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Required
Organizational and Safety Culture Characteristics for
Nuclear Stations
Note
to reader: This comprehensive listing of organizational
culture and nuclear safety culture characteristics can be
used for the following purposes:
Developing
a policy or culture statement for your company
Developing
expectations and standards
Developing
questions for your annual employee attitude survey
Developing
measures for evaluating human performance
Developing
job descriptions or specifications
Developing
a safety policy
Determining
the strengths, threats, and opportunities for improving
organizational and nuclear safety culture
Developing
the appropriate reward system
MDI has developed
specific measures for these characteristics. They can be
used to determine the extent to which each characteristic
has been instilled in the behaviors of plant personnel. This
is done through the conduct of: interviews; surveys; review
of documentation, and work observation.
An orientation
to safety first, quality second, and production third,
always in that order; cost containment program which
emphasizes nuclear safety over production and cost; evidence
of conservative decision making by management and defense in
depth.
Individuals maintain a questioning attitude; expect the
unexpected; good planning evident for contingencies or
emergencies.
Design and licensing bases maintained according to the
operating license; sound configuration management and
control program.
Procedures upgraded in a timely manner and followed.
Management recognizes or rewards the required and
appropriate behaviors or performance of individuals and
groups.
Sound program for problem identification through resolution,
and root cause determination resulting in an effective
corrective action process.
Individuals identify, report to management and accept
ownership for problems; problems are "killed
dead"; few, if any, repetitive problems.
Sound oversight of nuclear operations, primarily in the
areas of QA/QC, but also by the various internal and
external oversight entities.
No willingness to live with problems evident as indicated by
large task backlogs (both Maintenance and Engineering) and
excessive "work arounds"; no problems of a long
standing nature.
Attention to detail regarding promised improvement programs
and commitments made to the regulator.
Total quality practiced with excellence in operations and
continuous improvement evident.
Effective employee concerns program with management
commitment evident; open problem solving culture evident; no
"kill the messenger" mentality.
Effective and efficient work control programs, primarily in
their utilization by operations, maintenance and
engineering.
No hidden culture or leadership saying one thing and doing
another.
Long-term, solid solutions to problems over short-term,
quick fixes.
Consistency in communicating the appropriate management
philosophy for the business until it is understood at all
levels in the organization.
Decisions based upon facts, not half truths or rumors.
Emphasis on individual accountability.
Emphasis on direct management involvement, management by
walking around, and supervision and coaching with routine
feedback provided to individuals on their performance.
Attention to people concerns and human relations issues;
timely conflict resolution.
Emphasis on team work or working together.
Job security and reward based upon performance and results.
Emphasis on smart work over busy work.
Emphasis on participatory management.
Pro-active over reactive response mode on problem
resolution; little or no evidence of crisis management and
being externally driven.
Open, honest, and cooperative working relationship with
regulators.
Emphasis on individual accountability with the authority to
match responsibility.
Work simplification or process improvement over needless
complication and duplication.
Organization stability; carefully planned and sequenced
change to minimize disruptions to people.
Risk taking, not risk avoidance, but accepting
responsibility and never proceeding in the face of
uncertainty.
Emphasis on improving communications in all directions, and
controlling rumors and misinformation.
Highly skilled management team with varied nuclear plant
operating experience.
Clear mission, vision, values, standards or expectations
communicated and understood, and translated into action
plants down to the worker level.
People are generally happy and there is evidence of good
morale.
Emphasis is on career planning and developing the skills of
people.
Turnover is low.
High performance standards are evident.
Office politics are discouraged and kept to a minimum.
Individuals are not "burned out" from excessive
overtime.
Sound self-assessment program evident.
There is a healthy level of tension or stress.
There is little, if any, evidence of a "we or
they" attitude between employees and their leaders.
There are recognized heroes, leaders or role models who lead
by example.
No evidence of excessive arrogance or complacency.
"Your
Partner in Transforming Organizational and Safety
Culture"
Management Diagnostics, Inc.
P.O. Box 240, Port Royal, PA 17082-0240
Tel: 717-527-4399 Fax: 717-527-4398
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