Assessing Leadership for Change in Health, Safety, and Risk Management

Change through Training and Development of Managers 

Change is inevitable and is the backbone of success for most organizations in the modern dynamic world. Duffy (2010) recognized this phenomenon and advanced the argument that change agents should not only be dreamers, but also transformational leaders who can create, sustain, and master the art of implementing change. Change agents are action oriented and depend on their expertise, interpersonal communication skills, and motivational skills to motivate others by reducing resistance to change. This paper focus is on the change process of training and developing managers in risk management and data collection to enhance organizational health and safety.

Training is one of the most important components within our safety management system. It gives employees an opportunity to learn their jobs properly, bring new ideas into the workplace, reinforce existing ideas and practices, and it helps to put our Safety and Health Program into action. Training as a change strategy proves to be effective in preparing every stakeholder for the impending change process. The benefits of training in needs assessment are highlighted in CommLab India (2013) and Flippo (1984). These resources advance that the process of training is critical in:

Exploration of strategies through which organizational competency, capability, and potential can be enhanced; 

Enabling optimum utilization of resources for better outcomes; 

Establishing relevance of training for employees through assessment of training needs; 

Aligning training to organizational goals; 

Establishing competency standards ideal at competency level; 

Focusing on areas where employees needs development skills; and 

Establishing critical skills and knowledge needed by employees to advance organizational goals. 

Relevance of Training in Risk and Safety Management Change Process 

Application of a framework on organizational climate and work performance to measure perceptions of safety at work revealed that a distinction existed between perceptions of work environment and those of performance related safety (Griffin & Neal, 2000). Nevertheless, the framework established the importance of safety compliance and safety participation in as influencers of perception of safety performance. The concept that safety climate is an antecedent for to safety performance was evident in our organizational setting.

Leadership through training and assessment reveals pertinent issues about workplace safety. Notable is the relationship between accidents at the workplaces and performance errors or failure to plan and supervise adequately. Continuous reviews of site conditions, planned construction work, and other site activities reflect an ongoing attempt to reduce safety hazards and antecedents by all personnel. The operating procedure is a crucial risk assessment and management because it describes the methodology leadership uses to generate relevant, timely, accurate, and meaningful data useful in objective development and sound decision-making. The data captured is essential in instituting a change process that will address factors to do with hazardous operations, 100% fall prevention, tie-ins, steel erection, heavy crane lifts, trenching operations, among others that would be planned and executed in accordance with the new safety rules.

Qualities and Suitability as a Change Agent 

Ezigbo (2011) defined change as a complex and dynamic process that requires application of advanced management theories and frameworks. The process is informed by an understanding that stakeholders look for a source of inspiration that motivates them to respect and follow orders, tasks, and requests. Astute leadership that addresses needs of stakeholders is imperative to oversee the change process successfully. As the change agent and leader I have exceptional communication skills, clear understanding of organizational values, goals, strategy, vision, planning, and trust in my own leadership abilities.

The qualities enable me to solicit the management commitment to the change, thus ensuring resistance is minimized. Duffy (2010) and Ezigbo (2011) observed that commitment is achieved through motivation, incentives, recognition, and rewards. My intent as a change agent is to have an in-depth understanding of organizational setting, personnel, and interactions to design a workable change strategy. For instance, in my position as the environmental and safety manager, I am charged with inspecting and evaluating the working environment, equipment, and processes. The goal is to ensure these elements comply with government and industry standards. The role requires me to draw on my expertise in hazard identification to ensure the workplace conforms to legal expectations and supports occupational health and safety. My primary mandate is the protection employees, clients, and environment.

Therefore, accomplishing this mandate requires institution of change, a process that can be accomplished through training. The change process can be implemented through the design of health and safety training and evaluation program. According to Olaniyan and Ojo (2008) training and development plays an important role in ensuring organizational effectiveness. People in the organization can influence the change process if they show willingness and commitment to learn through training. This is where motivation, incentives, recognition, and rewards apply. Weak motivational strategies can be detrimental to commitment to learn regardless of the design of training, thus reducing its effectiveness.

