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What do you think of when you hear the word 'error'? It's highly likely you'll think of it negatively as a defect. The obvious way to manage defects, particularly in safety-critical industries, is to have detailed procedures, strict compliance, and zero tolerance for errors. But we know that this doesn't always work. After all, if it did, we'd have far fewer errors.

My guest on this episode takes a different approach. He specializes in helping organizations, particularly safety-critical ones where the cost of getting something wrong can be death or injury, to reduce errors, improve safety and build trust. He calls this human reliability. His name is Dr. Jake Mazulewicz, and he's been a firefighter, an emergency medical technician and a military paratrooper.

Nowadays, he brings all of those experiences to bear in helping organizations design processes and cultures that allow humans to manage the complexities that don't always allow themselves to be neatly codified into standard procedures. As you'll hear, he's got some fascinating ideas about designing safety models that flex to meet the situation's needs.

Key Moments In The Show (mins:secs)



02:14 \u2014 Dr. Jake\u2019s background

05:25 \u2014 Mechanistic vs. Adaptive systems

06:28 \u2014 The big problem: too many leaders treat ALL systems as Mechanistic systems

09:10 \u2014 What to say to a commercial pilot when you\u2019re walking off their aircraft after the flight lands

10:40 \u2014 Four work guidance modes

11:00 \u2014 1) Procedures

11:53 \u2014 2) Guidelines like, \u201cTo find out what an organization values, follow the money."

13:00 \u2014 3) Principles like \u201cA jury doesn\u2019t decide what to believe. A jury decides who to believe."

21:20 \u2014 4) Tacit Knowledge \u2014 You can solve complex problems, but can\u2019t explain how

26:40 \u2014 \u201cAll models are wrong, but some of them are useful.\u201d

31:10 \u2014 How one team of electricians dramatically improved safety by using FEWER procedures

35:57 \u2014 Letter of the law vs. spirit of the law

38:20 \u2014 Have you heard of Philip K. Howard?... "Let\u2019s pretend I haven\u2019t.\u201d

42:10 \u2014 We write rules when we don\u2019t have enough trust

44:55 \u2014 Build trust by overcommunicating your intentions

45:25 \u2014 \u201cCommander\u2019s Intent\u201d in military mission plans

47:55 \u2014 Listen for "Weak Signals" like hearing, \u201cI\u2019ll do whatever it takes\u2026"

50:40 \u2014 Stay resilient by catching a system before it goes \u201cexponential\u201d

54:00 \u2014 Chris Argyris\u2019 17-word, 4-step recipe for creating a toxic work culture

57:10\u2014 A new Early Warning System

58:20 \u2014 Ask an expert, \u201cWhat\u2019s a 'Weak Signal' in your field, and what does it mean?\u201d

1:04:55 \u2014 Why a non-punitive approach is so helpful and so uncommon

1:10:10 \u2014 How to get in touch with Dr. Jake \u2014 reliableorg.com

Further Information
To find out more about Praxtical Human Performance For Leaders visit www.reliableorg.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-mazulewicz/