Organic Leadership, Quality Principles, and Aviation Safety: A Mindful Approach to Sound Safety Practices (Part 2)

Introduction

This is Part 2 of this week's exploration of organic leadership, aviation safety, and my "quality" realization. After writing the organic leadership article, I wanted to explore whether a nonintrusive management approach to aviation safety and safety management is possible. In this article, let's take things a step further by discussing transformative methods for applying these principles to create organizational change and affect growth in ways we may not have thought possible. Part 1 of this article segment is linked here (https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/organic-leadership-aviation-safety-management-mindful-zohrab-fvmnc), in case you missed it.

Continuous Improvement: Taking It One Step Further

Continuous improvement (Kaizen) is central to all quality management programs in the realm of business outside of aviation. Historically speaking, Kaizen is the "quality" approach to quality management. It is also crucial to an effective aviation safety management program, but how can we take it a few steps further?

Continuing with the theme of organic leadership as a pathway for effective and viably sound aviation safety implementation, organic leadership offers a path forward by emphasizing the importance of trust, empowerment, and subtle guidance. Instead of relying solely on post-incident policy changes, we can foster a culture where continuous improvement is driven from within—by the people on the front lines. This approach is the most efficient and effective path to achieving long-lasting transformative change and disruptive growth for any organization.

Empowering employees to take ownership of safety initiatives encourages them to proactively identify risks and propose solutions before incidents occur. This bottom-up approach contrasts with the traditional top-down model, where changes are often imposed after an event. When safety is woven into the fabric of the organization, continuous improvement becomes a natural, ongoing process—one that evolves in real-time rather than as a reaction to past events.

Practical Steps for Implementing Organic Leadership in Safety Management

Embracing organic leadership in aviation safety requires a shift from traditional, top-down control models to a more human-centered, empowering approach. While the principles of organic leadership may sound abstract, they can be translated into actionable steps that foster a more engaged, proactive safety culture. Some practical steps for implementing these ideas include:

Encourage Open Communication and Feedback Loops

Organic leadership thrives on transparency and trust. In aviation safety, this means creating an environment where all personnel feel comfortable sharing concerns, reporting potential risks, and suggesting improvements. Leaders should actively seek input from employees at all levels and establish open feedback loops that ensure concerns are heard and acted upon.

• Actionable Step: Create regular forums, such as during regularly scheduled safety meetings and in our anonymous reporting systems, where employees can voice their safety concerns without fear of retribution—a foundational element of safety program implementation. Ensure these systems are accessible and follow up on reported issues, closing the loop to build trust and show that input is valued.

Empower Employees with Responsibility

Trust is at the heart of organic leadership. In aviation safety, empowering employees means giving them the autonomy to make safety decisions and take action when necessary. Rather than waiting for approval from higher-ups, employees should be trusted to act on their training and expertise to ensure safety in real-time. Also, it's essential to recognize that traditional "hands-off" safety training we have been used to for many years may be doing the company a disservice if the aim is to transform and grow the organization while maintaining a stronghold on safety management.

• Actionable Step: Train personnel to recognize potential safety hazards and empower them to address those hazards on the spot by (1) taking action as needed and, if possible, preventing escalation and (2) reporting the event promptly through company-designated channels. Provide guidelines and tools that allow employees to make decisions without needing constant approval, creating a more responsive and engaged safety culture. Evaluate training outcomes and bolster training programs and initiatives to ensure maximum effectiveness and value.

Focus on "Why," Not Just "How"

Traditional safety training often focuses on procedures and compliance, emphasizing the "what and how" of safety practices. Organic leadership adds a crucial element: understanding the "why." When employees understand the underlying reasons behind safety protocols, they are more likely to internalize and apply these practices effectively. Training is also an important step here.

• Actionable Step: Incorporate discussions of the principles behind safety procedures into training programs. Help employees see the bigger picture and understand how their actions contribute to overall safety, fostering a sense of purpose and commitment to the organization's safety goals.

Lead by Example

Leaders set the tone for the entire organization. In an organic leadership model, aviation safety leaders should model the behavior they wish to see in their teams. This means demonstrating a commitment to safety, openness to feedback, and trust in their personnel's expertise.

