What does it take to change a culture? Too often the answer is disaster.
Boeing and the Importance of Encouraging Employees to Speak Up
It shouldn’t take a tragedy to fix a culture.
May 01, 2019, Updated May 04, 2019
Summary.
What does it take to change a culture? Too often the answer is disaster. In the aftermath of the two fatal accidents of Boeing 737 Max jets, tentatively blamed on the over-automation of Boeing’s flight systems, renewed attention to Boeing production facilities was perhaps an inevitability. Evidence is now trickling out that workers in the troubled Boeing 737 Dreamliner plant in South Carolina were pushed to maintain an overly ambitious production schedule and fearful of losing their jobs if they raised concerns. This is a textbook case of how the absence of psychological safety — the assurance that one can speak up, offer ideas, point out problems, or deliver bad news without fear of retribution — can lead to disastrous results.