It is Always Thus

I know that The New York Times printed this story because the Deepwater Horizon has everybody’s attention. My readers -- people in the aviation business -- will see the same cultural personalities of organizations at work that I did. There are those that have suffered through a horrendous accident and those that haven’t.

There are a lucky few that can learn from the misfortune of others. But most organizations (and people) have to learn the hard way. And if enough time passes, even an organization that learned the hard way will have to learn the lessons anew.

New Culture of Caution at Exxon After Valdez

”The accident, for which Exxon was found responsible, led to a profound rethinking of safety management at the company. Exxon developed a rigid system of rules for all its operations, from gas stations to offshore platforms, and it empowered everyone, even contractors, to speak up about safety problems.”

Don Brown
July 12, 2010

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