• Actionable Step: Show a commitment to safety in both words and actions. Attend safety meetings, actively participate in discussions (but don't forget to listen more than you speak, allow organic participation, and do not dictate your thoughts, views, and opinions without first listening and taking into account the thoughts and viewpoints of the collective as a whole), and ensure that your actions align with the safety culture you want to promote. When leaders demonstrate organic leadership principles, it reinforces the importance of these values to the entire organization.

Build a Proactive, Not Reactive, Culture

One critical shift in organic leadership is moving from a reactive to a proactive mindset. Instead of waiting for incidents to occur and responding with new policies, organizations should foster a culture of continuous improvement where potential risks are identified and mitigated before they become issues.

• Actionable Step: Implement continuous safety audits and encourage teams to conduct regular risk assessments (remember, internal and external audits are basic safety program requirements). Create opportunities for employees to contribute ideas for improvement and reward proactive safety measures. Building a culture that values foresight and prevention reduces the likelihood of needing reactive measures later.

Trust the Process

Lead subtly, genuinely, with clear focus and intention, free of personal bias and judgment. Leave no assumptions unevaluated. Approach situations with an open mind and be receptive to communication from all angles. Trust your people. In aviation safety, this means creating a system where safety becomes ingrained in the culture and is upheld naturally by all employees without the need for constant oversight or intervention.

• Actionable Step: Gradually reduce the reliance on top-down control and empower teams to manage safety autonomously. Trust that, with the right culture, training, and systems in place, employees will take responsibility for safety as part of their everyday work. Celebrate successes and reinforce the idea that safety is a shared responsibility across the organization.

Can Safety Management in Aviation Benefit from a Mindful, Taoist Approach?

The principles of the Tao, particularly the concept of gentle leadership outlined in the 17th verse, offer profound insights into how safety management in aviation can evolve. This verse suggests that the best leaders lead so subtly that the people hardly notice their presence. When their work is done, the people feel they accomplished everything themselves.

In aviation safety, this Taoist approach means creating a system where safety is so deeply embedded in the organization's culture that it requires minimal oversight. The focus shifts from control to trust—from enforcing policies to empowering individuals to make safety-conscious decisions on their own.

By applying the principles of organic leadership, we can create a safety management system that is both proactive and self-sustaining. Leaders set the tone, but the front line carries the responsibility and daily ownership of safety. This allows for a more resilient and adaptive safety culture, one that can respond to challenges with flexibility and foresight rather than rigidity and reactions.

Methodical Action and Organic Leadership

While the 17th verse of the Tao speaks to the power of subtle and gentle leadership, the 15th verse provides a more fitting lens for managing aviation safety. It emphasizes the value of careful, methodical action—a fundamental principle for sustainable safety management.

The 15th verse describes the ancient masters as cautious and deliberate, moving like someone walking on thin ice or crossing a winter stream. This imagery highlights the importance of thoughtfulness and awareness in every action. This concept resonates deeply with the principles of aviation safety. The 15th verse of the Tao, as written by Stephen Mitchell:

"The ancient Masters were profound and subtle.

Their wisdom was unfathomable.

There is no way to describe it;

all we can describe is their appearance.

They were careful as someone crossing an iced-over stream.

Alert as a warrior in enemy territory.

Courteous as a guest.

Fluid as melting ice.

Shapable as a block of wood.

Receptive as a valley.

Clear as a glass of water.

Do you have the patience to wait

till your mud settles and the water is clear?

Can you remain unmoving

till the right action arises by itself?

The Master doesn't seek fulfillment.

Not seeking, not expecting,

she is present, and can welcome all things."

In safety management, methodical action is essential. Each decision and process must be carefully considered, not just for immediate outcomes but for long-term implications. The mindful leader, like the ancient sage in the Tao, is not hasty or reactive. Instead, they observe the situation with clarity, act with precision, and guide their organization through challenges with steady, deliberate steps.

We want to create a culture that values caution over haste, preparation over overreaction, and awareness over control. A methodical approach ensures that safety is not an afterthought but a continuous, proactive practice embedded in the organization's culture. This will move us closer to achieving a state of organic safety—where safety flows naturally from the organization's culture and actions rather than being forced through control and reactive measures.

