Yesterday we discussed the merits of implementing a just culture, which emphasizes process improvement over blame when mistakes are made. Staff are still held accountable for their actions, but the focus is on identifying problems that enabled the errors.
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How to implement a just culture?
It starts with raising awareness among staff members about the way errors are handled. Many people simply revert to the “blame game” because that is all too familiar. However, it makes sense to ask your team how an error should be approached when there is no clear cause or source of the misadventure.
The second step is education. It takes time to teach teams to respond according to the principles of a just culture. Staff need to be able to differentiate between reckless activities (those that are intended to do harm), at-risk behavior (bad consequences may happen but are not intentional), and simple human error (no harm was ever intended). Additionally, they need to know how to get to the cause of a problem and respond appropriately.
The third step is to ensure that policies and procedures follow the new just culture. Policies that do not promote the new philosophy should be eliminated, specifically those relating to punishment. Consider all areas where policies may address errors, including customer service, operations, codes of contact, and other regulations.
The last and most important step is for leadership to commit to just culture practices. That means all errors are reviewed in the same way in an open manner that respects the dignity of all staff members. There are no exceptions to a just culture, particularly when it comes to the errors of higher-ranking executives.
Remember, implementation of just cultures will help foster necessary fixes to faulty processes. It may be difficult at first, but ultimately, it will help build a stronger team.