Preventing a catastrophic event from happening at work is sometimes beyond the control of front-line workers.
…Important causes of some major events are set into motion far earlier, based on the decisions made by leaders throughout the organization.
…Humans often don’t realize the downstream impact of their decisions or actions. These effects are hard to see, because they’re usually delayed.
…Sometimes the effects of leaders’ decision-making come several weeks or months after the decision has been made.
…Sometimes the chain reaction caused by a leader’s decision doesn’t get recognized as directly related to the decision.
…Sometimes all of their responsibilities and hours worked cloud the way that leaders perceive their own influence.
The reality is that even with all the training and resources in the world, workers can’t overcome a leader who is short-sighted in their process safety strategy. Leaders often have the power to make critically important choices related to the priorities of a workplace.
…do we prioritize meeting our production targets on time, even if we take some safety shortcuts?
…do we ask front-line employees to fix things themselves before asking for help, even if they might not be trained to do so?
…do we assume that everything is stable and in working order if we don’t hear otherwise?
Safety is not just an engineering problem – it relies on the behavior of everyone in an organization. That’s why understanding behavioral science can help you be a more effective leader.
Being a leader can be uniquely challenging, but it also allows us to make a huge impact if we choose to make decisions based in evidence-supported behavioral science. The stakes are too high not to understand what causes people to do what they do.
My colleagues Dr. Nicole Gravina, Bob Cummins, and I wrote a scientific journal article on this topic. Feel free to give it a read here.
