Opinion: The Internal Just Culture

We often pigeonhole the standard causes of a punitive culture to hierarchical organisational traits. A strong commercial focus at all costs can also be a contributor to time pressure, KPIs, and current/future client perception of our organisation. Do some organisations manage liability rather than safety? The question is how influential can we as individuals be within our organisation when it comes to creating or changing this climate? Considering we can all be a leader in one way or another, how much do you embrace bad news to improve?

James Reason’s definition of a ‘just culture’ is an atmosphere of trust, where people are encouraged – even rewarded – for providing essential safety related information but are also clear about where the line must be drawn between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. Interestingly, Reason introduced the ‘just culture’ as one of five pillars of a safety culture, including flexible, learning, reporting, and informed cultures. An organisation needs to be non-punitive first, before it can grow over time to possess a Just Culture. Within a just culture, individuals grow respect for the organisation, themselves, others, SOP’s, and rules. The culture in this sense is very much engrained in the topic of human factors.

Any culture is made up of many individuals. It could be argued that we as aviators are critical thinkers, and in many cases, this enhances safety. Does our inherent critical voice contribute to fearing our mistakes? Are you involved in the impossible pursuit of perfection? I heard recently that we’re the most critical of traits in others that we do not accept in ourselves. 

Think about that for a second. Our internal world rules our external world and shapes the way we see and perceive everything (and judge others). I know from experience that when I was in the most self-critical place in my life, it also shaped how I projected this impossible bar of perfection onto others. I took things personally, blamed, and even projected my internal state outwardly. Essentially, I had an internal punitive culture that flowed selectively into my external world. The way I was “experienced” by my manager at the time was communicated to me in a performance review as a “strong character”, who “took things personally”. It was true: I was full of stress and most certainly highly-strung. Whether we’re managing up or down, surely it needs to be in service of those we work with?      

As kids we all pick up hurt and create inaccurate beliefs, which become reinforced and sabotage us until we become the authentic humans we were meant to be. But what if our past conditioning, suppressed hurts, and inaccurate beliefs about ourselves are causing us to come from a place of defensive protection of ourselves at all costs? The way we project blame onto others at all levels of an organisation will only ever reinforce a punitive culture. When assessing accountability, renowned ‘just culture’ expert Sidney Dekker suggests that instead of looking at “Who” is responsible, we should look at “What”. Dekker adds that in a culture of retribution, hurt is met with more hurt. In a culture of restoration, hurt is met with healing. In order to allow our true personality to shine, we first need to cultivate an awareness of what’s holding us back. Do we as individuals talk to ourselves in a way which cultivates an internal punitive culture? Or with the kindness associated with a just culture? 

A friend reminded me the other day that in Stephen Covey’s famous book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, only after achieving a private victory from the first three habits is it possible to win a public victory through the later habits, thereby building enduring relationships with others. The access-point is working with inner reflection and mindfulness to gain emotional awareness. After all, our emotional states and triggers are our responsibility. By seizing that responsibility to cultivate an internal just culture within, you might just be surprised at how you can influence the culture of your workplace, family, and society in general.