The Paradox of Sustainable Safety Cultures: Balancing Vigilance vs. Trust; Control vs. Empower

How do leaders create sustainable safety cultures. How can they replicate them?

The pursuit of safety, like any endeavor involving people, is fraught with paradoxes. A recent conversation with Monica Alston, health and safety VP of National Grid’s New York business unit exemplifies this complexity, illuminating the delicate balance between vigilance and trust, control and empowerment, individual agency and collective responsibility.

Having experienced a degree of success in her business unit’s safety performance, Alston wondered how she could help the leaders and other units duplicate that success.  At its core, the challenge lies in cultivating a leadership philosophy that transcends the individual, becoming an enduring organizational ethos that does not rely on individual personalities/skills. This is not about systems and technology, but a profound philosophical inquiry into the nature of human behavior, leadership, and the dynamics of complex systems.

Vigilance and Trust

The phrase “vigilance versus trust” highlights a fundamental tension in organizations. It’s a paradox because both elements are essential, yet they can seem to be at odds with each other:

• Vigilance: As we’ve discussed, vigilance is crucial for identifying and mitigating risks. It ensures that safety remains a top priority and that potential hazards are not overlooked. However, an overemphasis on vigilance can create a culture of fear and blame, where employees feel constantly monitored and pressured to perform perfectly. This can stifle innovation, creativity, and risk-taking, which are essential for organizational growth and improvement.

• In this context, vigilance refers to the active and sustained attention to potential safety hazards and risks, coupled with a proactive approach to identifying and addressing them. It involves a heightened awareness of the work environment, a commitment to following safety protocols, and a willingness to speak up and take action when potential risks are observed. However, it is important to note that vigilance alone is not enough. It must be balanced with trust, empowerment, and a shared responsibility for safety to create a sustainable safety culture.

• Alston’s leadership style is unique in its emphasis on vigilance for relationships and people’s needs and feelings. This people-centric approach is a key differentiator that contributes significantly to the success of her safety initiatives.

  Here’s how Monica’s vigilance for relationships and people’s needs plays out in the narrative:

  • Whistle-Stop Tour: Monica actively seeks out opportunities to connect with employees at all levels, demonstrating a genuine interest in their well-being and safety concerns. This not only helps her identify potential risks but also builds trust and rapport with the workforce.

  • Collaboration with Resistant Leader: Monica’s ability to empathize with the leader’s concerns and find common ground through data-driven dialogue showcases her skill in navigating interpersonal dynamics. This approach not only secures buy-in for safety initiatives but also strengthens relationships and builds trust.

  • Empowering Safety Professionals: Monica recognizes the importance of her team’s well-being and seeks ways to empower them as facilitators within the organization. This demonstrates her understanding of the human element in safety and her commitment to fostering a positive and supportive work environment.

  • Building Rapport with Workers: Monica’s team excels at building rapport with workers, communicating care, and emphasizing the company’s commitment to employee well-being. This creates a sense of psychological safety, where employees feel valued and empowered to contribute to the safety culture.

  Monica’s vigilance for relationships and people’s needs goes beyond simply following rules and procedures. It embodies a deeper understanding of the human factors that contribute to safety performance. By prioritizing empathy, communication, and collaboration, she creates a culture where safety is not just a compliance issue but a shared value that is deeply embedded in the organizational DNA.

  This people-centric approach is not only effective in improving safety outcomes but also contributes to a more positive and engaged workforce. When employees feel valued and supported, they are more likely to be motivated, productive, and committed to the organization’s goals.

• Trust: Trust is the foundation of a positive safety culture. When employees trust their leaders, colleagues, and the organization as a whole, they are more likely to report hazards, share ideas, and collaborate on safety initiatives. Trust fosters a sense of psychological safety, where individuals feel comfortable speaking up about concerns without fear of reprisal. However, an overreliance on trust can lead to complacency, where individuals become overly comfortable and less vigilant about potential risks.

People, Not Just Numbers: The New York business unit’s triumph reveals the potency of a people-centric approach. It’s a testament to the idea that safety is not solely about mitigating risks, but about fostering an environment where individuals feel valued, heard, and empowered to take ownership of their safety and that of their colleagues. This approach challenges the traditional paradigm of top-down control, suggesting that true safety emerges from a shared commitment and trust.

