Creating a dynamic safety culture with an international infrastructure company
A decade-long collaboration has transformed safety and well-being
CHALLENGE
A tragic fatality prompted this international infrastructure company to reflect deeply on its safety practices. Despite established safety protocols, the incident exposed deeper, underlying issues in the safety culture that had gone unnoticed. Leadership began questioning how these gaps existed and became increasingly concerned about a potential disconnect between their safety policies and the actual practices and mindsets within the workforce.
SOLUTION
To address this disconnect and transform its safety culture, the company partnered with JMJ. The journey began with a comprehensive Safety Culture Assessment to uncover people’s true perspectives and experiences regarding safety. The findings revealed a gap between leadership’s perception of safety culture and the actual workplace reality.
To bridge this gap, JMJ facilitated a series of Commitment Workshops™. These sessions challenged leadership to acknowledge the discrepancies and commit to meaningful change. The initial approach included engagement workshops, orientations across the business, and the establishment of a safety leadership team.
Over nearly a decade, the safety initiative has evolved to integrate modern safety concepts such as psychological safety and Human and Organizational Performance (HOP). JMJ and the infrastructure company co-designed customized workshops to address the organization’s unique challenges and specific roles within it. This collaborative approach has empowered leaders and employees to take an active part in designing and facilitating interventions, creating a strong sense of ownership and reducing resistance. As a result, the strategy is seen as an internally driven effort rather than an externally imposed mandate.
CLIENT GOALS
This international infrastructure company aimed to identify and address gaps between its safety policies and the actual safety practices observed across its global operations.
RESULTS
The decade-long partnership has led to a significant cultural shift. Leadership has become more receptive to workforce feedback, viewing it as a valuable tool for continuous improvement rather than criticism. This dynamic approach has embedded safety deeply into the culture, with the highway’s division now recognized as the company’s highest-performing unit for safety and well-being. The success of the initiative has attracted attention across the broader organization, inspiring other divisions to consider similar transformations.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Cultural diagnostics are critical: Deep diagnostics can reveal hidden issues within your organizational culture that might otherwise go unnoticed.
- Engagement at all levels: Transformation is more likely when all levels of the organization are engaged in the process. Listening to the front line can provide invaluable insights that shape more effective safety initiatives.
- Ownership drives success: When employees feel that they own the change process, rather than it being imposed by external parties, there is greater buy-in and less resistance. Co-designing approaches with those who will implement them ensures long-term sustainability.
- Continuous evolution is key: Safety strategies should not be static. Regular updates and adaptations help maintain relevance and effectiveness, ensuring that the strategies evolve within the organization.
- Long-term commitment yields results: The transformation of a safety culture is not a quick fix but a long-term journey. The decade-long commitment to creating a culture of care has delivered measurable improvements in safety performance and has become a model for other parts of the organization.
Transformed safety culture
Highways division top performer for safety and well-being
Set the safety standard
Other divisions plan to adopt the approach
Mindset shift
Leadership and workforce collaborating to make safety personal