In conclusion, establishing a sustainable safety culture is a nuanced journey requiring a balanced focus, clear goals, and a deep understanding of the organization's unique dynamics. It's a continuous process of alignment, motivation, measurement, and adaptation, leading to a culture that values safety not just as a policy but as a fundamental way of operating.