Values vs Culture
Many executives say they want a strong safety culture in their organisation. I believe most of them are genuine in their desire and efforts. So why do many fail?
We have commented before that most people do not understand what a safety culture actually is, let alone how best to create it.
Culture is an Output
Culture is the output of our efforts, not an input that we can simply buy or commission.
Every business, including charities and not-for-profits (NFPs), strive hard every year to generate more income eg make a profit or surplus. Profit or loss is an output of the business’s activities, and are the result of the business purpose, resourcing, systems, training, behaviours and values.
You cannot buy a culture, but you can influence its development and direction by guiding your people to stick to your organisational purpose, agreed behaviours and values.
Values Guide Our Decisions
Values guide our decision making eg we always act honestly and in the best interest of our customers/stakeholders, and comply with the law. If these are our values, then all decisions will be guided with these elements as a foundation.
By contrast, the recent Financial Services (Banking) Royal Commission found many managers in the major banks valued personal reward and bonuses above all else, which clearly steered them away from the interests of the organisation they worked for and the community that the banking industry is meant to serve.
Values are deeply ingrained in individuals and in turn imbedded in the company culture over a long period of time. Therefore, we can reasonably conclude large numbers of staff in the major banks had these “selfish” values for a long period of time, and the Board could have detected it if they had looked eg culture audit.
Clear Values Allows Flexibility
Unlike rules and procedures, which may become unsuitable for the circumstances as the organisation expands or evolves, values are more enduring and can scale up as the business grows.
Poor Values Damage Culture
If the values of your staff deteriorate over time eg through staff turnover or acquisitions or mergers with businesses with different values, the safety culture can also deteriorate.
Therefore, you need to survey your safety culture periodically and adjust your safety culture plan accordingly.
See also article by CEO of Xero in Aust. Inst. Company Directors (AICD) magazine June 2020
If interested in a safety culture audit, training for your safety leaders, or a plan to build a strong safety culture in your business, call us on 03 8544 4300 or email for a quote
