Objectives
A succesfully developed Just Culture can generate measurable effects such as increased event reports and corrective actions taken, as well as intangible orgnisational and managerial benefits. Vietnam Airlines’ primary objectives is to develop the following:
1. Building a Trust Culture
A well-defined Just Culture can clearly establish between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. This can bring together different members of a large organisation such as Vietnam Airlines that often have infrequent contact in policy decision-making, which results in better common understanding where lines are drawn for punitive actions, enhances the trust that is at the core of Just Culture.
A successful Just Culture can also instill confidence of frontline employees in its management’s prioritisation of safety of its interest in assigning blame. This will reinforce our common vision and values regarding the need to put safety first in all aspects of operation.
2. More effective safety and operational management
Just Culture will enhance Vietnam Airlines’ effectiveness in defining job performance expectations, establishing clear guidelines for the consequences of deviance from procedures and promoting the continuous review of policies and procedures.
Just Culture can allow Vietnam Airlines to be better at determining if violations are occurring infrequently or if deviation from established procedures has become normalised among frontline employees or managers (Routine system mistakes/violations)
Outdated or ineffective management structure can be manifested in many ways, as by operational inefficiencies, lost opportunities or safety lapses. While Just Culture is implemented primarily for safety, it is recognised that “The same factors which are creating accidents are creating production losses as well as quality and cost problems” (Capt. Bertrand Decourville, Air France, 1999).
3. Increased reporting – a developed Reporting Culture
Just Culture can lead to increased event reporting, especially of previously unreported events and can also identify trends that will provide opportunities to address latent safety problems.
It has been estimated that for each major accident involving fatalities, there are as many as several hundred unreported incidents that, if properly investigated, might have identified an underlying problem in time to prevent the accident (Operator’s Flight safety handbook, GAIN, 1999)
A lack of reported events is not indicative of a safe operation, and likewise, an increase in reported events is not indicative of a decrease in safety. Event reporting illuminates potential safety concerns. Any increase in such reporting should be seen as a healthy safety indicator.