A Thoughtful Safety Program Won’t Save a Thoughtless Culture

As Vice President of US Business Development at Denison Consulting, Jay Richards brings a wealth of experience and insight into the intricate relationship between culture and organizational performance. For 20 years, Jay has worked with manufacturing firms to improve their culture and leadership. Denison Consulting has a rich history of working with 8,000 clients and 5 million survey participants over 25 years, providing them with global expertise in culture and performance. Read three takeaways from Jay’s recent article, published in IndustryWeek, below.

Three Main Takeaways from Jay Richards on Navigating Plant Safety

1. Organizational Culture’s Critical Role: The success of safety initiatives in a plant is significantly influenced by the organizational culture. A strong, positive culture impacts various key performance indicators (KPIs) including safety, turnover, quality, and production. Facilities with top-quartile cultures have markedly fewer lost-time accidents and recordable incidents compared to those with poor cultures.
2. Leadership and Culture Alignment: Effective leadership is essential for cultivating a positive safety culture. The alignment between managers’ and employees’ perceptions of safety plays a crucial role. Top-performing facilities often have leaders who practice what they preach, are approachable, and foster an environment where safety is a shared value and responsibility.
3. Investment in Leadership Development: For a sustainable cultural transformation, particularly in safety, there must be a focus on developing leadership at all levels. This involves more than just managerial training; it requires true leadership development that enhances people skills. Organizations that actively nurture and develop their leaders tend to have stronger cultures and better overall performance.