Human Factors in Organizational Initiatives: The Guts of "Organic Leadership"

Why have I placed so much emphasis on verses from Tao in this and in other discussions I've posted?

It's because these verses, I believe, add perspective to what "is" [actual, sometimes unrealized, reality] and highlight our disconnect thereof and our life in duality—connected to things and disconnected from each other and to nature. Why does this even matter? How does it relate to organic leadership and to aviation safety?

In my view, it relates to the fact that we are human, and we make human mistakes. Human factors are pertinent in all aspects of our industry, especially in achieving organic levels of leadership and examining the effectiveness of leadership, management, growth, and safety initiatives.

If we fail to see this, if we fail to recognize our human mistakes [within ourselves, not in others], and if we don't take mindful action to create some level of transformative shift within ourselves, we fail at implementing the intended initiative (safety management, for example).

Why do we need transformative shifts as we move the organization and implement initiatives? I say this because developing an organization requires self-development.

Transforming an air carrier, an organization made up of people, only happens when the people within that organization also transform.

There is no way around it. Any effort or "success" outside this characteristic is never long-lasting. Sustainably sound organizational change starts with sustainably sound personal change.

The lesson in failure

I do want to take a quick aside to say that failure is meaningless. So, you "failed." Who cares?

The failure event is not the actual failure. The actual failure is when we fail to see the failure event's underlying lesson. Not seeing the lesson is the actual failure—not the failure event itself.

Failures are great opportunities for us to learn and grow. True failure comes from missing those opportunities as they come.

Check your ego

Unfortunately, as business leaders, employees, and humans, we have a nasty habit of allowing ego and pride to get in the way of reflection, introspection, questioning, feedback, and criticism. Why should these items, such as introspection and criticism, be intimidating, destructive, or harmful to us? The ego is meant to protect us, but it typically does more harm than good in many ways.

This inhibition and resistance to authentically introspect, apply feedback and criticism, and question ourselves plainly and clearly detrimentally quashes any sort of safety, growth, and continuous improvement initiative an organization might undertake.

Why practice this behavior? Is ego or pride so vital that we jeopardize everything we build and are part of!?

Aviation safety initiatives, as quality management undertakings, thrive best when egos are checked away right before we rise out of bed each day.

Why does all of this Human and Ego stuff matter in the context of Aviation Safety?

Applying aviation safety principles is a constant effort. It's not just "management of a system," no.

It's a mindset—a constant effort that is placed into the organization each day, at every operation the air carrier contemplates.

How can this be achieved while also having the bandwidth to focus on other parts of the business?

Through mindfulness and methodical application—maybe a Taoist approach, if you want to go there. Maybe pure introspection, questioning, and reflecting as an organization and individually within it. There is no one "right answer" here—what works best for the organization and for each individual within it?

I can tell you the wrong answer to what works best for mindful application: ego-centric, pride-driven application of any initiative. Those traits keep our blinders on and maintain the status quo: the antithesis of what is "continuous improvement" and how aviation safety should be approached, conceptualized, and run.

Aviation Safety Implementation: Pause and Ask Some Questions

Aviation safety has historically not been formally documented, named as a program at most aviation entities, has not been a regulatory requirement until recent changes, and has essentially been regarded as an "extra step." Why is that?

Pilots are trained in "safe" practices from day 1 of their flight training. Thus, when building and managing aviation organizations, we rely on the professionalism of our pilots to "have our backs" with safety. Should this be the ultimate stance? How are things changing as a result of the 14CFR Part 5 regulations that affect parts of the industry? (Not very much, honestly.) Can Safety Management in Aviation Benefit from understanding and applying Quality Management principles that other sectors have already mastered?

We, as pilots, are mindful of safety and hold safety in our activities with incredibly high regard. Our lives, pride, and certifications are at risk anytime we make a mistake. Why haven't aviation organizations historically taken on the same burden? Are we relying on the pilots as the last line of defense?

Do we, as business leaders or the workforce on the front lines, think we're practicing safety every day just by thinking about it or only by speaking the words?

Is there a disconnect between air carrier leadership, operations and management, business management, front-line employees in the carrier's administration, and the trained flight crews and maintenance technicians who move the carrier?

I feel these are all genuine questions in this section that each air carrier, whether contemplating startup or in a mature state, must ask themselves—at all levels of the organization.

