Just and Fair Culture

The paper first discusses the problem of non-compliance in high hazard industries, as these constitute the most frequent type of dangerous activities in terms of accident outcomes. Evidence is drawn from aviation and the petrochemical sectors. The causes of non-compliance are found to form a ‘lethal cocktail’ of i) the expectation that rules will have to be bent, ii) the feeling of powerfulness, iii) the existence of opportunity and iv) poor planning of work. 

Non-compliant behaviour can be seen as a natural response of motivated and competent individuals, often selected for their ability to show initiative, in the face of poor planning and the existence of alternative ways to get the job done. Six distinct types of non-compliance are identified, two unintentional – failures of Understanding and Awareness -, Situational, Exceptional and one for Company Benefit and one type for Personal Benefit. The issue of reckless non-compliance is discussed, together with the difference that must be considered between one-off and routine non-compliances. A previous model for the management of non-compliance, the Just Culture, is analysed and found to have a number of shortcomings, including a sensitivity to the manner of implementation, the implicit messages it sends about the importance of punishment as a way of managing non-compliance, and a lack of explicit recognition of managerial accountabilities. 

A new model, Meeting Expectations, is introduced in which all the distinct types of non-compliance are recognised, as well as non-intentional human error and expected and exemplary behaviours. For each of these types of behaviours there is a set of consequences defined for both the individual and their line managers.