This is my fourth and final installment and if I had to sum up the message of this series in one sentence, it would be this: Applying sound principles of measurement and feedback - of "keeping score" - is the key to improving safety performance and culture.

Score Keeping and Safety

I started this series with a sports reference and that's the way I'd like to finish it. In sports, the aim is to win. We keep score not just of the game's outcome but of the kind of performance that helps achieve victory - home runs, goals, assists, blocked shots, etc. Many sports are a combination of team and individual efforts that are measured oftentimes in great detail to differentiate performance levels.

I submit that sports has got it right. It reflects and is based on human nature and the desire to win and achieve recognition - both individual and team. This is why so many people care deeply about the outcome of games involving their favorite team. This applies to players as well as fans who, even though they do not physically participate, have a psychological attachment to the team.

I also submit that there's real power in scorekeeping and that we as safety professionals can and must try to harness this power to improve safety performance. If we can identify the desired outputs, that is, the actual effectiveness of our safety-related activities, we will have a clearer understanding of what should be changed, continued and prioritized. We'll understand the value of different outcomes and establish a frame of reference complete with our own version of singles, doubles, triples and home runs.

We can also put managers, supervisors and employees in the position to keep score of their performance and empower them to win. At that point, when everyone in the organization is playing the same game, using the same rules, on the same playing field and under the same understanding of how to win, we will be in a better position to achieve our safety outcomes and thereby, our safety goals. The result will be a highly motivated workforce and improved safety performance.

An Example of the Principles in Action

Let's use a concrete example to help you turn these abstract principles into a plan for action. Assume you want to use safety meetings to improve performance. The typical approach would be to measure the number of attendees for each meeting. But, as we discussed last week, this is not the most appropriate measurement. The real starting point is to measure the effectiveness of the overall meeting itself. In other words, were the meeting objectives met and executed to a satisfactory level. After all, 100% attendance won't improve safety if the substance of the meeting is devoid of any real value or was executed poorly.

One way to measure the effectiveness of safety meetings is to give attendees a survey to fill out with yes, no or N/A answers. The survey would have all the important objectives listed. Survey results would provide a way to assess whether safety meetings are "winning" (or improving) or not, shift by shift, month to month, or even supervisor to supervisor, if desired. The survey results would also serve to motivate the person providing the meetings to make appropriate changes or, if the results are very good, keep it as it is. The result will automatically drive continuous improvement in safety meeting performance of future meetings.

A Real Life Example

I was recently invited to attend a one-hour safety meeting about PPE delivered by a supervisor at a large manufacturing company. The safety manager asked me to sit in and evaluate the supervisor's effectiveness in the form of a score. We discussed and agreed on the desired outcomes. I also passed out scorecards for attendees to fill out.

The meeting was long and tedious. My evaluation resulted in a low score. The attendees did too, rating the meeting as 35% effective. Afterwards, the safety manager and I reviewed the tabulations and each objective with the supervisor. The supervisor was surprised and disappointed at how low the score was but admitted that holding meetings have never been his strong suit.

If you received a low score for something you did wouldn't it prompt you to do something different the next time? Of course, it would. For most of us at least, the desire to do better is part of our nature. But what if after all the work you put into the next meeting you didn't get a score after the meeting? Wouldn't you feel cheated? Wouldn't you want, almost demand a score? Why? If you're like me you would want to know how well your efforts paid off. We all have an innate desire to improve our "score".

The supervisor in my example above asked the safety manager for help in his areas of weakness and resolved to make improvement at his next month's meeting. I later found out that his next month's score rated a 68%. Not surprisingly, this feedback was very encouraging to him as he put some real effort into his next presentation and was now aware of the desired objectives ahead of time. In this situation, who were the winners?

Measuring the Right Things

Get your measurement and feedback systems right and safety performance will improve due to the motivation to win. How do you do this? First, find the right things to measure. To do this, define the desired objectives for key activities and desired outcomes that will provide a positive safety culture at your organization. Elements you'll want to include in addition to activities are:

• Management leadership and commitment to safety;
• Employee attitudes and motivation to work safely;
• Employee ownership and involvement in the safety program;
• Communication and feedback effectiveness; and
• The effectiveness of your current safety programs and initiatives, including incentive and recognition programs, employee suggestion programs, incident investigations, audits and inspections, management of change, work order system, committees and safety meetings.

Be sure to measure employee behavior at all levels of the organization including supervisors and management.

Establishing Goals and Delivering Feedback

Measurement doesn't just gauge performance; it affects it. Remember the old saying: What you measure is what you get. Also remember the principles of keeping score. Give your employees a chance to win. Establish performance targets and define the desired outcomes of the programs you have established so they know how to win. Some people are self-motivated whereas others may need to have their scores posted or reviewed by others.

Goals should be defined in terms of actual vs. expected behavior. Once the desired outputs are defined, measured and the results communicated back to the appropriate individuals, everyone will be engaged in the process of continuous improvement. This method of measurement and feedback has been instrumental in providing safety managers in many industries with insight ands the capacity to allocate their resources more effectively.

Conclusion

Feedback and measurement can motivate or de-motivate. It all depends on the system we use. Unfortunately, the world of safety has things upside down. We measure failure (the occurrence of injuries and accidents) and deliver negative feedback (letting employees how they screwed up). What we get for these efforts is a workforce disenchanted with the safety program and unmotivated to behave safely.

I call on each of you to turn this around. Turn safety measurement into a motivating force to your advantage. Define your desired outputs and measure the extent the objectives are being met. Provide immediate feedback if possible, and positive encouragement to all employees, (don't forget those on graveyards). Give employees a chance to win and establish a method of keeping score so they know what it takes to be a winner. Doing these things will put you on the road to improving safety performance and building a leading safety culture.

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