The Social Psychology of Risk (SPoR) is not just a theory about how people make decisions and enact those decisions. SPoR is a way of thinking about work and how all work is social and psychological. SPoR is a very practical way of understanding why people do what they do and helps leaders and workers respond and influence the way people, groups and organisations work. SPoR helps leaders and workers enact a holistic way of understanding risk and tackling its management. It does this by providing practical tools, processes and actions to shape risk success. At the moment there are hundreds of people and organisations Internationally and Nationally using SPoR tools (https://spor.com.au/downloads/tools/) to better tackle risk.
SPoR stands out as unique in the way it tackles risk because it comes at risk from a unique worldview. It is the only approach to tackling risk in the sector that does not come from a Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) background. The SPoR approach to tackling risk doesn’t fall back into solutions-only by systems and regulation. SPoR shifts focus to understanding humans, developing skills, relationally-focused solutions, ecological processes and focusing on non-systems approaches to tackling risk. You can find out more about the SPoR approach to tackling risk here: https://spor.com.au/downloads/papers/ and here: https://spor.com.au/about/
It is because of an SPoR approach that organisations realize a reduction in paperwork to manage risk by up to 50%. The time saved in getting lost in meaningless paperwork is then re-invested into people, relationships, helping, listening, influencing and better tackling risk in every day intuitive decision making.
SPoR is not about the rejection of STEM approaches to risk but rather putting STEM in its rightful place, in a much more balanced approach to tackling risk – a balance between objects and subjects. Whilst there is nothing wrong with STEM rather a STEM-only approach to risk ignores all we know from other disciplines about tackling risk. This is why SPoR advocates a transdisciplinary and holistic approach to tackling risk that offers practical, doable actions.
If you wish to study and learn about SPoR and what it can do for your organisation: https://safetyrisk.net/study-options-in-social-psychology-of-risk-for-2020-2/
If you want to read about SPoR: https://www.humandymensions.com/product/the-social-psychology-of-risk-handbook/
Dr Rob Long
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