All information meetings are scheduled and structured to stroke critical safety information up or down the organization . Honest answers are the norm. There is a universal trust and respect for the equitable manner in which justice is administered throughout the org. Failure is seen as a form of learning. The org adopts improvements and drops ineffective or inefficient practices.
Staff have faith in their future and that of their leaders and their organization.
How organizations manage information is a key determinant of their cultural health, says Eastern Michigan University Professor Ron Westrum. Pathological organizations hide info, shoot messengers, shirk responsibility, discourage bridging, cover up failure and crush new ideas. Healthy organizations seek information, train messengers, accept responsibility, reward bridging, inquire into failures, and welcome new ideas. Murphy thanks his former Transport Canada - Central Region Communication Corrective Action Team, lead by Larry Wright, for finding these pearls and sharing them with us. Recommended Reading for Risk Managers Managing the Risks of Organizational Accidents , by James Reason.