A massive amount has been written about ‘Just Culture’. As valuable as the theory behind it is, the application of just culture is far from simple at times. We are instinctive creatures, prone to making assumptions and to exerting bias in our relationships with others. We all work under time pressure and – therefore – at times that pressure encourages us to seek the speediest response to an event. What the practitioner needs is absolute simplicity; not just for the sake of ease of application but also for ease of understanding on the part of all personnel.
In no way is this article intended to be a step-by-step guide to the design and implementation of a just culture. Instead, I am – very briefly – sharing some of my own thoughts on what I have observed during my career to date; in both military and civilian service and across numerous cultures.