When the Sea Catches Fire: Paradigm Shifts, Diversity and Psychological Safety

Tribe Culture Change’s Lead Consultant, Rich Opie, talks to SHP Online on how major incidents lead to shifts in collective thinking and how leaders can learn from these 

Having recently completed a global roll-out of Wellbeing Champions for an international energy solutions company, I started to ponder the nature of the growing understanding of wellbeing and psychological safety in the workplace. 

Where did the consideration come from? What was the catalyst? Why has there been a maturing attitude towards these factors in recent years and can an understanding from leadership give an organisation a competitive edge?  

Learning from past incidents 

To understand this shift, we need to go back 36 years to an event painfully etched into the collective memory of the UK and the global industry. On the night of 6 July 1988, 120 miles off the coast of Aberdeen, the Piper Alpha oil platform caught fire, resulting in the deaths of 165 men out of a crew of 228.  

As a result, The Cullen Inquiry documented a series of errors and accidents leading to this tragic event, which remains the most fatal offshore accident in history. This catastrophe bequeathed us the health and safety culture and legislation we have today. 

No one could have imagined the sea catching fire with such ferocity. It’s a powerful image, and if we honour it as a metaphor, we can see that sometimes the sea indeed catches fire. 

More recently, in Spring 2020, the pandemic brought another paradigm shift. Hybrid working, collective understanding of contagion, and attitudes towards hygiene have never been the same since.  

One lasting legacy that I hope comes from it is a greater understanding of wellbeing. And for me this is where the similarity between Piper Alpha and the pandemic become clear. Both led to a paradigm shift. Both were the beginning of maturity for the fields that rose like phoenixes from the flames of their respective and devastating fires. 

Leading culture change 

Both these events were the beginnings of maturity for their respective fields. For Piper Alpha, it marked the start of the modern age of safety culture. For the pandemic, it is hoped to be the start of the modern age of wellbeing culture.  

Both safety and wellbeing were known and promoted by their respective professionals but were largely paid lip service to by management and leadership until these events led to a loss of innocence. 

These events are not just about the processes or technical failures but understanding the people involved with them. Cullen was primarily talking about the culture of organisations. For example, affiliated rigs continued to pump gas to the Piper Alpha for nearly an hour after the first explosion, continuously feeding the fire.  

In retrospect, Cullen recognised a lack of ownership and empowerment among more junior staff, who did not feel it was their place to stop production and waited for senior onshore managers to order the cessation of pumping. Today, we would call that a lack of psychological safety. 

Psychological safety 

To feel psychologically safe, we need to feel valued. To feel valued we need to feel included. Which brings us to the importance of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I). Here is another field where progressive organisations are finding an edge.  

ED&I has evolved from being mere buzzwords to integral aspects of organisational culture and performance. Embracing diversity entails appreciating and leveraging the unique qualities and perspectives that each individual brings to the table. By encouraging diverse perspectives and experiences, organisations can enhance innovation, decision-making, and problem-solving. 

To imagine an organisation that values who you are and allows you to have your voice is to imagine an organisation that understands your wellbeing is important to engagement, motivation and commitment. All of which drive an organisation’s success.  

Overcoming challenges 

However, despite the numerous advantages of promoting diversity, inclusion, wellbeing, and psychological safety at work, challenges persist. Some organisations struggle to overcome unconscious biases, create inclusive policies, or provide adequate support for employee wellbeing.  

Additionally, nurturing psychological safety requires a culture of openness, trust, and vulnerability that may not come naturally to all workplaces. Overcoming these challenges requires proactive leadership, ongoing training, and a commitment to continuous improvement. 

But overcome them we must, just as safety culture has had to overcome similar barriers.  

To highlight the comparisons between the development of safety culture and wellbeing, culture consider this quote from the Cullen Inquiry: 

“I was conscious that no amount of regulations can make up for deficiencies in the quality of management of safety. That quality depends critically on effective safe leadership at all levels and the commitment of the whole workforce to give priority to safety.  

“I saw those factors as intertwined with each other, and together making a positive learning culture and all that entails in the way of values and practises. It is essential to create a corporate atmosphere or culture where safety is understood to be and accepted as the number one priority.” 

Now swap out safety for wellbeing and read it again. It becomes clear that human centred practices are at the heart of both safety and wellbeing culture. One of the key actions that came out of the Cullen Inquiry was legislation for the introduction of Safety Representatives. People empowered outside of line management to recognise safety issues and speak truth to power without fear of negative consequence.  

This is recognisable as legislated Psychological Safety. In the global roll-out I did for that international energy solutions company, we promoted the importance of Wellbeing Champions. Whilst not legislated and not driven by the same goals the comparison is clear. 

Leadership and inclusion 

It took two years for Lord Cullen to produce his report. The Covid Inquiry is ongoing and is scheduled to be released sometime in 2025. We don’t know what, if any, legislation will come from it. But as already highlighted, Cullen noted there are limitations to regulatory bound systems.  

The key to a robust and mature wellbeing culture is in leadership and inclusion. As we move forward, it is essential for businesses to embrace these principles and invest in creating environments where all employees can thrive. 

It has taken decades for safety culture to get to where it is after Piper Alpha. Wellbeing culture is a baby by comparison. But I believe that just as one disaster bequeathed an environment where countless lives will have now been saved, the pandemic will bequeath an environment where wellbeing will be at the heart of competitive businesses in the coming decades. Paradigm shifts from when the sea catches fire.