Culture and Customizing

Some of the old safety programs and processes are still alive and well in certain organizations.  When I examine how they have survived so long I almost always find that the program has been modified and customized.  The organization is not still doing the process like they were taught, they have “made it their own” over the years using the basic concept(s) but modifying the details.
 
Another term for customizing might be “culturizing.”  When a group of people not only use a methodology but modify it to fit their specific needs and standards, it truly becomes a part of the organizational culture.  It is no longer solely the brainchild of the originator, but the adopted child of the group.  As it permeates the group it becomes a part of the culture that is shared and handed down.
 
Such processes never become outdated because they are fluid and the group can evolve them to meet changing needs and challenges.  Perhaps it should be the goal of every safety program or process to have this kind of flexibility built in as a sustainability tool.  If this were the case, there would likely be fewer flavors of the month and more tools to build strong safety cultures.

-Terry L. Mathis

For more insights, visit www.ProActSafety.com

Terry L. Mathis is the founder and CEO of ProAct Safety, an international safety and performance excellence firm. He is known for his dynamic presentations in the fields of behavioral and cultural safety, leadership, and operational performance, and is a regular speaker at ASSE, NSC, and numerous company and industry conferences. EHS Today listed Terry as a Safety Guru in ‘The 50 People Who Most Influenced EHS in 2010, 2011 and 2012-2013. He has been a frequent contributor to industry magazines for over 15 years and is the coauthor of STEPS to Safety Culture Excellence, 2013, WILEY.