Defining and Assessing Safety Culture in High Reliability Systems

Gunter, B., & Furnham, A. (1996). Biographical and climate predictors of job satisfaction
and pride in organization. Journal of Psychology, 130(2), 193-208.
Correlation analysis and step-wise regression analysis were used in four public sector
organizations to examine the relationship of six biographical and 14 climate perceptions with
reported job satisfaction and pride in the organization. Overall, perceived climate factors turned
out to be more significant and powerful than biographical factors as predictors of job satisfaction
and pride, but the predictability of different climate factors varied. Biographical data emerged as
predictors only in relation to pride in the organizations. Although all four organizations were
comparable public sector organizations, the results suggested that there were noticeable
differences among the organizations in the overall significance of climate and in the types of
climate variables that emerged as significant predictors.
Helmreich, R. L., & Merritt A. C. (1998). Organizational culture. In R. L. Helmreich & A.
C. Merritt (Eds.), Culture at work in aviation and medicine (pp. 107-174). Brookfield, VT:
Ashgate.
In chapter 4, organizational culture and cultural strength was defined. An approach to the study
of organizational culture combining the managerial, anthropological and psychological
approaches was used in this chapter. Two US airlines were compared on various parameters to
highlight the best and worst organizational cultures among nine US-based airlines. Different
subcultures may exist in the same organization, but an integrated organizational culture would
have a positive impact on service and safety. An integrated organizational culture needs the
cooperation within and between the ‘operators’, the ‘engineers’, and the ‘executives.’ Finally,
strategies of strengthening the organizational culture were discussed.
In chapter 5, safety culture was defined as an organizational outcome of the interactions between
professional, national and organizational culture, as well as organizational climate and training.
It was suggested that error management was an essential strategy for achieving a safety culture.
For diagnosing an organization’s health and practices, empirical data are needed. Methods of
acquiring diagnostic data under reactive and proactive research strategies were discussed.
Followed the research findings into crew behavior. The role of CRM in changing behavior and
the effect of operational complexity on performance and automation usage were discussed.
Finally, how the issues of culture, error and error management intersect in the operating room
and the parallels between the flightdeck and operating room were demonstrated.
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