Managing change in an organization ’ s culture is outside many people ’ s comfort zone . It was certainly outside mine when I started to study change strategies . After some research , I learned there are several “ easier said than done ” steps to affect any change in an organization . Getting started is one of the most difficult steps .
Culturing Our Safety Culture
Changing the Safety Culture of an Industry
By Steve Lemon
Editor ’ s Note : The views expressed are the author ’ s own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Event Safety Alliance .
Managing change in an organization ’ s culture is outside many people ’ s comfort zone . It was certainly outside mine when I started to study change strategies . After some research , I learned there are several “ easier said than done ” steps to affect any change in an organization . Getting started is one of the most difficult steps .
There are many good resources on change management , some are referenced in this article . As with most things we do , the likelihood of achieving successful change is tied to advance preparation and planning and that was the genesis for this article . My goal is to introduce the reader to ‘ change management ’ and inspire them to research what will work for their organization so they can get start or restart their own safety program .
Boiled down , here is the most basic process for cultural change : begin the process , build on that beginning , manage the process by continuing to update and maintain the process . Simple !
Except , it ’ s not simple . It is a struggle for even the most experienced change managers because no two organizations or change strategies are the same . Every change strategy must be tailored to each organization based on the circumstances at hand .
If you feel you don ’ t even know where to begin or your process is stalled , you are not alone . This article will introduce you to steps you can take so you can create a process or help you dislodge your stalled safety program . Be aware that managing change can take a lot of time . To expedite results , everyone in the organization must be willing to accept and buy into the program . More on buy-in later .
We work in a “ here today , gone later today ” industry . We want to see results now , not in five or ten years . I think most of us agree that in ten years , our industry ’ s safety culture should improve significantly . I would add that our work will likely need to continue indefinitely . Based on comparisons to others in similar circumstances , I will suggest if history can teach us anything , it is that in ten years and beyond we will still be having many of the same fundamental conversations about event safety we are now .
Regardless of evidence supporting the importance safety in
28 our industry , there will always be factors that influence people to disregard what they know is right and place themselves and others in harm ’ s way . These influences often come in the form of requests from leadership or pressure from peers , and for many can be very hard to push back on . Many good , experienced people do unwise things out of fear of retaliation , such as not being hired again .
In the term “ safety culture ”, the word “ culture ” is used as a noun , as in , “ the behaviors and belief characteristics of a particular social , ethnic , or age group ”. I propose we also consider using the word “ culture ” as a verb , as in , “ to maintain an organism in conditions suitable for growth ”. We need to “ culture our safety culture ”.
Safety cultures consist of shared beliefs , practices , and attitudes that exist in an organization . Culture is the atmosphere created by those beliefs , attitudes , etc . which shape our behavior . An organization ’ s safety culture is the result of several factors , such as :
• Management and employee norms , assumptions and beliefs
• Management and employee attitudes
• Values , myths , stories
• Policies and procedures
• Supervisor priorities , responsibilities and accountability
• Production and bottom line pressures vs . quality issues
• Actions or lack of action to correct unsafe behaviors
• Employee training and motivation , and
• Employee involvement or “ buy-in ” ( USDOL , 1970 )
Culturing Our Safety Culture
A major challenge to changing safety culture for many organizations in the live event industry is you can ’ t change something that doesn ’ t exist . The below may partially explain why we are resistant to change .
Organizational culture frequently echoes the prevailing management style . Since managers tend to hire people just like themselves , the established organizational culture is reinforced by new hires . Organizational culture grows over time . People are comfortable with the current culture . For people to consider culture change , usually a significant event must