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The question that drives safety work in a just culture is…

“The question that drives safety work in a just culture is not who is responsible for failure, rather, it asks what is responsible for things going wrong. What is the set of engineered and organized circumstances that is responsible for putting people in a position where they end up doing things…” quote by Sidney Dekker
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““The question that drives safety work in a just culture is not who is responsible for failure, rather, it asks what is responsible for things going wrong. What is the set of engineered and organized circumstances that is responsible for putting people in a position where they end up doing things that go wrong?””

Sidney Dekker

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Safety should examine systemic causes of errors rather than assigning blame to individuals.

In simple terms: Look at systems, not just people, when things go wrong.

Key Takeaway

Design safer systems, not just punish.

Themes

safety systems responsibility

Mood

analytical pragmatic

Type

professional educational

When to use this quote

  • industrial accidents
  • healthcare errors
  • software failures
  • team performance

Key Concepts

human factors organizational design

Questions to Reflect On

  • How can we balance system design with individual responsibility?
  • What tools help identify hidden systemic factors?
A Different Perspective

Systemic focus can overlook personal accountability.

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