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Transformingasafetycultureisaprocess,notaprogram.Whentheprocessisundertakensystematicallyandwithauthenticcommitment–inorganizationslargeorsmall,enterprise-wideorinindividuallocations--qualitativechangeproducesdramaticmeasurableimprovements.Theprocesshasyieldedoutstandingresults:

• TheGeneralMotorssafetyculturechangeprocessstartedin1994.From1994to2008,totalrecordableandlost-timeinjuryrateswerereducedbymorethan95%.

• NewJersey’sstate-wideutility,PSE&G,embarkeduponasystematicsafety

culturejourneyin1999.Overthenexttenyears,itsrecordableratedroppedto1.41anditslost-timecaserateto.33.

CasestudiesofhowGeneralMotorsandPSE&Gaccomplishedtheseresultswillfollow.Transformingasafetycultureisnotlikedesigningandthenimplementingasafetyprogram.Changingtheculturemeanschangingnorms,assumptionsandperceptions,notjustbehavior,andnotjustpolicies,procedures,training,andequipment.Andtheprocesstakesyears,notmonths.Withtherighttoolsandsomepatience,theculturechangeprocessisamanageablesequenceofconcreteactivities.Butbeforewetalkabouthowtomakechangehappen,wehavetobeclearonwhatcultureis.WHATISASAFETYCULTURE?Everyorganizationhasasafetyculture.Culturemattersbecauseitstronglyinfluenceshowwethink,whatwefeel,andhowwebehave.Aformaldefinitionofcultureisthesetofbasicassumptions,perceptions,values,andbeliefsagroupmakesabouttheirrealityintheirparticularuniverse.Aninformaldefinitionofcultureis“whathappenswhennooneiswatching.”Willanemployeeavoidwearingprotectiveeyewearifnooneisaround?Willasupervisorpencil-whiptheend-of-the-monthsafetyauditifhedoesitalone?Thereareatleasttwothingsyouhavetoknowaboutculture.

1. Themostimportantpartofasafetycultureisthepartyoucan’tsee;that’swheretheculturalhazardsare.

Culturecanbecomparedtoaniceberg,withonlytenpercentofitsmassvisibleabovethewater.Behavioristhevisiblepart.Theinvisibleculture–theother90percentoftheiceberg--consistsofthenormsandassumptions(unspokenrulesorbeliefs)thatguideeveryone’sbehavior.Theseareknownonlyto“insiders”oftheculture.

TransformingYourSafetyCultureHowYouCanStarttoMakeItHappen

ByStevenI.Simon,Ph.D.President,CultureChangeConsultants,Inc.

TheCultureIceberg®

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Itisthat90percent,thatunwrittencodeofbehavior,thatcuesusastohowtoanswerquestionslike:Howsafeissafeenough?Isitokaytoremindsomeonetowearahardhat,orwouldthatresultinbeingtoldtomindyourownbusiness?Shouldwerushtomeetthisdeadline,orisitokaytostopandtakesafetyprecautions?Wedistinguishbetweenvisibleandinvisibleculturebecausechangeintheinvisibleculture(changeinbasicassumptionsandnorms)iswhatbringsaboutlong-lastingchangeinbehavior.Behaviorchangewithoutanunderlyingculturechangewillnotlast.Whichbringsusto:2. Yoursafetyprogramisnotyoursafetyculture.Yoursafetycultureisthecontextin

whichyoucarryoutyoursafetyprogram.Inordertoimpactbehaviorinasustainedway,thepartofculturethatneedstobefundamentallychangedarethoseunderlyingassumptionsandbeliefs,notthepoliciesandprocedures.Thatisbecausethesharednormsandassumptionsunderlyingthespecificpoliciesandproceduresarewhatactuallyinfluencebehavior.Typically,groupsresistchangingtheirfundamentalassumptions.Ourassumptionsstabilizeourworldseveniftheyarewrong.Sogivingthemupoftenmeansdealingwithanxietyuntilnewonestakeroot.Butanxietyisdisruptive:wehavedifficultyconcentratingonprimarytaskswhileassumptionsareintransition.Itisnot,then,surprisingthatweresistchange.Changingprofoundindividualandorganizationalassumptionsis,however,theworkoftrulytransformingasafetyculture.

