Social Psychology of Risk (SPoR) has always been about constructive, positive and doable methods that change the way organisations and people tackle risk.
For over 20 years organisations in Australia and across the globe, have discovered how safety can be humanised by unlearning traditional safety and adding more humanised methods in how people tackle risk. SPoR is always about practical methods that work (https://www.humandymensions.com/product/it-works-a-new-approach-to-risk-and-safety/). These methods are supported by a very clear methodology, politic and ethic that places persons before systems, paperwork and objects.
The critical thinking that is often put forward on this blog in SPoR is never just criticism for its own sake, it is always situated in the context of how safety can be improved – to move from what doesn’t work to what does work.
All of the work of SPoR is supported by free resources (https://www.humandymensions.com/shop/ ), tools (https://spor.com.au/downloads/tools/) and videos (https://vimeo.com/cllr; https://vimeo.com/humandymensions) that value safety without the slogans, spin, ego podcasts and marketing of traditional safety (Heroes, Shows and Zeros).
· When organisations learn that they can move away from zero, safety improves (https://safetyrisk.net/moving-away-from-zero-so-that-safety-improves/).
· When organisations discover that BBS equates to brutalism (https://safetyrisk.net/spor-and-the-bbs-myth/ ), and that there is an option to a new pathway that works in SPoR, safety improves.
· When organisations make a move towards SPoR they discover that, with just a little effort and with support with new tools, mentors and methods, safety once again can become an exciting foundation to organisational practice.
· When organisations learn to move away from the exclusivity of Behaviourism (https://safetyrisk.net/why-safety-is-attracted-to-behaviourism/) and Engineering (https://safetyrisk.net/you-can-put-safety-into-engineering-but-you-cant-get-engineering-out-of-safety/) to a Transdisciplinary approach in SPoR (https://safetyrisk.net/transdisciplinarity-and-worldviews-in-risk/), they discover what its like to balance safety in a business.
· When organisations understand that they can improve safety without any more paperwork, less systems and ‘down to earth methods’, they are amazed by how a back to basic approach improves safety.
None of this involves ‘throwing the baby out with the bathwater’, its always been about balance. In SPoR language its about balancing Workspace, Headspace and Groupspace. Or, balancing the red steps with the orange and green steps (https://safetyrisk.net/safety-is-a-myth-long-live-safety/).
One such organisation that is implementing SPoR is Mondi Group, where Brain Darlington is the Group Head of Safety. Brian’s latest book is Humanising Leadership in Risk, Shifting Focus from Objects to Persons. (https://www.humandymensions.com/product/humanising-leadership-in-risk-shifting-focus-from-objects-to-persons/) but is now only available from Europe.
Implementing the methods of SPoR is not some theoretical exercise. There are dozens of organisations like Mondi discovering just how SPoR improves safety.
Some of these organisations have been using SPoR methods for more than 10 years, in Australia and across the globe. All it takes to discover SPoR is to make a start. The introductory module is free (https://safetyrisk.net/introduction-to-spor-free/).
If you follow the posts on this blog you will know that many free courses in SPoR are regularly offered. For example, the Module on Linguistics and Risk will be on free offer in early 2023.
If you want to speak to someone about SPoR and how it can change safety, there are dozens of mentors and coaches across the globe that you can talk to. Just make contact here: admin@spor.com.au and we will put you in touch with someone in your region. The current workshop in SPoR being held in London (https://novellus.solutions/events/ ) is an example of such support.
Recently Brian made a wonderful video that gives an idea of how Mondi now does safety (https://vimeo.com/763190061).
You can also see a demonstration of Brian running a SPoR engagement board process here – https://vimeo.com/456036529.
This serves as just one example of how SPoR methods use visual, verbal and semiotic knowing to improve the way organisations tackle risk.
All SPoR methods can be easily integrated into current safety systems without any extra paperwork. Indeed, once the effectiveness of SPoR methods is realised, paperwork reduces radically.
Mondi Semiotics.mp4 from CLLR on Vimeo.
Dr Rob Long
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