For former fighter pilot and U.S. Marine, David Wilbur, failure is something that should be at odds with his very nature. But, David believes embracing failure can actually be an asset and a key tool for improving operational reliability. David will be presenting at Mainstream Conference 2021 on “admitting human error in the workplace – maximizing asset reliability with human factors”. Here he explains how failure is not exactly black and white, and why allowing for some types of failure is a critical element of building a high-thriving organisation. Time to Embrace Human Failure In most organisations there are three primary domains of asset integrity: Asset reliabilityProcess reliabilityHuman reliability Most leaders who want to create a high performing asset base believe if they focus on the first two aspects, then the human reliability piece will fall into place. It will simply do what it’s supposed to do and people will make good choices. The problem is we often have a reductionist view of our assets: if X happens then Y. But people aren’t necessarily bound by science. We’re human. And an integral part of the human condition is that we’re equally prone to failure as we are to innovation and discovery. There’s research showing organisations who allow for failure see far more economic benefits than those who don’t. We’ve done our own research that has yielded similar results. Our own body of research has proven environments where people feel connected to the purpose, feel well-led, are in a psychologically safe … Continue reading →

Do you often hear people asking “how exactly is this done?” or “what’s the next step in this process?” Or maybe you’ve been on the receiving end, fielding a seemingly endless stream of questions about how work gets done in your organisation. If any of this sounds familiar, you may have a knowledge transfer problem, says Time Investment Expert and Best-Selling Author, Kate Christie. Kate’s speaking at the upcoming Mainstream Conference, a three-day event for Asset, Reliability and Maintenance professionals that celebrates the people, technology and ideas transforming asset management. Here she shares with us why documenting the accumulated knowledge in your organisation is crucial, how it can boost both productivity and efficiency, and four steps you can take to prevent critical information from walking out your company’s door. The true cost of IP loss Do you have a few key players within your company who are the gatekeepers of your knowledge? These “fonts of knowledge” know every step of the process inside out, it feels like they could do it in their sleep. Your intellectual property (IP) is one of your most valuable assets, and if you haven’t yet documented the knowledge that’s sitting in people’s heads, you’re exposing your organisation to risk. Risk of rework, risk of duplication of effort, and ultimately the risk of that knowledge one day walking out the door. Finding a way to get specialist ‘know how’, processes, ideas and information out of people’s heads and onto paper seems like a huge task. It … Continue reading →