Toachievesafetyexcellencetakesbothagoodsafetyprogramandagoodsafetyculture.It’satwo-factortheory:havinggoodsafetyprogramsaloneisnotenough.Weusetheanalogyofastewanditsbrothtoexplaintherelationshipbetweensafetyprogramsandsafetyculture:theprogramsaretheingredients(themeatandthevegetables)andthecultureisthebroth.

TheStew&BrothAnalogy™

Apositivesafetycultureorwholesomebrothischaracterizedbyfactorssuchascaring,leadership,trust,visibilityandintegrity;itbringsoutthebestinthesafetyprogramcomponents.Butinanegativecultureorrancidbroththeprogramswillproducepoorresults,becausetheycannotmakeupontheirownforunderlyingdoublestandards,lackofcaring,lowmanagementvisibility,mistrust,prioritizationofproductiondeadlinesorfocusonnumbersinsteadofpeople.Ifsomeofthoseunderlyingelementssoundfamiliar,thenit’stimetoimproveyourbroth.Whatneedstobeaddedtoyourstomakesurepeoplegohomesafeattheendoftheday,toshapeupyoursafetyculture?Addressingthatinquiryisagame-changingproposition:theleadersoftheorganizationneedtospendasmucheffortworkingtheculturesideofsafety,thesoftside,astheydoenactingthesafetyprogram,thehardside.

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WHATISYOURSAFETYCULTURE?–THECULTUREASSESSMENTBeforeundertakingtotransformagivensafetyculture,itisimperativetounderstandit.Theprincipleis“Diagnosebeforeyouprescribe.”Don’ttamperwiththecultureuntilyoufindoutwhatitsstrengthsandweaknessesare.TheusualvehicleforunderstandingthestrengthsandweaknessesofasafetycultureisaCultureAssessment.Whendoneproperly,aSafetyCultureAssessmentismuchmorethanjustanothermeasurementtool;itisaresourceforlaunchingsuccessfulculturechange.Thecultureassessmentprocessthatbecomesacatalystfororganizationaltransformationisnottobeconfusedwiththepopular,off-the-shelfproductreferredtoasthe“cultureperceptionsurvey.”Perceptionsurveysmerelyscratchthesurfaceofanorganization’sculture:thequantitativedatatheyyield,whilemeaningful,cannotstandalone.Onlythroughtalkingtothe“membersofthetribe”directlyisitpossibletounderstandwhysomeperceptionsurveyscoresarehigh,whysomearelow,andwhytherearesignificantdiscrepanciesamongothers.Thiskindofdialogueistypicallyachievedthroughone-on-oneinterviewsaswellasinfocusgroupsoffourtosixpeople,conductedinalldepartmentsandatalllevels.Interviewsandfocusgroupswithanorganization’sownemployeesprovidethequalitativecontextnecessaryforproperinterpretationofthequantitativedatafromperceptionsurveys.

Inorderfortheassessmenttobetrulytransformative,quantitativeandqualitativefindingsaboutthesafetyculturemustbeconsolidatedandpresented,andnottothesafetydepartmentalonebuttoanorganization-wideleadershipgroupthatwill“own”them.Anorganization’swillingnesstoholdamirroruptoitsstrengthsandtoareasthatneedimprovementisoftenexperiencedasasignificantemotionalevent.Themotivationfor,andmomentumof,suchself-reflectioncantriggerastrongchangeimpulseincompanieswherepreviousattemptstoovercomeinertiahavefailed.Inkeepingwiththatidentifiableemotionalcomponentoftheimpulsetocreateandsustainchange,thefindingsofacultureassessmenthaveoptimumtransformativepowerwhenpresentedinalivefeedbacksession.In-personsharingoftheresultshelpstovalidatetheassessmentfindingsbyfacilitatingagreementonthenatureofthebaselinesafetyculture(“Yes.That’sus.Thebabymaybeuglybuthe’sours”);also,itmaximizesopportunitiesforhonestself-examinationandinformedcommitmenttochange.Insum,afeedbacksessionwithmanagementpersonnel,unionleadership,andinformalleadersoftheorganizationisaninvaluablejumpingoffpointforthecollaborativeactionnecessarytoeffectapositivesafetyculturechange.

