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1. How Organizational Culture Drives Safety and Quality
What does safety have to do with quality? More than you
might think, says Andy Evans in this PEX Network
interview. Many of the cultural traits that can be seen in an
organization with a good safety culture are just the traits
that underpin quality improvement, says Evans, Head of
Airworthiness with a major defense contractor. In this
interview, Evans also talks about his work with the world’s
largest helicopter operator, Bristow Group, where he launched and project managed
Bristow’s ‘Target Zero’ cultural change project.
PEX Network: You’ve written quite extensively on the link between safety, culture
and systems. What do we mean when we talk about the “culture” of a business?
Andy Evans: There have been many academic debates over what ‘culture’ is since the
term began to be used in relation to organizations in the early 1980s. ‘Safety culture’
started to become widely used after the International Atomic Energy Authority published
a report that discussed the concept in 1988, following the Chernobyl accident.
One simplistic definition of ‘culture’ is that it’s ‘the way that we do things around here’,
but this can lead to confusion if interpreted simply as being defined by an organization’s
procedures.
In fact, culture is really an attribute of how collective values, beliefs, expectations and
commitments actually affect individual behavior at all levels. Culture is influenced by far
more than just the management system and procedures.
PEX Network: What drives culture? How do you influence it?
Andy Evans: The biggest influence on an organization’s culture is the leadership within
the organization. By this I don’t simply mean the people holding senior positions but
activity of leadership, both by the most senior management and by others.
Management and leadership are fundamentally different activities both generally and in
relation to safety (or quality). Leadership focuses more on people and ultimately
influences their behavior. Management focuses more on analysis, control and scheduling
of resources. It is important to understand that although different, these overlapping
activities are both vital to the successful functioning of any organization.
While managers are appointed, leadership is not linked to one’s position in the
organization.
One of the beliefs at Bristow was that ‘everyone can be a safety leader’ and influence the
safety culture. So one of the main aims was to put that belief into action, to develop a
pro-safety peer pressure and willingness to stand up for safety. As a result of introducing
various safety leadership development and education initiatives was a dramatic and
sustained improvement in Bristow’s already industry leading safety performance.

2. PEX Network: Why do you think culture plays such an important role?
Andy Evans: Culture is such a pervasive influence because it relates to the shared
understandings and common behaviors across the people in an organization. As a result
it can have an often unconscious effect on people’s actions and decisions.
PEX Network: Where do management systems and processes fit in?
Andy Evans: The activity of leadership (influencing culture, teamwork and individuals)
will have a limited benefit unless it is supported by management activity (developing
strategy, setting goals and managing tasks).
Management systems and procedures should be influenced by an organization’s culture.
An organization whose culture values responsive customer service, for example, should
in particular ensure that this is an aspect of their processes that is continually being
optimized.
Management systems and procedures can also have an effect on the culture, though not
as powerfully as leadership behavior. For example, having a clear and simple way to
report safety concerns will help encourage reporting safety issues be an accepted norm.
In contrast, a cumbersome and time consuming system not only discourages reporting
but sends the message that such reports aren’t really valued.
Good leadership can also make the difference when making changes to management
systems and processes. Often when such changes fail it is because the human element
was not full considered and the organization’s culture effectively resists the change.
PEX Network: What role does organizational culture play in terms of safety?
Andy Evans: The key to managing safety is to identify hazards and control the
associated risk before a loss occurs. The full involvement of an alert and mindful
workforce, unafraid to raise concerns, suggest improvements and be assertive in
avoiding unacceptable risks is vital. A positive safety culture welcomes this behavior, so
that individuals encourage each other and the safety culture in fact becomes stronger.
Culture also has a major influence on what level of risk people are prepared to accept.
Sadly there remain organizations with a pathological safety culture who, at best simply
begrudgingly comply with the minima of regulation and at worst connive not to get caught
when they operate outside the regulations.
PEX Network: How does a focus on safety culture help to drive quality
improvement?
Andy Evans: Many of the cultural traits that can be seen in an organization with a good
safety culture (the willingness to be alert, question the status quo, report, learn, improve
etc…) are just the traits that underpin quality improvement. In fact in recent years
Bristow’s Target Zero initiative has successfully expanded to drive wider quality benefits.

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