In 1998, I was touring a large production facility to get a feel for the operations. I was about to begin a safety culture assessment because the leaders wanted to more fully understand the perspectives of the entire workforce. Company leaders also wanted to identify various management and employee perception gaps that were important to the health of their organization.
As I walked and talked with one of the leaders, it was clear that he had a vision for what he wanted to see but his new organization wasn’t there quite yet. He previously worked for an exceptional chemical company and stated, “I don’t see but I will — I’ve seen and felt it before.” He had the remnants of a great culture for safety in his mind’s eye but it may have been fading. This leader wanted a comparable culture within his current organization. He had a vision for an outstanding future state but there was work to do.