TheCCCSafetyCultureAssessment®

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HOWDOYOUTRANSFORMYOURSAFETYCULTURE?Thecultureassessmentispartoftheoverallchangeprocess.Onceyourassessmenttellsyouwhatyouneedtoknowaboutyourorganization’ssafetyculture–yourrelevantstrengthsandweaknesses–thenyou’rereadytotargetareasthatneedimprovement.Whetheryou’retryingtobringaboutchangeattheenterprise-widelevel,throughoutanentirebusinessunit,atasinglesite,orinaparticulardepartment,fourprinciplesmustbeheeded:

1. Engageuppermanagement,middlemanagementandfront-lineworkers;engagethemagain,andagain,andagain.

2. Eachsafetycultureandeachsub-cultureisunique;solutionsneedtobetailoredtotheneedsofeachculture.

3. Ifthemantraforrealestateislocation/location/location,thenthebywordforculturechangeisleadership/leadership/leadership.

4. It’snotokaytodeclare“missionaccomplished”untilsafetyculturechangeisownedanddrivenbyboththetopleadersandthegrassrootsworkingtogether.

Twocasestudieswillillustratethislastprinciple.CaseStudyI:Enterprise-Wide:Top-DownModel–GeneralMotors

In1994,GeneralMotorssetouttotransformthesafetycultureforallitsNorthAmericaoperations,atthetimecomprising160manufacturingplantsandseveralhundredthousandemployees.SafetyculturechangeatGeneralMotorsstartedatthetopandworkeditswaydownward.Anyotherapproachwouldhavegoneagainstcompanystructure,styleandculture,therefore,makingsuccessfulchangelessviable.The

cascadingimplementationwassystematicandtransparent:EngagingSeniorLeadership.GeneralMotorsleadership(theManufacturingManagersCouncilorMMC)wiselyadoptedthepositionthatsincetheircultureisshapedbytopleadership,theirowntop-of-the-housesafetyculturehadtobethefirsttochange.Infact,theyrecognizedthattheireffortswouldstall,or,worse,beregardedbyemployeesaslipserviceunlessanduntiltopmanagementexecutiveswerevisiblyperceivedasleadingthetransformation.Transformingthemselvesmeantstartingbytakingtimetolookinthemirrorattheirownindividualleadershipbehavior.Theydidthisinafull-dayworkshopexclusivelyforthemselves,theseniormanufacturingmanagers,toassessandtransformtheirroleandbehaviorinthesafetyprocess.

DedicatingInfrastructure.Managingalarge-scale,long-termorganizationalsafetycultureprocessrequiresadedicatedinfrastructureforchange.TheMMCrecognizedthisneedandcharteredaseriesoftransitionaltaskforces,calledCultureTransitionTeams,toidentifyactivitiestohelpthemmoveforwardonacontinuingbasis.TheCultureTransitionTeamsdraftedablueprintforculturechange

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thatengagedsuccessivelayersofmanagementandemployees,oneatatime,slowlyandinsequence,cascadingdownwardfromplantleadershipthroughsupervisionandultimatelytohourlyworkers.

