Expecting the Unexpected

Expecting the Unexpected

Thanks to Craig Marriot, one of our NZ readers, for sending this article in. No its not a spud head safety inspection but a local community event gone wrong. Several hot air balloons came down in the nearby chemical plant! Now most organisations would not have considered this scenario, assessed the risk or included it in their contingencies and emergency plans. However, plant personnel effectively dealt with this situation. Many of the articles in this blog reference Carl Weick, one of the pioneers of the social psychology of risk, and his work on “Collective Mindfulness”, “High Reliability Organisations” and “Organisational Sense Making”. You can download the rest of the article for clues on how to deal with these types of emergencies and I’ve list some recent articles below if you are interested in learning more about expecting and managing the unexpected.

Hind-sight, Risk Savvy and the Unexpected

Hind-sight, Risk Savvy and the Unexpected People often talk about the “benefit of hind-sight”; but does hind-sight prepare us to manage the unexpected? Hind-sight – it is a good thing right? It helps us make sense of the world right? It sometimes gives us the courage to continue right? These things are …… Read the rest of the article

Managing the Unexpected

Ed: Ok, you’ve been asking for it – a practical workplace application of Safety and Risk Psychology Managing the Unexpected Karl Weick and Kathleen Sutcliffe published Managing the Unexpected in 2001 and brought many of the principles of the social psychology of organizing into the risk and safety world. This book should be at the top for …… Read the rest of the article

Weick’s understanding of mindfulness

Weick’s understanding of mindfulness and why it is a helpful construct in understanding risk and safety. By closely examining the characteristics of High Reliability Organisations (HROs), Weick, Sutcliffe and Obstfeld (1999) developed the concept of ‘collective mindfulness’. They articulated the five characteristics of mindfulness as preoccupation with failure, reluctance to simplify interpretations, sensitivity to operations, commitment ……Read the rest of the article

Understanding The Social Psychology of Risk – Prof Karl E. Weick

Understanding The Social Psychology of Risk – Prof Karl E. Weick The contribution of Prof. Karl E. Weick to the genre of social psychology is enormous. (His 5 key texts are listed below). I first read Weick in 1985 as part of my Master’s Thesis at Sydney University and would count my contact with him as …… Read the rest of the article