What it takes to become a learning organisation?
I have been told on many occasions that people don’t speak up, they hide, manipulate and even lie to their bosses when things go wrong. Here’s a picture of a woman praying in a temple that caught my eyes while in India. What is she doing and why does it matter to attend to her […]
Why faith in root cause is not so different from faith in Faith
A week ago, I published a blog on why just culture is a flawed concept. If you didn’t have a chance to read through it, here is an overview. During an investigation, I interviewed a forklift driver who had hurt his leg. I asked him, ‘Khalid, what have you learned from the accident?’ His response […]
Is root cause analysis much different from witch-hunt?
For the last six years I have been conducting several workshops on Learning from Accidents, and I’ve noticed all sorts of questions. Here’s one from a ship manager who caught me as I was finishing a session on the Costa Concordia accident. “Tell me honestly, okay”, he said, “was a breath analysis test done on […]
Are you surrounded by emojis?
I just came off a conversation with a very wise person from Ireland. Alan works in the fishing industry and travels extensively around the globe. Someone from the Ugandan fishing community shared this picture with Alan. Alan then reshared the picture with one of his friends in the village and Patrick’s immediate reaction was, […]
Why DEI caused an accident? Understanding Trump’s reaction to the Washington mid-air Collision
In less than 12 hours, the president of United States appears on the press and turns an ambiguous situation into a simple narrative. It’s the incompetence of people who were hired for their skin colour, sex, caste, creed and physiology. DEI (diversity, equality and inclusion) caused the Washington midair collision. How did […]
Why faith matters for managing risk?
Take the first step in faith Do not look at the full staircase. Just take the first step. Martin Luther King Jr. Returning home from the UK Chamber of Shipping Conference where I met some old friends and had a wonderful evening and some stimulating conversations about #safetyculture. As I […]