Leadership as Catalyst: Alston’s story underscores the pivotal role of leaders in shaping safety results. Leaders like Monica are catalysts for change, providing the vision, resources, and unwavering support that empower safety professionals to flourish. Their actions demonstrate that leadership is not about wielding authority, but about cultivating a shared sense of purpose and inspiring others to embrace safety as a core value.

Alston is a talented leader, yet admits that without the complete support of her boss, the president of the business unit she could not have implemented her ideas. This was yet another example of how human potential will not manifest unless it is nurtured by someone with power in the organization.

The Art of Succession: Many thriving initiatives come to an end when the champion departs. Her boss’s impending retirement casts a shadow of uncertainty, raising a profound question: How can the legacy of safety excellence be preserved when leadership transitions? This calls for a deliberate and strategic approach to knowledge transfer, ensuring that the tacit wisdom, relationships, and strategic thinking that underpinned success are not lost but passed on to future generations. 

The Unseen Contributions: Alston story also sheds light on the often-overlooked role of safety professionals. Her relationship to her boss is personal. He has told her that she should call the other business unit presidents directly to establish a relationship because they understand her value. Unknown to Alston, her boss has been praising her accomplishments to his peers. This remains to be tested and there are only two months left before he leaves.

Carrillo’s recent book, health and safety leadership strategies: how authentically inclusive leaders achieve amazing results, is relevant here. She describes the role safety practitioners play in the organization–placing people at the center rather than statistics and compliance. Yet they often grapple with burnout and a sense of invisibility. This raises a moral and business imperative: How can organizations better support and empower these professionals, ensuring their well-being and recognizing their vital contributions?

The Way Forward: A Philosophical Imperative

The National Grid story is a microcosm of the larger philosophical discourse on safety. It invites us to ponder the following questions:

• How can we strike the delicate balance between individual autonomy and collective responsibility for safety, recognizing that both are essential for a thriving safety culture?
• What is the role of leadership in cultivating and sustaining a safety culture, and how can we ensure that this leadership endures beyond the tenure of any individual?
• How can we develop safety practitioners, recognizing their unique challenges and providing them with the resources and support they need to thrive?

These questions transcend the realm of safety management, delving into the very essence of human interaction, organizational dynamics, and the pursuit of a shared purpose. The National Grid narrative serves as a powerful reminder that safety is not merely a technical challenge, but a philosophical one, requiring a holistic and humanistic approach that recognizes the interconnectedness of individuals, systems, and values.

In the end, the quest for sustainable safety excellence is a journey of continuous learning and adaptation, a journey that requires us to embrace the paradoxes inherent in this pursuit. By valuing people, empowering leaders, fostering strategic thinking, and recognizing the invaluable contributions of safety professionals, we can create organizations where safety is not just a goal, but a way of life.

Analysis and Discussion:

This conversation brings to mind that the idea of replicating a safety culture is incorrect. We need to replicate the nature of relationships that exist in successful organizations. Indeed, empathy, communication, and collaboration are critical to the relationships that fulfill the human need to belong.  Thus they could be considered fundamental elements of our human DNA– traits that enable us to connect, understand, and work together as social beings. Leaders like Monica act as catalysts, like developers in a darkroom, bringing these innate qualities to the forefront within an organization.

Much like a photograph that starts as a latent image, these inherent human traits often remain dormant or underdeveloped in the workplace, especially in environments where competition, hierarchy, or fear dominate.

Leaders who prioritize empathy create a safe space for vulnerability and connection, allowing employees to express their concerns and ideas freely. This, in turn, fosters open communication, where information flows freely, and diverse perspectives are valued. In this fertile ground of trust and understanding, collaboration flourishes, enabling teams to work together towards common goals, including safety.

Through these actions, leaders “develop” the inherent human qualities of empathy, communication, and collaboration, transforming the workplace into a vibrant community where safety, productivity, and well-being thrive.

This analogy of leadership as developing a photograph is a powerful way to understand the transformative impact leaders can have on organizational culture. It reminds us that the potential for empathy, communication, and collaboration exists within all of us, waiting to be brought to light by leaders who recognize and nurture these essential human qualities.