There is no such thing as a neutral or objective worldview when discussing risk. The way we understand and approach risk is through the lens of our worldview. It’s just that in Safety this is rarely forthcoming or articulated. Often a view is given as a ‘principle’ when it’s just a slogan or assumed … [Read more...] about Trying to Rationalise the Non-Rational in Risk
Wicked Problems
Who Said We Don’t Need Systems?
What a strange sense of logic to fixate on the absence of something (injury) as a demonstration of the presence of something else (safety). Such a proposition misunderstands the dynamic of risk and being human. Who Said We Don’t Need Systems? I find it interesting that when some people read what … [Read more...] about Who Said We Don’t Need Systems?
Tackling Wicked Problems
A Collaborative, Zoom Based Workshop Problems have been identified as ‘wicked’ rather than ‘tame’ because they are difficult to define and near impossible to solve. different because traditional processes can’t resolve them. A wicked problem has innumerable causes, is tough to describe, and doesn’t … [Read more...] about Tackling Wicked Problems
Understanding Mental Health as a Wicked Problem
One of the great Cons in Safety is that mental health is a brain problem, cognition problem, simple, easy or a behavioural problem (https://safetyrisk.net/the-aihs-phs-con/ ). Mental health is about none of these and it certainly can’t be helped by a checklist app based on behaviourism. Anyone … [Read more...] about Understanding Mental Health as a Wicked Problem
Are Some Personalities Accident Prone?
The short answer is, it’s complicated. The long answer is, no! No event is simple or black and white. Anything that involves people, social context, time, human activity and randomness, constructs a ‘wicked problem’. The more factors involved in any task the more ‘wicked’ the problem. Tackling … [Read more...] about Are Some Personalities Accident Prone?
The 5 B’s of Safety Conversion
When one looks at the safety industry and safety orthodoxy in general it seems to conform to five basic approaches to the psychology of conversion. Psychology of conversion? Yes, most people in safety are as much in the evangelical conversion business as Hillsong. Mostly, the conversion desired is … [Read more...] about The 5 B’s of Safety Conversion
Update – Free Workshop on Wicked Problems with Matt Thorne
When rushing things get missed, and so it was when I thought I had the correct date! Please ignore the previous date, the CORRECT date is Tuesday 4th of June 2024 at 5pm Australia Central Standard Time (Adelaide) Picture: Some International Guests at the 2024 SPoR Conference … [Read more...] about Update – Free Workshop on Wicked Problems with Matt Thorne
Free Workshop on Wicked Problems with Matt Thorne
In my recent work in Chennai , India, with Drs Rob Long and Nippin Anand, we postulated several critical questions in our Leadership workshops: What is Methodology?, What is Leadership? and Are We Learning From Accidents? And more. … [Read more...] about Free Workshop on Wicked Problems with Matt Thorne
Why is Safety and Risk a ‘Wicked Problem’?
In our studies in SPoR with Dr Craig Ashhurst on Wicked problems he uses a number of semiotics to help people understand what a wicked problem is, compared to other problems. His PhD One Team Where Worlds Collide: The Development of Transcoherence for Tackling Wicked Problems. comprehensively … [Read more...] about Why is Safety and Risk a ‘Wicked Problem’?
No ‘Taming’ or ‘Fixing’ Wicked Problems
I see with amusement a recent discussion in safety about complexity complete with the mythical swiss-cheese, that some rule can ‘tame’ complexity. All such discussion ignores research on ‘wicked-problems’ that has been about since the 1960s. The idea of a ‘wicked problem’ first emerged from … [Read more...] about No ‘Taming’ or ‘Fixing’ Wicked Problems
