Structure Systems Drive Workers Managers Steven Kerr's

¶ … Structure Systems Drive Workers Managers Steven Kerr's article "On the folly of rewarding A, while hoping for B" is as entertaining as it is insightful. The author's thesis is that far too often, the system of rewards existent in organizations and in basic societal structures are counterintuitive to the results that organizations and those structures claim to want.

The author states that most times "the types of behavior rewarded are those which the rewarder is trying to discourage, while the behavior desired is not being rewarded at all." This thesis can play an integral role in how to properly structure systems that drive workers and managers to improve safety performance -- which can logically result if this type of behavior (improving safety performance) is rewarded. In most instances, however, improving safety performance is not a primary goal of organizations.

Usually organizations are focused on making money, which may require successfully marketing or selling some form of product or service. Safety is viewed as a mere hazard or an impediment to achieving the organization's primary goal, which is to increase its profit. Therefore, the bulk of an organization's attention, concerns, and rewards go to employees who are able to further it in the achieving of this primary objective.

Far too often, safety performance is a neglected factor since it is viewed as a negative consequence, while it is human nature to focus on positive consequences and the achieving of objectives. By simply transferring the bulk of rewards from increasing profit to improving safety performance, or perhaps by providing rewards for the latter option that are commensurate with the former, organizations can successfully implement systems to drive their employees to improve safety performance.

The truth of the matter is that safety hazards are very real and, when they occur in sufficient magnitude, can offset the boons of any amount of profit. Potential lapses in safety can result in injury to employees, destruction to private and personal property, and injury to the community surrounding a community depending on what industry it is in. Federal action and litigation may arise in the wake of failure to adhere to safety regulations.

All of these ramifications can be extremely costly, which is why organizations need to shift their priorities to include the preservation of safety performance as something that is actually worthy of reward, instead of something that organizations merely hope is avoided. Some very tangible means of structuring systems to assist in bettering safety performance include making an evaluation of an employee's prowess in this area part of his or her annual process for wage increases.

By providing monetary rewards for following safety measures, employees can send a clear message that this particular issue is important. As a result, they are more than likely to have employees actively incorporate following safety as a part of their everyday routine, so.