In the first two parts of this series, we looked at organizational and individual factors that contribute to errors in the workplace. Last week, we examined the role of the employee in error prevention. This week, to wrap up the series, we will discuss the role of the workplace leaders and the organization in error prevention.

Changing Attitudes and Beliefs

Organizational leaders can set the stage by identifying and addressing the negative influences that shape the attitudes and behaviors of employees. This involves two steps:

1. Walk the Talk: The first step is to ensure that the attitudes and behaviors of the leaders reflect a genuine commitment to performance excellence.

2. Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is: The most effective way to bring about lasting behavioral change is by raising people's awareness. Defining and tirelessly communicating desired values and commitments, then backing them up with human, financial and material resources help convey quality and excellence in performance as esteemed values.

The organization's leaders must allocate resources necessary for proper education, training, equipment and resolution of performance issues. While it might be tempting for management to cut spending in this area to "save money," in the long run this will cost the organization more than it saves. The extra costs may be reflected in dollars or in human suffering.

Aligning Attitudes

The next step is to examine the core beliefs and attitudes that shape the decisions that are made by individuals and by groups.

1. Employee Attitudes: The attitudes of employees at all levels must be examined and measured against the vision for the organization. This can be achieved through a properly designed and administered perception survey, asking the right questions to determine:

• How employees relate to their company's vision and objectives; and
• How they perceive their ability to help the organization achieve them.

2. Group Attitudes: Any variance between the group norm and the desired norm can be addressed through strategies and action steps to align them. Reassessments can be administered at pre-determined intervals to show improvements on a comparative basis.

The desired result is that each person exhibit responsibility for his or her performance and the performance of others. When responsibility is perceived as a corporate and individual value, employees at all levels are less likely to take shortcuts and make the compromises that result in error. When everyone feels they have a stake in what happens to the company and the services/products provided, they will believe that errors hurt all.

Motivating Employees

External motivational strategies are most effective when they combine internal factors. When a person is internally motivated by the value and benefit of excellence in performance for themselves and their company, improvement tends to be more permanent.

Leaders must be skilled in coaching and counseling techniques to constructively lead and interact with employees regarding performance issues, attitudes and behaviors. They must know how to communicate to gain a commitment to specific actions that lead to the results that are consistent with their vision for excellence. Coaching and counseling may be necessary to correct what isn't working and to gain the commitment necessary to ensure success. This is especially true during times of organizational change, whether positive or negative, when error-related costs can push a company over the edge or seriously impair its viability.

A Holistic Approach to Eliminating Human Error

In 1980, my company became one of the first organizations to employ the cognitive approach for organizational effectiveness training and consulting, as well as safety, health and environmental culture change, attitudinal and behavioral improvement and incident prevention.

We use a holistic, integrated approach that combines awareness, attitudinal and behavioral change methods. These methods stress:

• Strategies for thinking;
• Problem-solving; and
• Influencing perception and attention.

The approach involves restructuring knowledge to fit new circumstances and enables people within an organization to learn strategies for paying attention to any task and building awareness of the potential dangers posed by loss of focus.

We teach people how to interact with rather than be manipulated by their environment so that they continue to develop mental structures, which continue to develop with experience. This cognitive training also enables the individual to develop memory and attention. In simple terms, people learn to "think excellence," and develop the skills necessary to prevent errors as well as the capacity to transfer those skills from one environment or task to another.

For example, in one chemical plant operation, a chemist noted during a follow-up training session that he had planned to make an adjustment to a process without shutting it down in order to save precious time in a competitive environment. Though this was a task he had done many times before, he noted that he observed his thinking process and the belief or internal message that he could do this and pull it off without a problem. But recognizing that what he was doing involved a risk of injury - even though the risk was remote - he changed his ways, followed protocol, shut down the process and made the adjustment without error. Afterwards, he believed the extra time spent was worth it.

Conclusion

When line or labor employees, workplace leaders and stakeholders reflect a shared value and belief in quality and performance excellence, it creates an optimum opportunity for an error-free workplace. To accomplish this shift requires a consistent and sustained effort. A genuine value for excellence will endure despite changing circumstances. Such a value will yield improvements in attitudes and behaviors that impact all areas including production, safety, health and the environment.

MAKOEVER WEEK CONTINUES
Celebrities & Cosmetics (Separating Fact from Fiction)

Buddy Ebsen: Oz never did give nothing to the Tin Man.

By Catherine Jones

Here are six statements about celebrities? use of cosmetics and cosmetic surgery. Four of the statements are urban myths. Two are true. If you think the statement is a myth, put an "F" next to it; if you think it's true, mark it with a "T."

1. Buddy Ebsen is perhaps best known for playing Jed Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies. But Ebsen was originally slated to play the role of the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz. Jack Haley got the part after Ebsen suffered a severe allergic reaction to the aluminum dust used in the makeup.

2. Gene Simmons from KISS had a cow's tongue grafted onto his own.

3. As a youth, Mel Gibson's face was seriously disfigured as a result of a savage beating by a street gang. Years later, a priest, impressed with the young man's faith and positive attitude, enlisted the services of a plastic surgeon to reconstruct Gibson's face. This experience was the basis for the movie, The Man without a Face.

4. One of the beautiful "Bond girls" in For Your Eyes Only was played by a woman, who was once a man.

5. Cher's tiny waist was achieved through the surgical removal of her lower pair of ribs.

6. Superstar rapper 50 Cent underwent emergency surgery to have his hand reattached after his car door slammed shut and severed his left hand. (The slam was caused by either a gust of wind or vibrations from the speakers in his Cadillac.)

Answers:

1. T
2. F
3. F
4. T
5. F
6. F

WHO SAID IT?
Celebrity Quotes on Cosmetics & Plastic Surgery

Pablo Picasso: Would have made for one lousy plastic surgeon.

By Catherine Jones

Match the following statements on make-up with the celebrity who voiced them:

1. Use a make-up table with everything close at hand and don't rush; otherwise you'll look like a patchwork quilt.

2. I have a wonderful make-up crew. They're the same people restoring the Statue of Liberty.

3. Studio press agents make up anything they want to, and reporters go along with it. One flack created the legend that I had been blown up in an air crash during the war, and my face had to be put back together by way of plastic surgery. If it is a "bionic face," why didn't they do a better job of it?

4. I wish I had a twin, so I could know what I'd look like without plastic surgery.

5. I was going to have cosmetic surgery until I noticed that the doctor's office was full of portraits by Picasso.

Choices:

Rita Rudner
Joan Rivers
Bob Hope
Lucille Ball
Jack Palance

Answers:

1. Lucille Ball
2. Bob Hope
3. Jack Palance
4. Joan Rivers
5. Rita Rudner

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