TrainingLeaders.ThisblueprintwasstructuredinarecommendationaskingtheMMCtoauthorizetwoseparatesafetyleadershiptrainingcourses:onefortheplants’top-tiermanagersandunionofficials(whichwasdeliveredduringYearsTwoandThreeofthesafetycultureprocessatallmanufacturingsites);andoneforsupervisorsandunionsafetycommitteepersons,conductedinthesameplantsforthenexttierduringYearsThreeandFour--afterthetoptierhadstartedtoapplythelessonsoftheirtraining.AjointteamconsistingofUAWrepresentativesandGMsafetyprofessionalsparticipatedinthedevelopmentofbothcourses.EngagingPlantLeadership.AtGeneralMotors,plantleadershipmeantagroupcalledTheKeyFour:theplantmanager,thehumanresourcesmanagerandtwotopunionofficialsateachfacility.Theystressedthatsafetywastobemanagement’shighestpriority—aboveproduction,quality,costandschedule–andthatleaderswereexpectedtomodelbehaviorthatshowedthatsafetywastheirhighestconcern.Theyemphasizedtheneedtorealizethatitwaspossibletorunanaccident-freeplantthroughcaringaboutpeople,notjustthroughcompliance.Theyweretoaddressunsafeactsorconditionsimmediately.Ultimately,theywereresponsibleforthesafetyofthemselvesandthosewhoworkedforandaroundthem.Plantsafetyleadershiptrainingalsoincludedareamanagersanddepartmentheads;afactorcriticaltoitssuccesswasthateveryclasswaslaunchedbyamemberofseniormanagement.EngagingSupervisors.Theplantleadershipclasswasdevelopedbyanoutsideconsultantgroup.Butwhenitcametoplanningthesafetyleadershiptrainingcourseforplantsupervisorsandunionsafetycommitteepersons,thedecisionwasmadetodevelopandteachitinternally.Justaseachoftheplantmanagementclasseswaslaunchedbyamemberofseniormanagement,soalsoeachsupervisory/unionsafetycommitteepersonclasswasinturnlaunchedbyplantmanagement.Thatcommitmentcementedtheplantleadership’sstakeinchangingthesafetyculture;atthesameitensuredcredibilitywiththeparticipants.EngagingtheGrassroots.Overthepastfourteenyearsoftheculturechangeprocess,GMandtheUAWworkedtogethertoreduceseriousinjuriesandOSHArecordablesbyover95%percent.Whataccountsforthissustainedimprovement?Inthebeginning,itwascertainlytopleadership’sferventcommitment.Whatcontinuedtodriveitbeyondthetop?Earlysuccessesencouragedthemtocascadetheprocessthroughtheranks.Thecompanyanditsunionsthereafterworkedtogethertocreatefourteenstraightyearsofcontinuousimprovement,andsafetyperformancenumberstodayrivalandinsomecasessurpassthoseofthegreatcompaniesthatwerebenchmarkedin1994.Asaresult,whenitcomestosafety,managementandemployeesnowworkwithacommonpurposetowardacommongoal—aninjury-freesafetyculture.

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CaseStudyII:Site-Specific–Grassroots-Led/Management-SupportedModel–PSE&G

WhenNewJersey’sPublicServiceElectricandGasembarkedonajourneytotransformthesafetyculture,PSE&Gaddressedaseriesofquestions,eachreflectingakeyissueinbuildingapositivesafetyculture.

First,whatisthescopeofthesafetyculturechangeprocess?System-wideorsite-by-site?Initially,PSE&Gmanagementadvocatedforautility-wideculturechange.Butrecognizingtheimportanceofitsmanydifferentsite-specificsubcultures,eachwithdifferentneeds,managementdecidedtoadoptanimplementationstrategyofgoingthroughtheorganization“village-by-village,”customizinginterventionstofiteachindividualsite.Second,howwilltheorganizationdrivethechange?Fromthetopdown,fromthebottomup,orinhybridfashion?Inkeepingwiththeprincipleofmatchingtheculturechangestrategytothemanagementstyleoftheorganization,thestrategyPSE&Gadoptedwas“grassroots-led,management-supported.”PSE&Gwantedtodrivethesafetyculturechangeprocessthroughgrassrootsleadershipbecausetheyhadrecentlyreconfiguredtheirsafetycouncilsoitwasbasedonahigherdegreeofemployeeinvolvement.Butinasmuchasculturechangedrivenbythegrassrootscannotrealisticallybeaccomplishedwithoutsupportfrommanagement,thedecisionwasmadethatitwasvitaltoenlistsafetycultureleadersfrommanagementranksaswell.

Third,howwillgrassrootsleadersbeengaged?Byempoweringthem.TheexistingLocalSafetyCouncilswerestructuredsothatbargainingunitassociatesleadthem.Thesegrassrootsleadersalllearnedhowtoconducteffectiveteammeetings,howtoelicitsafetyconcernsfromtheirconstituentareas,andhowtotapsupervisoryandprofessionalsupport.Theradicalgoalofinstitutionalizingactiveparticipationinsafety,ofinvolvingeverymemberoftheworkforceinthinkingaboutsafetyforhis/herselfandco-workers,ofsteppingforwardtosuggestimprovements,dovetailedpreciselywiththefoundationofanenduringgrassrootssafetyculturechange,andthatisempoweringtheworkers.Empowermentisnotabouttitlesandcharters;itisaboutbestowingrealdecision-makingpoweronindividualswhopreviouslyhadlittleornone.Fourth,howwillmanagementsupportthesafetyculturechangeprocess?Whatisitsroleinthe“grassroots-led,management-supported”approach?Thetimeandattentionofbothmanagersandsupervisorshadbeentakenup“managing”thesafetyprogramratherthandevotedto“leading”thejourneytosafetyexcellence.Consistentwiththedecisiontodrivetheculturechangejourneyfromboththetopdownandthebottomupsimultaneously,managementatalllevelsdecidedtoacceleratetheirowntransformationintobecomingeffectivesafetycultureleaders.Thismeantinpartlearninghowtocoachandsupportfront-lineworkerstobeeffectiveleadersatthegrassrootslevel.