The Need for Motivational Strategies in Driving Change 

It is important to recognize that stakeholders in transformational change include the change agents, the leaders of organization instigating change, and the change recipients. As a change agent, I also fall under the group of mid-level manager of change because I am both the driver and recipient of change. Consequently, I must receive, digest, embrace, and propagate the change through translation, negotiation, and implementation turn strategy into a goal. The objective can be realized by bringing everyone on board. This calls for an understanding of the dynamic and complex nature of change. Change is not self-directed, but borne of external pressure from stakeholders and other factors such as competition or legal factors. As a result, change can be overwhelming and confusing, leading to uncertainties about job securities.

My role as the change agent and manager is to ensure the change curve is influenced by minimal resistance, which is a natural reaction to extrinsically enforced change. The uncertainty and confusing nature of change generate shock and fear among those targeted by change. These elements are expressed in the initial stages of the change and have a negative impact. Motivation strategies used to overcome these detriments should not appear to be forced because such as approach can result to suspicions about the validity of the change process. Ensuring acceptance and commitment to change requires motivation by addressing the main fears and concerns of the recipients of change. The goal is to deploy strategies that would not portray recipients of change as victims in need of rescuing.

I as the change agent and manager I must frame my position as a coach. This allows asking of questions that invoke thought and aid acceptance of responsibility rather than offering advice and sympathy. Coaching motivates recipients of change to abandon despair and confront challenges in a positive way. This is where integration of training comes in handy. In addition, it is imperative to create a positive environment that encourages acceptance and commitment to change. I have to frame failure as a learning process and instill the culture of accountability. The objective is to create a sense of ownership of change to increase motivation. Change is a sensitive process that should be implemented with care to avoid increased tension. Therefore, exceptionally high levels of motivation and performance can be ensured by adopting transparency through application of the core principles of:

Communication; 

Honesty; 

Self-reflection; 

Community for collective gain; and 

Ownership. 

Procedure for Change in Health, Safety, and Risk Management 

Operating Hazard Analysis 

Operating hazard analysis (OHA) also referred to as the Operating and Support Hazard Analysis (O&SHA) is a process undertaken to identify all hazards present in the operation of the system that may present inherent danger to personnel, or from which human error can be detrimental to equipment and people. The process also provides risk-reduction alternatives during the phases of operations that are based on standard operating procedures. For KBR company, preliminary hazard identification and analysis are performed at the prestart stage to identify potential hazards, procedural problems, and safety requirements that can affect constructability, cost, or schedule. The findings are analyzed and included in the execution plan for cost efficiency. The O&SHA is reviewed periodically and updated based on current and future activities. The process involves outlining of loss prevention requirements and clarification of the operations hazard analysis procedure and work plans. This is a critical process when instituting change in operational procedures and requires training of all stakeholders for effective transition.

It is important to recognize that each project or subcontractor is mandated to develop and have available for review, written detailed plan to safely perform hazardous work identified in the construction hazard analysis. These should conform to what is required by the type of work or at the direction of site management. They include tie-ins, work on existing plant equipment, piping, hot taps, pressure testing, deep excavations or trenches, trenches in operating areas of the plant, confined area entry, tank cleaning.

References

CommLab India (2013), Importance of Training Need Analysis. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/CommLab/importance-of-training-needs-analysis-ppt.

Duffy, F. M. (2010).  Dream! Create! Sustain! Mastering the art and science of transforming school systems . R&L Education.

Ezigbo, C.A. (2011), Advanced Management: Theory and Applications, Enugu: Immaculate Publications Limited.

Flippo, E.R. (1984), Personnel Management (6th Ed), New York: McGraw-Hill.

Griffin, M. A., & Neal, A. (2000). Perceptions of Safety at Work: A Framework for Linking Safety Climate to Safety Performance, Knowledge, and Motivation.  Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 5 (3), 347-358.

Olaniyan, D. A., & Ojo, L. B. (2008). Staff Training and Development: A Vital Tool for Organisational Effectiveness.  European Journal of Scientific Research ,  24 (3), 326-331.