More openness benefits safety and effectiveness at Defence

Within the Defence organisation, safety is paramount. To ensure this safety, employees are expected to work according to protocols. Research by TU Delft PhD student and Aviation psychologist Leonie Boskeljon shows that for employees in the field, working according to rules does not always improve safety and effectiveness. Local ingenuity does. However, sometimes local ingenuity means not following the rules, which clashes with the prevailing culture. Therefore, it is not talked about for fear of consequences. While for improving safety, it is important to make this discussable. She therefore advocates more openness within the organisation and looking the bogeyman in the eye.

Despite strict rules around safety, the Defence organisation is confronted with accidents from time to time, such as the mortar accident in Mali or the wire collision in the Bommelerwaard. There is constant pressure from politicians and society to keep improving safety for this reason. Boskeljon: 'The safety vision being propagated from management level is that safety is the result of following rules. As a result, the Defence organisation saddles itself with more regulations after every accident.’ 

Local ingenuity

In her PhD research, Boskeljon investigated how employees of an operational unit can achieve safety and effectiveness from a different safety vision. Namely by looking at what is needed at that moment based on local expertise. That could be following rules, coming up with creative solutions or adapting rules to practice. She concluded that these employees are faced with conflicting goals that are not compatible at the same time, such as following rules and flying safely. Pilots are required to physically carry certain rules and procedures with them during a mission. Finding the right procedure while flying takes time and effort, which negatively affects safety. 

'These target conflicts are resolved where possible with what I have called local ingenuity: routines that are not defined and passed on from colleague to colleague.' As a result of this local ingenuity, people are able to work more safely and effectively, the research shows. In some cases, this then does mean not always following the rules (we are not talking about legal frameworks here), but sailing on one's own expertise.

Taboo

'Because the emphasis within Defence is on following rules, this local ingenuity is a taboo and is not made visible. Employees usually keep it hidden, even if local ingenuity does not break the rules’, according to Boskeljon. The study shows that this is because the perception has been created that not following the rules will lead to major consequences for the individuals involved. As a result, in several cases there has been a gap between paper (rules) and practice with which the organisation keeps itself in check. The top of the organisation thinks that Defence achieves safety and effectiveness by following the rules, while on the shop floor safety and effectiveness are realised by responding adaptively to local conditions and deploying local ingenuity. Defence's view of regulations leads to uncertainty to speak openly about deploying its own expertise.

Bogeyman

These two perspectives do not come together, leaving the Defence organisation without a clear picture of the obstacles employees face, how they solve them and where real improvements in safety and effectiveness can be realised. Instead, the need to increase safety has led to organisation-wide uncertainty and fear: the bogeyman.

'It would be so much nicer if people could talk openly about using their own expertise in practice. Precisely because this benefits safety. Because of the organisational culture, Defence is in an impossible situation, unable to reduce this difference’, Boskeljon explains. 'With this research, I want to make the Defence organisation safer, show her how much more impact can be achieved with a different safety vision. I therefore sincerely hope that the results will be embraced and used to have conversations with staff about the need for local ingenuity without judgement. My research shows that this will do more for safety and effectiveness than increasing regulation.'

Leonie Boskeljon will defend her thesis on Wednesday 21 June at 17.30u. Read her dissertation: The Bogeyman Unveiled, Safety and effectiveness within the Royal Netherlands Air Force.