Collective ImprovementsFrom theory to practice

Qantas Heritage

Qantas “Top of the list for the third year…, an extraordinary record”

“…over its 95-year history the world’s oldest continuously operating airline has amassed an extraordinary record of firsts in operations and safety and is now accepted as the industry’s most experienced carrier.”

Qantas Brand is synonymous with

Safety

People Safety…The Past

• Vast Regulatory Framework drives • Compliance focussed culture• Complexity and bureaucracy

• Reactive• Focussed on injury management• Reducing negative outcomes

• Focus on below the line controls • PPE, behaviours etc.• Procedures, rules, policies

• Safety being measured through absence of negatives

Old safety solutions…

• Slow to adapt

• Compliance culture that undermines frontline expertise

• Lack of engagement, ownership & innovation

• Reduced organisational intelligence and creativity

• Reduces trust, discretion, autonomy and responsibility

• Focused on how things ‘should happen’

The Opportunity…A New Future

Move from control through procedures, policies & intervening in human behaviour to…

Harnessing the expertise from our employees, improve adaptability, resilience, innovation and self-organisation.

Three key principles:• People are the solution• Safety is the capability to create positive outcomes • Safety is an ethical responsibility

Build Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose, through engaging and empowering our workforce to create an adaptive and resilient

WHS environment.

Opportunity for Disruptive change

Challenges

• Placing People back at the centre of the solution

• Positioning safety as the capability to create positive outcomes

Barriers

• Industry slow to change• Heritage of management through

policies & procedures• Strong regulatory focus - CASA &

WHS resulting in a very compliance based culture

What if safety is about the capability to create positive outcomes?

Collective Improvement

Uncover everyday experiences and develop innovative solutions to improve normal work

Shifting focus from error management to learning what enable positive results

Negative outcomes Positive surprises

Work in reality

Canberra – Fall from Heights risk

Victim or Villain?

Collective Improvements Process

Focus GroupsCollaborative Analysis

Site Improvement

Collective improvements – Stage 1

Focus Groups

• Collect Information• When work is difficult• Speaking up

• 7 Groups• 44 Employees• 171 Stories

Collective improvements – Stage 2

Collaborative Analysis

• Cross section of organisation• Collaboratively identifies what

should be done• Immersion• Clustering • Defining

Stage 2 - Immersion

Stage 2 - Clustering

Stage 2 - Defining

Improvement areas

1.When tooling, equipment and facilities are not available as required 2.When the procurement process breaks down 3.When the preplanning of tooling, parts and training is not put in place prior to the commencement of work 4.When the time you have left is less than the time to do the job 5.When time is not enough for training 6.When the IT equipment, support and training is insufficient 7.When the preplanning for a task results in inadequate equipment and tooling 8.When clothing/uniforms impact work 9.When procedures and processes do not support work 10.When tool control is not well maintained (personal and company) 11.When there is no visibility of progress to resolution of issues in the workplace 12.When communication between managers and staff is inconsistent and can be improved 13.When the setup (planning, tooling, equipment, space) hinders teamwork 14.When the facilities/workspace is inappropriate for specific maintenance tasks

Collective improvements – Stage 3

Site Improvement

• Frontline employees identifies solutions to make work more productive, efficient and safe

• How good can it be?• Leaders host conversations and

support activity• Brainstorm & prioritise ideas• Cost Benefit analysis• Act

People are the solution

Benefits realised

• Improved communication, participation and engagement

• Employee satisfaction and morale – people careabout what they create

• Increased innovation– solicited more viewpoints and experience

• Improved efficiency, productivity and safety

Key Strategies for Change

Courageous & Committed leaders willing to shift from….

Hero’s to Hosts

Answers to

Questions

Reactive to

Creative

Constraints to

Facilitation

Thank You!