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www.sname.org/sname/mt October 2013 MATURITYCONTENTIMPLEMENTATIONUSE AND FOLLOWUPIMPROVEMENT Level 4The core values are de? ned through an in-depth assessment of who the organization truly is. Hence, the core values are natural references for how things are done and remain unchanged (and relevant) over time. The various core values are internally consistent and do not contradict one another. The most important imple- mentation is through colleagues and leaders who autonomously use the val- ues in daily decision making. The core values are fol- lowed up also by clients and suppliers and are used as a tool in selection of business partners. Leaders autonomously question their own and subordinates compliance with their core values on a continuous basis with the objective of improving core values, their meaning, and compliance. Level 3There has been a process involving key personnel to determine the companys core values. Core values are not inconsistent with basic assumptions. Everybody understands the core values, and also what they imply in daily working decisions. Leaders ensure that their core values are implemented in all relevant management processes such as recruit- ment, introduction training, employee evaluation, pro- motion, procurement, change management, and so forth. The core values are used proactively in planning meetings/toolbox talk. In addition, audits and reviews also address compliance with core values. During signi? cant audits, accident investigations, or reviews, the core values and their use are addressed. Level 2Core values re? ect statutory requirements such as following rules. They re? ect how the situation should be, rather than how it truly is. Core values are inconsistent with basic assumptions. The core values are posted on Web pages and posters. Many employees feel that the core values are just a paper exercise and do not impact on daily work. The core values are used occasionally, but most often reactively. Not everybody in the company remembers what they are or how to use them. People see the need to improve the core values, but there is no structured way to rede? ne or improve their meaning or compliance with the core values. Level 1Company core values are not de? ned or are more or less copied from other companies. No process. The owner? of the core values is somebody without necessary authority or interest to get them implemented. No followup or use.Nobody takes the initiative or has the authority to de? ne/change/revitalize core values. TABLE : ASSESSMENT OF THE MATURITY OF THE CORE VALUES SYSTEM ? Content: At what level does the company want to support its employees? ? Implementation: How are the core values implemented into daily work? ? Use: To what extent are core values used and followed up systematically? ? Improvement: How are core values and their compliance used for improvements? Table 1 depicts how the maturity of the values systems is re ected in these four areas. Cultural maturity versus risk To assess the e ect of implementing the content of core values, it is worth knowing how this impacts on true performance, such as accident risk. e methodology is outlined in the following steps: 1. Questionnaire responses (responses on tailor-made questionnaire) 2. Maturity (how mature is the organizational culture?Table 1) 3. Estimated serious accident risk (given maturity and ship type) 4. Historical serious accident risk (last 10 years in comparison with step 3). e questionnaire is used to measure a company´s level of maturity in the scale presented in Table 1. e questionnaire is designed to cover aspects that are relevant for each respective maturity level. e respondents must answer to what degree they are in agreement with the items on a ve-point Likert scale. e questionnaire is distributed to all crew and shore mangers and asks for di erent traits of each maturity level. For example, an item at maturity level 1 is Our procedures are made only to protect top management responsibilities,? while a typical item at maturity level 3 is Incidents are always reported according to company procedures.? Companies that have a mature culture will typically have a lower agreement with the rst item and a higher agreement with the second LOOKING UNDER THE SURFACE