Culture of Care (and sackings…)

Culture of Care (and sackings…)

I caught up with a good friend Martin over the weekend and he was telling me about his work situation. Martin works in heavy industry as a contractor, he has done most of his life and he’s now in his mid 40’s.

Martin is currently contracting at a mine that is owned by a large company I think he said was called Neo Bingo, or at least something that sounded like that. We got to talking about safety (although I usually try to avoid this topic, it inevitably comes up in my social conversations) and Martin was telling me how working at Neo Bingo was as bad as it gets when it comes to safety. Martin shared his story with me, which reminded me of other similar stores.

Read the full story, first published HERE

I believe that there are many good people who work in safety. They do care for people, they do want to educate and support learning, but when you work in organisations like ‘Bingo’, it does things to you. The social arrangements and construct that we work in does affect our decisions and judgments, and I don’t imagine how working in ‘Bingo’ could be anything other than about control and power.

As an industry, and with the many good people that work in it, I hope we can lead ourselves through this. I hope that one day that I may be proud to say that I ‘work in safety’ and people don’t instantly think of me as a crusader. Sadly, I’m not sure that day will come, so in the mean time, I will continue on my learning adventure trying to better understand how to support and scaffold people to better appreciate why we do what we do.

Do you see a day when ‘safety’ will be about people, about understanding, about empathy and compassion, or will control continue to reign the day?

As usual, I’d love to hear your thoughts, experiences and comments.

We need to make sure this can never happen again

Have you ever been involved in an incident investigation that was really just a checklist of organisational processes? Have there been times when you might have missed something because you became too focused on one aspect and weren’t open to exploring?

I’ve been in these situations. I’ve written reports that were focused on checking off on corporate procedures rather than on understanding what really went on. I’ve prepared reports that were ‘protected’ by legal professional privilege so that what we learnt could not be shared with others. I’ve written reports where I know that there were a range of other factors at play, but I had neither the time nor resources to explore them, so I ‘parked them’ for later (they are still parked!). Is this normal in risk and safety, or is this just my experience?

If this is our approach, what chance do we really have of learning anything?

What are the by-products that come from an approach that advocates ‘we need to make sure this can never happen again’?

You can read the rest of the article HERE

Am I stupid? I didn’t think of that…

I live in the Hunter Valley in NSW, which is on the east coast of Australia. This week we have been hit by what our local media are describing as a ‘super storm’. In the particular area where I live, we received over 400 millimeters (0.12 gallons, US) of rain in two days. The scenes of flash flooding in areas that are normally farming and rural land amazed me, as did the number of roads that have been cut off and how quickly rivers rose. Experts say that it is a one in ten year flood.

What amazed me more however is that although this crazy weather event took us ‘off guard’ and despite a lack of planning for this specific event, we coped ok and learned a lot along the way.

With my background in risk and safety, I’ve become accustomed to thinking that we have to have a plan in place to cover every type of emergency scenario, and along with that plan, appropriate procedures that would outline a response to almost every conceivable situation.

This big lesson that I learned this week was that while my wife and I had thought about a number of things associated with an emergency at our place and we did have some plans for certain scenarios, there will always be things that take us by surprise. When these things happen we can feel silly or stupid, because in retrospect they were obvious. But does it really mean we are stupid if we don’t (or can’t) think of everything?

Read the rest of the article which was first published HERE

Social Psychology Applied to the Discernment of Risk

During April 2015, good mates and study buddies (and authors on the Safetyrisk.net blog) Gab Carlton, Max Geyer, Rob Sams and James Ellis attended the Society of Australasian Social Psychologist (SASP) Conference held in Newcastle. While Rob Sams has provided his reflections on this conference, hearing from academics presenting their research, the guys also participated in another way by presenting a poster on what they have learned about applying the social psychology of risk in their workplaces.

You can read more by clicking on the link to the article the guys published on Safetyrisk.net below.

http://www.safetyrisk.net/social-psychology-applied-to-the-discernment-of-risk/

Pause and Ponder

I’ve had the privilege over the past few days to attend the Society of Australasian Social Psychologist (SASP) Annual Conference held in my hometown of Newcastle, NSW. The SASP Conference brought together more than 170 delegates who were keen to learn, share and explore together. You can learn more about SASP here, and if you’re interested in joining, it costs $50 per year.

Let me state up front, I am a student. I have a passion for learning (while at the same time unlearning!) and to be amongst such academic minds was both amazing and, to begin with, a tad intimidating. However, I soon felt relaxed, at ease and ready to learn. It was no surprise to me that social psychologists made it their business to make people feel welcome.

