The essentials for a just and fair culture

You have no doubt already heard phrases such as ‘I knew it’ or ‘That doesn’t surprise me’ when an incident or accident occurs. They are typical in environments where organisational silence has taken hold. The information is there and readily available, but it is not reported upwards through the chain of command. How can an organisation improve safety when decision-makers do not (really) know what is happening at the sharp end? 
 

A just and fair culture is, among other things, a lever for improving an organisation’s culture of transparency, a core attribute of an effective safety culture. We have been working on the topic for several years, and we regularly support our members in their related efforts. Our focus on this is no coincidence: the safety culture assessments we have been conducting for over 15 years show that this area often requires significant improvement. A just and fair culture may seem straightforward on paper, but it is complex to implement. It requires work on the fundamentals of the organisation’s culture, its values and its continuous improvement processes. 

With these Essentials, we aim to provide practical keys to understanding, along with a synthesis of our knowledge 
and experience. We hope you will find them valuable. 

| Contents |

What is a just and fair culture?

Fostering open dialogue to improve safety

• Combating organisational silence
• Reporting information and learning from it

Building a just and fair culture

• Understanding different behaviours and acknowledging the right to make mistakes
• Recognising and reinforcing positive contributions
• Establishing fundamental rules and enforcing red lines
• Responding approprately and consistently to undesirable events

Driving the change

• 5 levers for success