Enhancing Workplace Safety with Organizational Lenses (Part 2)

In our previous newsletter, we delved into the concept of High-Reliability Organization (HRO) and its role as a valuable framework for self-assessment of safety practices, aiming for continuous improvement. Today, we extend our exploration to another critical lens: Human and Organizational Performance (HOP). 

Join us as we delve deeper into this dynamic approach in our quest for safety excellence.

What is Human and Organizational Performance (HOP)?

Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) has garnered significant attention among organizations seeking to enhance safety performance. This approach focuses on creating organizations capable of tolerating human errors without resulting in serious injuries or fatalities (SIFs). HOP fosters a culture of continuous learning, where failures and successes are equally valued for the insights they provide. 

HOP acknowledges that human errors are inherent as well as inevitable and emphasizes the role of better organizational processes and systems in influencing employee behavior and outcomes. By systematically analyzing mistakes, HOP enables organizations to develop resilient systems that mitigate the likelihood of errors and promote safety.

5 Key Principles of HOPs

At the heart of Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) lie guiding principles developed by Dr. Todd Conklin, influencing how organizations think, act, and handle failure. These principles reshape how success is perceived, promoting a culture of learning and adaptability. The five principles are:

People make errors

The first principle advocates that it must be acknowledged that all employees are humans and that humans make mistakes. Recognizing human fallibility is crucial in fostering a safety-oriented culture. Instead of demonizing mistakes, organizations should acknowledge them as inherent to the human experience and recognize that it is inevitable because ‘errors are not a choice’. 

This shift from a zero-error mindset to a zero-harm approach emphasizes creating systems that can withstand errors without catastrophic consequences (serious injuries or fatalities). By embracing the inevitability of human error, organizations can prioritize mitigating harm and foster a culture wherein employees can ‘fail safely’.

Blame fixes nothing

Blame serves no constructive purpose in improving safety outcomes. Rather than scapegoating individuals, organizations must focus on systemic factors contributing to incidents. Blame inhibits communication, stifles learning, and impedes progress. 

By shifting away from blame, organizations create an environment where employees feel empowered to share information, learn from mistakes, and collectively work towards safety improvements. This cultural shift enables a more robust understanding of safety challenges and encourages proactive measures to address underlying issues.

Learning is Vital

Learning is not confined to post-incident analysis but extends to everyday work practices. By prioritizing continuous learning, organizations move beyond reactive responses to proactive initiatives aimed at understanding and addressing potential risks. This involves analyzing both successes and failures to identify patterns, improve processes, and foster innovation. 

By leveraging insights gained from everyday experiences, organizations can enhance their resilience, adaptability, and overall safety performance in dynamic work environments.

Context Drives Behavior

Individual decisions are influenced by various contextual factors within the organization. No employee enters a workplace with the preset intention of causing harm to oneself or others. 

By understanding the situational pressures, constraints, and incentives that shape behavior, organizations can effectively address underlying issues and promote safer practices. 

Adopting an empathetic and curious approach allows leaders to gain valuable insights into why certain decisions were made and how to mitigate risks effectively. This understanding helps in designing systems and processes that align with human capabilities and encourage safe behaviors in diverse work settings.

How you Respond to Failure Matters

The response to failure significantly impacts organizational culture and safety outcomes. Reactive responses rooted in blame and judgment hinder learning opportunities and perpetuate a culture of fear. Conversely, proactive and constructive responses focused on learning and improvement foster trust, accountability, and collaboration. 

By managing responses to failure with empathy and resilience, organizations create an environment where individuals feel supported in reporting errors, sharing lessons learned, and collectively working towards safety excellence. This shift from reaction to response enables organizations to capitalize on failures as valuable learning opportunities, ultimately driving continuous improvement and enhancing safety performance.

How can this Enhance Workplace Safety?

• By adopting HOP as a lens, organizations can evaluate their approach to employee errors and responses. If negative, they can utilize HOP principles to reshape culture and processes, prioritizing error prevention and creating a safer environment to mitigate adverse outcomes.
• HOP facilitates reviewing both black lines (SOPs, organizational policies) and blue lines (actual work practices). Understanding discrepancies between the two enables safety professionals to identify areas where adjustments are made to meet production demands, potentially leading to errors.
• HOP encourages a proactive stance towards safety, emphasizing continuous learning and improvement. By fostering a culture where errors are seen as opportunities for growth rather than blame, organizations can develop resilient systems and practices that enhance safety performance.
• Through HOP, organizations gain insights into the complex interplay between human behavior, organizational culture, and system performance. This holistic understanding allows for targeted interventions to address underlying issues, optimize processes, and promote a safer work environment for all employees.

Resources

• HOP - The 5 Principles in Action

• Human and Organizational Performance: An Overview

• Human & Organizational Performance: (HOP) A Path to Improvement for All Organizations