Do You Need A Culture Adjustment? By Carmen Daecher

If someone were to ask one of your employees "How committed to safety is your company?", what do you think their answer would be ?

If their answer would be "Everyone in the company cares about their safety and the safety of other employees, passengers, and the general public", you can stop reading this article. If, on the other hand, an employee would say "I don't know anything about our safety program" or "The organization doesn't really care about safety", then you must wonder why they would give such an answer.

You might dismiss the answer as coming from some disgruntled or uninformed employee. But usually, how people perceive the beliefs and actions of their organization is reality. Even if the employee is disgruntled or misinformed, something is wrong.

You have been hearing about organizational culture for a long time. Many companies have gone through a "cultural change" to improve or enhance their abilities to remain competitive and responsive in the marketplace. Do you know what your organizational culture is? And do you know where and how safety fits within it?

What should a safety culture include? What should it involve? It begins right at the top. The attitudes and beliefs of the owners and top administrators regarding safety establishes the foundation of the organization's culture. If they simply "talk it" but do not embody it in their policies, decisions, and actions, your culture does not embody safety at all. On the other hand, if they truly believe that every employee's actions should reflect consistent behavior and all policies, decisions, and organizational activities reflect that belief, then you have a positive and effective safety culture.

If your organization's culture is not where it should be, how do you get it there:

• Refocus at the top-owners and top administrators need to hear about total potential dollar savings associated with reduced accidents and improved safety behavior. They need to learn how a continued focus on behavior can help reduce accident costs, mitigate risks, and continue to enhance the bottom line. With a proper focus of reduced accidents, and reduced costs associated with accidents, owners and top administrators will better understand the value of safety.
• Redesign your safety program to empower employees - everyone must feel that they are responsible for safety. Everyone must believe that this is what the organization wants. To accomplish this, communication from the bottom up and from the top down must be achieved. Responsibility and accountability for behavior and results must be defined. Everyone should have the same focus and objectives around which open communication takes place.
  
  Responsibility and accountability cannot be over-emphasized. Without clearly defining responsibilities, proper focus for all activities and behaviors cannot be achieved. And without defining accountability, ownership for behaviors and results of behaviors cannot be measured, rewarded, or changed.
  
  Part of the communication system should be discipline and reward. Both play an Important part in controlling and modifying behavior. While both do not have to be used, at least one must always be used to reinforce behavior or to deter negative behaviors.
• Get everyone on the same page - announce your plans to all employees. Request their feedback. Incorporate worthwhile additions or changes.
  
  
  Have the owners and top administrators interact with employees during these meetings. Establish the communication flow and sense of purpose from the top to demonstrate the reality and the seriousness of changes to the safety program.
  
  Emphasize a commitment to safe behavior. Establish a relationship between safe behavior and accident reductions, improved performance, etc.
  
  After initially unfolding a new program, emphasize an open door policy for those who have questions, criticisms, concerns, etc. By providing a thoughtful response to every employee communication, it will become clear that you are committed to safety and safe behavior, that you are listening to employees and that you respect them by providing answers. They in turn will understand that their safety is part of your commitment as part of organizational objectives and results.
  
  It can take months, or even years, for everyone to buy into a new culture of safety. But persistence and consistency of top management and of the administration of safety programs refocused on behavior and built around open communication should eventually convince everyone of the value of cultural change.
• Maintain the new culture - do not become complacent in emphasizing safety behavior. Do not become lax in open communication and prompt response to employee's questions or concerns. Do not be inconsistent in the application of discipline or reward.
  
  Improving all of these is always worthwhile. There is nothing wrong with making good things better. But, complacency will allow any cultural change to weaken. Diligence in maintaining organizational focus is important.

Retooling a company's culture around individual and organizational behavior focused upon safety may at first seem unimportant. But consider this: your success, in large part, rests upon the collective energy and effort of each and every employee. If they are energized, and feel that they are truly part of the organization, their self esteem and pride offers you great value. If they truly believe that their success and self worth is connected with organizational success, they will be motivated to perform consistently well. They will want to stay as a part of your organization. And they will want to help improve the organization however and whenever they can.

From where I am sitting, this is the power and the value of redefining your culture and focusing on safe behavior, helping each other and serving the customer exceptionally well.

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