Reporting Culture: We report our concerns. In a Reporting Culture, everyone is encouraged to report safety concerns. An atmosphere of trust and environment of psychological safety exist between leadership and employees, with employees knowing that important information will be heard and acted upon appropriately. No one should ever be afraid to speak up; it could save a life.
Just Culture: We treat each other fairly. A Culture that is Just balances the need for action when warranted, with rewards when earned. People clearly understand acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. There’s a sense of fairness in how business is conducted for everyone. In a Just Culture, those in authority do not “shoot the messenger” for bringing up safety concerns.
Flexible Culture: We change to meet new demands. A Flexible Culture is one that builds in resilience from the beginning. It enables an organization to adapt to unforeseen developments and make changes based on incoming trend information. It also allows an organization to push past obstacles when something new or different happens. A lack of flexibility has the potential to introduce degraded communications and processes with respect to safety. In a Flexible Culture, operations aren’t disrupted by additional demands, but continues to operate in a steady state to successfully complete the mission.
Learning Culture: We learn from our successes and mistakes. In a Learning Culture, employees collect, assess and share information, both formally and informally. That includes continuing education programs such as SATERN and the Safety and Mission Assurance Technical Excellence Program, as well as resources on the NASA Engineering Network and NASA Safety Center websites. It is important for employees to learn from their experiences and apply that knowledge to their jobs.
Engaged Culture: Everyone does their part. An Engaged Culture ties together the other four cultures. Regardless of status or occupation, all NASA employees actively participate in safely accomplishing the agency’s mission. The key is having engaged leaders and employees who demonstrate they value safety and get involved.
Aviation Safety Module
Safety Climate and Culture (SCC)