Linguistics and Risk Here’s a little experiment for you. Start calling someone a loser and see what happens. Of course, we don’t speak such language, especially to children, because we all know that language creates self-fulfilling prophecies. The language you speak and the text you write are … [Read more...] about Linguistics and Risk
numerics
Data Cannot Drive Vision
We know that the things in life that we cannot count, count the most. We also know that the things we measure that don’t count are attributed with value when there is none. Numerics are not neutral but are attributed with meaning determined by one’s worldview. Most of the things that Safety counts … [Read more...] about Data Cannot Drive Vision
Listening, Learning, Helping and Caring about Risk
Listening, Learning, Helping and Caring about Risk I was with a group of managers yesterday and as I often do asked them to list the words they associate with safety. We brainstorm in teams for a bit and then once each team has 10 words we put them in rank order from most important to least … [Read more...] about Listening, Learning, Helping and Caring about Risk
Poetics of the Self
When it comes to risk and safety, method is critical. Brutalizing and dehumanizing people to get a safety outcome doesn’t work (https://www.humandymensions.com/product/it-works-a-new-approach-to-risk-and-safety/ ). The best way to ensure a humanizing outcome in safety is to move away from zero, … [Read more...] about Poetics of the Self
Data Cannot Drive Leadership
Just because someone says something is leadership doesn’t make it so. Similarly, it’s easy to label something as professional when it isn’t. Leading is either ethical or it isn’t leadership, you cannot have half-ethical leadership or a half ethical professional. Indeed, leadership without … [Read more...] about Data Cannot Drive Leadership
Desensitization, Statistics and the Psychic Numbing of Numerics
One of the lessons Safety continually doesn’t learn is that numerics, metrics and statistics desensitize people to caring. This is known as psychic numbing and has been well researched by Slovic and others … [Read more...] about Desensitization, Statistics and the Psychic Numbing of Numerics
Semiotics and Safety
Semiotics and Safety I read with interest a conference proposed for November 2014 entitled ‘Beyond Zero Harm, Human Factors Safety’. The subtitle of the conference is ‘Humanising impacts in safety operations to reengineer safety approach for enhanced productivity and business profitability’. Oh … [Read more...] about Semiotics and Safety