While I have learnt a lot over the past few days about my chosen field of study, and I will share more of this as I digest and reflect on my learning, the thing that I have an immediate desire to share is what I learned about those who have chosen a life in studying social psychology as an academic.

When we open our minds to listening, learning and understanding from those who have chosen a life of research, of challenging and of a quest for exploring, I believe we can ourselves, learn so much.

http://www.safetyrisk.net/pause-and-ponder-what-we-can-learn-from-social-psychology-academics/

Psychology of Risk Conference

The Inaugural Psychology of Risk Conference was held in Sydney on 25, 26 March 2015 and was a great success. People from New Zealand, Hong Kong and Australia came together at ACU in North Sydney to hear how the social psychology of risk can be applied at work. The diverse field of presenters included practitioners from: Telstra, Raytheon, Lend Lease, QSL, Jemena, Framework, Rio Tinto, SummitCARE, Theiss, Omya Australia, General Mills, Nestle and Electranet.

Dolphyn’s Rob Sams, along with Associates Gab Carlton (Resilyence) , James Ellis (Framework Group) and Max Geyer (ViaMax) all presented papers as well as facilitated our ‘Conversation Corner’.

We’d love to hear from anyone who attended, about your experiences and thoughts.

We will be publishing papers on Rob’s presentation, ‘what is excess regulation doing to us all?‘, and on the Conversation Corner over the next week.

You can read more about the conference by clicking on the link below.

http://www.safetyrisk.net/a-conference-with-a-difference/

 

 

 

The Dangers of Being an Expert

It can feel good to win and argument or be perceived as the most intelligent person in the room. It’s a great boost for our ego and I think typically as human beings that we like being the one who knows the most, or to excel where others don’t.

However, when we know more than others, or we have an overwhelming feeling of joy and happiness at being right, or if our desire is to always be the smartest person in the room this can impact on how we relate to others and can change relationships.

http://www.safetyrisk.net/the-dangers-of-being-an-expert/

There is no way I would do that – Part Two

In my last piece I wrote about the impact that our social arrangements can have on how we make decisions and judgments, even in ways that we may not be consciously aware of. I titled the piece ‘there is no way that I would do that’, and outlined the social psychological experiments conducted by Stanley Milgram in 1961, where he set about understanding how seemingly good people could cause harm to others if the social circumstances were right.

Last week, I was caused to think of this topic again when news broke of a Sydney teenager who set himself on fire to impress his mates. There is no way that ‘normal’ people would do that, right? People who behave like this are just fools and don’t have any care for others, right?

When we take a simplistic approach to understanding human motivation, thinking it is as simple as right and wrong, or as safe or unsafe, we fail to recognise that people are complex, and can fall into the trap of thinking that we can control people to do things that we deem are ‘right’.

http://www.safetyrisk.net/there-is-no-way-i-would-do-that-part-two/

There is no way I would do that!

The impact of social arrangements on our decisions and judgments

Safety DiagnosisI had the privilege last week of meeting a new group of people as they commenced their adventure into the world of better understanding people and how we make decisions and judgments about risk. I felt especially privileged to be able to present a short story to the group on my own ‘learning adventure’ in risk and safety. To be welcomed into a small community as it is forming is a treat. I look forward to staying in touch and continuing our relationship as the learning continues for us all.

As I reflect on my own learning over the past two years, I recognise the change in my thinking around risk, safety and people. I have ‘unlearned’ as much as I have learned, as I continue on the ‘adventure’. I’ve changed the way I think, the way I work, and most importantly the way that I relate to others.

If you’re thinking this sounds a little evangelical, as though I have been ‘converted’ from one way of thinking to another, as if I have adopted a new religion and become a ‘born again risk and safety consultant’, you’re probably right. By beginning this adventure, by being open to learning and unlearning, I have been converted, I do think differently, and I love it!

So, what was the ‘tipping point’ for me in this conversion? Why do I now see the world through the lens of social psychology, (that is, thinking about the impact of our social arrangements on our decisions and judgments)? What caused this change in thinking for me?

A clue to the answer lays in the title of this piece, “There is no way that I would do that!” One of the most challenging aspects from a learning perspective from my study has been to understand the incredible impact that our social arrangements can have on decisions and judgments taken by individuals.

http://www.safetyrisk.net/there-is-no-way-i-would-do-that/

A Learning Adventure in Understanding Risk and People

When you open your mind to learning, ‘unlearning’ and to a new and different way of thinking, it can be refreshing, liberating and motivating.

In May 2012, I commenced my  learning adventure in understanding risk and people. This is when I started my post-graduate studies in the Social Psychology of Risk under Dr Robert Long through the Australian Catholic University in Canberra, Australia.

