| - Accident Investigation is responsible, | | | | educators, not trainers, - spills over in |
| effective and helps the bottom line.- | | | | other areas of the workplace. TOP-SET(R) is a |
| | | | 'thinking system.' We teach our clients to |
| "On the continent," says Lorna Ramsay, | | | | investigate, i.e., to think their way through |
| Director of the TOP-SET(R) Investigation | | | | what is really a complex problem. We're |
| System, referring to Europe, there's | | | | 'problem-solvers.' And once you can analyze |
| corporate manslaughter. The CEO can be put in | | | | what happened, and learn from it, you can |
| jail if people are injured or killed | | | | prevent and eventually predict." |
| on-the-job. This concentrates the mind of the | | | | |
| CEO wonderfully," she added. | | | | HOW DO YOU TEACH 'GUT INSTINCT'? |
| | | | |
| This statement got my attention. How about | | | | "Go back to when you were in an unfamiliar |
| you? | | | | situation," Lorna tells workers in |
| | | | high-hazard industries. "Think of how a dog |
| I'm interested in the use of 'gut feeling' or | | | | or child behaves. When my dog runs down to |
| intuition in the workplace, among other | | | | the beach in the morning and sees a rubbish |
| skills considered "soft," and I'd heard Lorna | | | | bag, she'll sniff, circle it, even bare her |
| taught engineers who work in nuclear plants, | | | | teeth until she's sure it's safe. Well that's |
| the oil and gas, explosives and other high | | | | what these engineers need to learn how to do, |
| hazard industries, how to stay safe by using | | | | to 'sense' when something has changed." |
| their intuition - as part of using the | | | | |
| TOP-SET(R) Investigation System. | | | | "When you're working in a high-hazard |
| | | | industry," she says, "if you go into a work |
| Perfect, I thought, high IQ employees using | | | | situation, and there's something coming at |
| their EQ to keep alive. It's for sure in | | | | you that makes you feel funny - an almost |
| today's rapidly-changing workplace, companies | | | | imperceptible smell, a feeling, in an |
| all over the world are finding intellect | | | | explosive factory it could be a change in |
| alone is not enough. TOP-SET(R) teaches that | | | | humidity - just some change that you sense, |
| indeed it isn't. | | | | rather than see, don't ignore it. If you get |
| | | | a gut feeling something isn't right, pay |
| As to the focus of the CEO's attention, | | | | attention to that, act on that. And intuition |
| legislation has a way of encouraging ethics | | | | can be honed by just practising and |
| and humanitarian values in a corporation | | | | noticing." |
| where exhortation cannot. Some would call | | | | |
| this the "soft" side of business, but why | | | | HUMAN ERROR |
| wait to be forced to do something good that | | | | |
| also positively affects the "hard" side of | | | | Lorna says her major interest is what makes |
| business - employee retention, morale, risk | | | | people 'tick.' This includes helping people |
| management, team building, productivity and | | | | understand themselves better, work together |
| ultimately the bottom line? | | | | in groups and teams, and also human error - |
| | | | why do people have accidents and why some |
| "SOFT" SKILLS | | | | people more than others? |
| | | | |
| I've been investigating the use of "soft" | | | | "I'm interested in helping companies |
| skills to bring results in businesses around | | | | understand their people in both normal |
| the world. | | | | working situations as well as in crises," she |
| | | | says. "Clients everywhere - Thailand, |
| · Tom McDorman, managing director of | | | | Amsterdam, Germany, the US, Australia, South |
| Western Digital (Malaysia) Sdn. Bh.d, | | | | Africa - people are interested in learning |
| believes "emotional intelligence-style | | | | more about themselves and others, and how to |
| management techniques" can bolster faltering | | | | work better together, how to work more |
| Asian manufacturers. Productivity at his | | | | safely, more harmoniously, more |
| Kuala Lumpur factory jumped 20% after he | | | | productively." |
| began cultivating the 'soft' side of his | | | | |
| workers ... | | | | Lorna met recently with two partners she'd |
| | | | introduced because they were so different. |
| · University of Queensland professor Neal | | | | "The steam was rising," she said. "One of |
| Ashkanasy maintains that "It's an easy target | | | | them wanted details, figures. The intuitive |
| in terms of the softness and fluffiness, but | | | | partner kept forgetting to tell her partner |
| ... failure to recognize emotions in the | | | | two days in advance that something was coming |
| workplace [can] reflect in a demoralized | | | | up." |
| workforce." | | | | |
| | | | "When you're under stress," Lorna says, "you |
| · An article in "The Namibia Economist: | | | | fall into your hole," and Lorna knows people |
| Custodian of Business Intelligence," by a | | | | under stress. "People aren't just different," |
| Namibian economist says, "Forecasting is a | | | | she added, "They're more different than you |
| dangerous exercise and I shall not give | | | | can ever imagine." |
| myself out as an expert on this terrain. What | | | | |
| I'm saying is based purely on my personal gut | | | | But as with the partners above, being |
| feeling ..." | | | | reminded of their differences and how |
| | | | valuable these differences are to their |
| · An Australian news article began "Top | | | | business - having awareness raised - helps |
| leaders are getting in touch with their | | | | get back on track. At the end of the day, |
| emotions and those of their staff as | | | | it's understanding people and helping them |
| intuition and emotional intelligence become | | | | manage themselves which is key. |
| the hottest management buzzwords." | | | | |
| | | | INNOVATING IN A TIME OF PERPETUAL CHANGE |
| And teaching incident investigation is what | | | | |
| Lorna does for a living. She and her husband, | | | | "We help companies move forward and innovate |
| David, live in Scotland, and run the | | | | in a time of perpetual change; TOP-SET(R) is |
| TOP-SET(R) Incident Investigation System ( | | | | specifically a thinking system, a key to |
| ). They teach how to investigate industrial | | | | investigating accidents, to solving that |
| accidents all over the world, and for some | | | | particular type of problem. But the companies |
| very serious industries -explosives, | | | | often ask us to assist them in thinking their |
| pharmaceuticals, paper, shipping, nuclear | | | | way through other issues, to help them |
| engineering, medicine, gold mining, etc. as | | | | create, and to innovate." Lorna says. "It's |
| well as the emergency services and the | | | | very successful. |
| medical sector. They and the TOP-SET(R) team | | | | |
| also go into the field to investigate for | | | | I would imagine a programme such as this one |
| clients all over the world. | | | | would have wide-ranging, positive effects in |
| | | | an organization, and Lorna confirmed that it |
| The most rewarding outcome of their work is | | | | does. |
| the companies find that being humanitarian | | | | |
| affects their bottom line. What they learn | | | | "We've found when a company is honestly |
| through TOP-SET(R) saves lives, increases | | | | investigating an incident, and the regulatory |
| business performance, enhances the company's | | | | bodies are aware of that, then they're less |
| reputation, increases profitability, complies | | | | likely to prosecute. The most important |
| with regulation, and prevents and predicts | | | | thing, though, is that employees feel valued |
| similar occurrences. And it also affects | | | | and cared about when such attention is paid |
| employee morale and attitude. | | | | to their safety. And it works. It's now safer |
| | | | to be on an oil rig than in your own home." |
| "When an employer sends his managers to our | | | | |
| seminars," says Lorna, "they know the company | | | | Is it safe at your workplace, physically and |
| cares about them. What we teach - and we're | | | | emotionally? |