Instructions
In the CSU Online Library, read the following article by the author of our course eTextbook, Fred Manuele:
Manuele, F. A. (2015). Culture Change Agent. Professional Safety, 60(12), 38–44. https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/logi…
Write an article critique in which you accomplish the following:
- Accurately identify the premise of the article.
- Analyze the author’s points in support of the premise.
- Offer your own opinions as you critically evaluate the merit of the article using strong arguments and evidence. How does the article support this unit’s concepts?
Your analysis and evaluation should include of the following items:
- an evaluation of a change agent (e.g., definition, purpose, function);
- a summary of the requirements and responsibilities of a safety professional in the role of change agent; and
- your analysis and recommended strategies for a safety professional to remedy the author’s number one listed reason change initiatives fail.
You are encouraged to offer your opinion and experience. Although your opinion or belief may be based on experience and not necessarily a truth claim, you should always provide a citation and reference that supports your idea or view as a safety professional.
Your article critique must be at least two pages. The title page (if used), or any reference pages do not count toward the page requirement. You must use at least two sources, other than the original article, to support your article critique. All sources used must have citations and references properly formatted in APA Style. APA formatting of the assignment is otherwise not required. Please include citation,reference this paper will be scanned for plageriarism report should be 2% if is more than 2% i will ask you to redo.
a
a
unit 2 Announcemen
In this unit, we will take some time to explore The Role of the Safety Professional as a Change Agent.
The Perception of a Safety Professional
Despite the importance of the safety professional’s role as a culture change agent, many leaders understand very little about the safety professional identity and practice, who they are, and what they do.
If the Safety Professional’s role is not clearly defined, they may not understand their role as a change agent.
The general perception of “Safety” is that it can be achieved by just following the rules! There is a feeling that safety rules make people safe, but it is the act of following the rules that reduce the risk of an event …” (Potter, 2018)
As a follow-up, Manuele (2020) states the following “This idea should be kept in mind as attempts are made to fix things because of OSHA citations. While it may be satisfactory for OSHA personnel if the subject of the citation is fixed, safety professionals would be aware that attention is also needed to fix the deficiencies in the management system that are relative to the subject of the citation.” (Manuele, 2020)
Determining the current perception of safety within the organization requires observation, discussions with other departments, and researching the overall business environment.
As a safety professional, ask yourself the following questions – “Does the leadership listen to me?” or “Does the leadership see the importance of what I do?”
Consider the following: when a safety professional enters a room, holds a meeting, submits an oral report, etc. The professional image exhibited has a direct impact on how ideas and concepts are received. Does the person have a professional image reflecting the style and quality of the organization’s management? Does the image convey to peers, the leadership team, and employees a clear, concise, confident individual who knows what they’re talking about without being condescending or abrasive? Does the image portray a person who can be trusted? (Roughton, Crutchfield, & Waite, 2019)
The impact of any previous safety person may have created a lingering image to be overcome or attained depending on the strength of the appearance or presence of the former safety person.
A Common Language
In meeting this challenge, the question is, Do Safety Professionals and Leadership Speak the Same Language?
At times, Leadership has different safety goals due to conflicting philosophies, specialties, and expertise. Friction in an organization can cause “dissension or conflict between persons, … because of differing ideas, wishes …” (Friction, 2018).
A common language determines how peers, Leadership, and employees receive communications. An essential step is determining if the safety professional uses the same business language as the organization. Communication is through daily actions, presentations, positive attitude, style, and a professional presence constantly on view.
The safety professional must be consistent in presenting ideas and making a case for safety improvement. The “game” is to set a strategy that can consistently show the safety process and its programs are practical and efficient. What must be done is to determine how to present the best case for Leadership with hazards and associated risk made tangible in the same business language and terminology the organization uses.
When groups work on misaligned goals, team conflict rises, reducing goal success, thus increasing organizational friction. (Is Organizational Friction KillingYour Firm’s Productivity?, n.d.)
“Possibilities of being successful in such endeavors are enhanced if the safety professional attains the status of an integral member of the business team. That could result from the safety professional giving well-supported, substantial, and convincing risk reduction advice that serves the interests of the organization.” (Manuele, 2020)
Bibliography
Friction. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.dictionary.com/browse/friction
Is Organizational Friction KillingYour Firm’s Productivity? (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.managersresourcehandbook.com/download/White-Paper-Organizational-Friction.pdf
Manuele, F. A. (2020). Advanced safety management: Focusing on Z10.0, 45001 and serious injury prevention (3rd ed.; Wiley, Ed.). Retrieved from https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781119605409
Potter, C. (2018, January). Do We Need Better Safety Rules? Retrieved from http://safetytopics.com/do-we-need-better-safety-rules/?utm_source=Safety Blog: Do We Need Better Safety Rules%3F&utm_campaign=safety video, safety training&utm_medium=email
Roughton, J., Crutchfield, N., & Waite, M. (2019). Safety culture: An innovative leadership approach. https://doi.org/10.1016/C2017-0-01667-1, https://amzn.to/3O0IxEW