When I think of these studies, I think of an ‘adventure’ which is a term that my good friend Gabrielle Carlton and I thought of when we were sharing our learning with a group of people recently. ‘Adventure’ seems the most adequate way to describe a journey that is not linear, that is filled with lot’s of ups and downs, and one where, despite having a broad plan in place and knowing the general direction you are travelling in, you’re just not quite sure where it will take you until you arrive! This does not mean that it is not organised or well thought out, quite the opposite in fact, it is so well thought out that the program is great balance between planning and the ability to adapt as needed. Just like a good risk management program!

At the start of this ‘adventure’, I thought I knew quite a bit about risk, safety and people. After all, I’d been involved in the risk and safety industry for most of my working life, it’s what I do. I’d completed an undergraduate degree in Occupational Health and Safety, attended numerous training and development programs, and I’d worked in some senior roles in large and diverse organisations over 20+ years. I wasn’t a novice, but boy did I have some learning to do when it came to really understanding how to deal with risk, safety and people.

For instance, despite my previous studies, training and experience, I had no understanding of the impact of semiotics on our unconscious and what this meant for decisions and judgments about risk. I had no clue about the power of words and I didn’t know that so much that goes on around us impacts on our decisions.

I didn’t understand that most of our decisions are made in our unconscious mind, and I thought that effective safety meant more control, clear standards, good process and consequence management.

I’ve learned a lot in just under two years. I’ve read more than 50+ books and almost three times as many articles, publications and journals in that time. I’ve been welcomed into some wonderful learning communities and I’ve been fortunate to build some trusting relationships with close friends who are also ‘on the adventure’. Compare this to my under-graduate degree where I reckon I read no more than 10-15 books and maybe 40 journals in six years. That didn’t feel like an ‘adventure’ in learning, it was a chore, it was about passing exams and completing assignments. It was full of science, law and engineering, all important in understanding the world we live and work in, but no understanding of people and risk. In other words, compared to my previous studies, with this current post-graduate program, I’ve been doing a lot of critical thinking lately, and I love it!

One of the most important parts of this learning ‘adventure’ is the learning communities that have been created. For example, I was privileged last week to meet with a new Cohort of students who commenced their own learning adventure in the Social Psychology of Risk. I was asked to present a short story on my learning of the past two years. I was pleased to share my story which focused on three key areas:

  • What I used to do (and think was right)
  • What I’ve learned
  • How I go about things now (i.e how do I apply the learning of social psychology of risk in my work)

I also shared a little about my experiences as a study and the key things that I’ve learned over the past few years as a student.

People seem most interested in how I apply my learning to both my work and personal life now. So what are some of the things that I do differently now?

  • I listen a hell of a lot more than I used to. For me safety used to be about ‘telling’, ‘instructing’, ‘policing’ and ‘advising’. Now days, I’d prefer to listen to others, understand whether they know how to deal with risk and support them in discovering things for themselves. The key to this is good quality conversations and a focus on ‘others’ not ‘self’.
  • I look at things with a different lens. While I still see cords on the ground, guards on machines and mobile plant working it’s way through a site, I’m now much more interested in observing and listening to people, understanding them better and supporting them to learn, instead of controlling them in the name of compliance.
  • I think about how different groups work together in an environment. When I used to talk about culture, my definition and understanding were very limited. Now, I’m engaged by organisations to assist them to understand and/or support them in developing their culture so that it becomes more mature and ‘risk savvy’.
  • I take more time to reflect which helps me make sense of things.
  • I engage in community, with friends that I trust, to share and test my learning and ideas.
  • I embrace my own fallibility as a human being, I understand that I’m not perfect and will make mistakes, and I know this is all part of learning.
  • I read, explore ideas and think more critically. I don’t accept simple answers and ‘pyramids’ as the solutions to complex and challenging problems. If a problem is complex, I now understand that the solution (if there is one) is probably complex too.
  • I understand ‘wicked problems’ as ones that can only be tackled, rather than solved.
  • I feel liberated and free that I don’t need to know everything and that I have a lot more to learn. This allows me to be more humble and support others to learn too.

These are just some of the key things that I do differently.

For those who are interested in my presentation to the students last week, I’ve attached my slides from the presentation. I’m happy to share this learning with everyone as I know that will help my learning too.

I’ve been fortunate to travel on this exciting adventure over the past two years, and I have no intention of ‘getting off the ride’.

When you open your mind to learning, ‘unlearning’ and to a new and different way of thinking, it can be refreshing, liberating and motivating.

Is there anything that you could ‘unlearn’ and open your mind to so that you can see the world through a new lens?