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INCONCLUSION…Transformingasafetycultureisaprocess.GeneralMotorsandPSE&Garejusttwoexamplesoforganizationsthatbuiltsuccessfulsafetycultures,andasthecasestudiesillustratetheydidsoindifferentways.Asyoudevelopasystematicstrategyconsistentwithyourorganization’scultureandsub-cultures,youwillconfrontthekeyimplementationissuesidentifiedhereforhowtostarttheprocessofbuildingasuccessfulsafetyculture.Howyouactualizetheseprinciplesofculturechangewillreflectyourownapproachandtheuniqueneedsofyourownorganization.Sinceasafetycultureisalivingdynamicthatisconstantlyevolving,itcanalwaysbeimprovedandthejourneytowardexcellenceisalwaysongoing.BIBLIOGRAPHYSchein,E.H.OrganizationalCultureandLeadership(2nded.).SanFrancisco:Jossey-BassPublishers,

Inc.,1992.Simon,S.I.andFrazee,P.“BuildingABetterSafetyVehicle:Leadership-DrivenCultureChangeat

GeneralMotors,”ProfessionalSafety.Jan.2005:36-44.Simon,S.I.andLeik,M.,“BreakingtheSafetyBarrier:ImplementingCultureChangeatGE”

ProfessionalSafety.Mar.1999:20-26.

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MEET THE AUTHOR

STEVEN I. SIMON, Ph.D., President of Culture Change Consultants, Inc., as well as Culture Change International, is a pioneer and nationally recognized leader in guiding companies through successful culture change to improve safety performance. Using the Simon Open System Model™ to analyze influences on organizational culture, Dr. Simon has been designing and implementing culture change processes to reduce injuries in the workplace for the past 30 years.

Employees at GE, MillerCoors, Solar Turbines, General Mills, Consumers Energy, Toyota, Illumina and many more companies have adopted Dr. Simon’s approach of improving safety performance through behavioral and cultural change.

In addition to directing an international consulting practice with major corporations, Dr. Simon is a frequent speaker at the National Safety Congress, ASSE’s Professional Development Conference and company meetings. He co-authored the four-book Grassroots Safety Leadership™ series, a comprehensive guide for implementing organization-wide safety culture change. Dr. Simon is a member of the American Society of Safety Engineers, Safety Executives of New York and is listed in “Who’s Who in the Safety Profession.”

Amongst Dr. Simon’s keynotes include the first ASSE Safety Culture Symposium with his talk: “Transforming Your Safety Culture: You Can Make It Happen.” And, he keynoted the NSC Executive Edge Conference with his presentation on the role of middle management in culture change.

Dr. Simon holds the Ph.D. degree in Clinical Psychology from Harvard University.

Selected Recent Publications Simon, Steven I. and Cistaro, Peter “Powering Up for Safety: Implementing Grassroots-

Led/Management Supported Culture Change at PSE&G,” Professional Safety, April, 2009.

Simon, Steven I. and Frazee, Pat “Building A Better Safety Vehicle: Leadership-Driven Culture Change at General Motors,” Professional Safety, Vol. 50:1, January, 2005.

Simon, Steven I. And Leik, M., “Implementing Culture Change at GE” Professional Safety, Vol. 44:3, March, 1999.

Simon, Steven I. “Achieving the Necessary Culture Change,” Chapter in Safety Through Design, NSC Press, 1999.

Simon, Steven I. “On the Future of the Safety Profession,” Chapter in Safety Management and Safety Culture, NSC Press, 1999.

Simon, Steven I. “The Culture Change Model of Behavioral Safety,” Light Up Safety in the New Millennium: A Behavioral Safety Symposium, (February, 1998): 52 - 62.

Simon, Steven I. “Measurement as a Transformative Tool: The Culture Assessment,” Light Up Safety in the New Millennium: A Behavioral Safety Symposium, (February, 1998): 192 - 207.