What Quality Management Looks Like in Other Industries

For decades, quality management systems (QMS) have been at the forefront of ensuring product safety, consistency, and customer satisfaction in industries outside aviation. A few key industries provide strong, factual examples of how quality management principles are applied successfully, each with its unique approach.

Automotive Industry: Toyota and the Kaizen Model

The automotive sector has long embraced quality management principles, particularly through the Toyota Production System (TPS), which popularized Kaizen, or continuous improvement. Toyota's system emphasizes problem-solving at the floor level, involving every employee in identifying inefficiencies and suggesting improvements. This bottom-up approach encourages employees to take ownership of processes, mirroring the organic leadership principles discussed earlier. By empowering workers to be part of the quality control process, Toyota has maintained its position as a global leader in reliability and manufacturing efficiency.

For example, employees on Toyota's production lines are encouraged to stop the assembly process if they notice a defect. This act, known as "Jidoka," prevents faulty products from progressing down the line, allowing problems to be addressed in real time. This proactive approach to quality control prevents larger issues down the road and ensures that continuous improvement is an ingrained cultural practice.

How can the aviation industry relate to this characteristic, particularly in air carrier organizational management?

Healthcare Industry: Lean Six Sigma in Hospitals

The healthcare industry has also adopted quality management through methodologies like Lean Six Sigma to improve patient care and operational efficiency. Lean Six Sigma focuses on reducing waste and minimizing variations in processes, which is crucial in hospitals where efficiency can be a matter of life and death. Hospitals across the U.S., such as The Mayo Clinic, have successfully implemented these principles, leading to measurable improvements in patient wait times, surgical outcomes, and overall patient satisfaction.

For instance, using Six Sigma tools, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center reduced emergency department wait times by 25% and increased patient throughput without compromising care quality. These improvements were achieved by empowering employees at every level to propose process changes, analyze data, and implement solutions, similar to the decentralized approach in aviation safety.

Are we, as air operations professionals, able to decentralize decision-making and control to affect positive transformation to this degree?

Pharmaceutical Industry: Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)

In the pharmaceutical sector, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) are a set of regulations enforced by global health agencies like the FDA to ensure that products are consistently produced and controlled according to quality standards. Pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson adhere strictly to GMP to prevent contamination, errors, and deviations in drug manufacturing.

GMP mandates that quality control is not the responsibility of a single department but involves everyone from production workers to management. Employees are trained to understand the "why" behind each procedure, ensuring that quality becomes a shared responsibility throughout the company. This proactive, human-centered approach helps prevent errors that could have catastrophic consequences for patients and the company's reputation.

How close are we in the aviation industry to training the "why" behind safety practices and implementing a human-centered approach within our organizational management practices?

Conclusion

In exploring how organic leadership can transform aviation safety management, we see that the shift from reactive to proactive safety management is not just a theoretical framework—it has been proven effective in other industries. By studying the Kaizen model in automotive manufacturing, Lean Six Sigma in healthcare, and GMP in pharmaceuticals, we observe common themes of empowering employees, fostering continuous improvement, and embedding quality management into organizational culture.

Aviation safety, like quality management in these industries, should not be seen as an extra step or an afterthought. When deeply embedded into the organization's culture, safety becomes a shared responsibility, organically supported by all levels of the workforce. This is the heart of organic leadership—leading in a way that allows employees to feel ownership over the processes that ensure the safety of their operations.

As we discussed, the principles of Taoist leadership remind us of the value of subtle, methodical action, which allows organizations to cultivate sustainable safety management. This approach resonates with mindful and organic leadership practices, encouraging leaders to be thoughtful and deliberate in every decision. Aviation safety can benefit immensely from such mindfulness, where safety processes evolve naturally, driven by a proactive, engaged workforce rather than a reactionary, top-down approach.

The conclusion here is clear: organic leadership and quality management principles from other industries offer valuable lessons for aviation safety. By empowering employees, focusing on the "why," and embracing continuous improvement, we can build a resilient, adaptive safety culture that aligns with the natural flow of human factors, rather than working against them. Ultimately, this leads to more substantially beneficial safety outcomes, a more empowered workforce, and a more successful organization.