Embracing Differences

In this podcast, a world-renowned safety scientist and expert in human factors shares his research and experience about the role of psychological confidence in organizational learning. Psychological confidence, unlike psychological safety, is an emerging concept in safety sciences. What makes this concept unique, and more importantly, how does it improve the quality of learning from accidents. Listen to this discussion to learn more.

There are 3 basic systems in the real world: complex, chaotic, and order. The first two are natural. As humans, we prefer stability,  certainty, predictability and thus have created an order system by imposing policies, standards, structures, rules, best practices, etc. In this podcast, Gary Wong helps us understand the power of embracing differences when working in complex and ordered systems. The Cynefin Framework is introduced to show that how you make decisions and act depends on the context and the system you currently are in.

Clive F. Lloyd, a clinically trained psychologist and author of 'Next Generation Safety Leadership', dives into the crucial role of empathy in leadership. He shares insights on how genuine care for employees fosters trust and organizational success. Topics include the need for a compassionate approach in high-risk industries, the psychological impacts of trauma on workers, and the importance of challenging masculine norms to promote emotional vulnerability. Clive highlights that prioritizing emotional intelligence in leadership can transform workplace cultures and enhance safety.

This podcast is a discussion about social anthropology with maritime anthropologist Dr. Adrienne Mannov. When confronted with the unfamiliar, how do we react and what do we do? In most instances, we discard the unfamiliar and label it as strange, even uncivilized, or primitive when it does not match with our own experiences, norms, values, and beliefs. In so doing we create divisive societies and polarized opinions. Social anthropology helps us understand the unfamiliar by looking at deeper patterns that define who we are as human beings, bridge our differences and connect us with one another as one human race. Listen to the podcast to learn more.

Container ships have become the hallmark of globalization and free trade. In the last two decades, there has been an exponential increase in both the size and cargo-carrying capacity of container ships. The economists argue that the increase in size is justified because of the efficiency gains and scale economies that these giant ships now offer. But at the same time, a series of accidents at sea including the recent grounding of the Ever Given has led many experts to question the assumptions behind the increase in ship size. In this episode, Jan Hoffman from UNCTAD helps us understand the economic imperatives behind the increase in ship sizes and its implications for safety and resilience. Is bigger really better? Find out by listening to this podcast.

In this episode, Dr Kristine Storkensen from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and I discuss our concerns about the increased level of audits that run counter to the intention of managing safety. Kristine suggests that we as a society may gain by reconsidering our approach to audits i.e., through decreased auditability and increased value of un-auditable activities. To unlock the full potential for safety management with practical procedures, thus, may require an audit implosion. Regulators, companies, and operational personnel may benefit by safety measures that are less concerned with auditability and more focused on the safety itself.

What do you do when someone gets injured at work? Do you think about the paperwork that should follow or do you genuinely care about attending to the needs of the person who is hurt? In this episode, Dr Robert Long, an internationally renowned social psychologist takes us on an intellectual journey to understand the importance of Care ethics in safety and risk. At the core of Care Ethics is the morality of personhood, community, care and helping. Dr Long warns us that the safety industry is known for its ideology of zero which locks it into counting, mechanics, regulation and policing, all common to a Masculinist Ethic. As such, it loses out on attending to the most basic human need for care and compassion.

In an insightful conversation, Amy Edmondson, Novartis Professor of Leadership at Harvard Business School, examines the complexities of psychological safety in the workplace. She challenges the simplistic narrative that fear of abusive bosses is the main reason employees stay silent. Amy delves into issues of trust and competence, using case studies like the Costa Concordia disaster to illustrate how systemic problems and hierarchical structures hinder open communication. Her perspective reveals the deeper reasons behind worker silence, emphasizing the need for an environment that fosters transparency and learning.

In this podcast, I am joined by Nick Little, Head of School from the International School of Aberdeen. Together we explore what it means to create a learning organisation by drawing upon the example of schools. On the face of it, it should be obvious that schools are a learning organisation but as we delve deep into the topic, we will find out that this is not always the case. Part of the problem, as we discuss in this podcast, is the way in which staff performance is understood and measured in the schools which in turn undermines the ethos of learning and learning organisations. How do we change that? Find out more in this podcast.

What does it take for a mega-size container ship to pass through the Suez Canal? This podcast draws upon the story of a ship captain to understand the everyday challenges of navigating a ship and negotiating one of the busiest waterways in the world. And it is in the banality of these everyday experiences that we may find some meaningful answers and perhaps better questions that could draw us closer to making any meaningful sense of accidents at sea.