Transformational leadership and occupational safety

1. Transformational leadershipandoccupational safety Julian Barling Queen’s University March, 2004

2. Scope of the problem • In 1995 in the US, more than 6,000 fatal work injuries • At the same time, 3.6 million disabling injuries • Between 1993 and 1996, 1.1 million injured per year at work in the UK • 1996 estimate in Ontario: each workplace fatality costs the system $496,000 • Major consequences in terms of work attitudes for people injured in workplace incidents

3. The productivity costs of safety • Comparison of days lost from injuries vs strikes (in Canada, in millions; Stats Canada data)

4. The societal costs of safety in Canada

5. The societal costs of safety in Canada

6. Comparing murder and occupational fatality rates in Canada

7. Why the focus on management? • Management practices affect well-being, employee attitudes and performance • Could they also affect workplace safety behaviors?

8. Assumption • Most frequent approach to safety in organizations is the control of “accidents”, usually through: • Implementation of management controls, and sanctions for deviations • Conformity with government regulations • Conformity with the terms of collective agreements

9. Problem and Opportunity • People simply do not like being controlled. • They prefer to be trusted, encouraged and treated with dignity—and they will respond accordingly • The data now support the differences between a control orientation and a commitment orientation by management

10. The challenge • Can we move to use this information to enhance safety in the workplace (and perhaps elsewhere, too)? • Transformational leadership is the most widely researched leadership theory, and has shown positive effects in many different areas, such as: • Industry • Military • Education • Unions • Sports teams • The challenge: We need to motivate people to ensure they want to do the best work they can, and this includes working safely

11. The 4 “I”’s of transformational leadership • Idealized influence • Doing it because it is the right thing to do • Inspirational motivation • Raising the individual’s and group’s expectations • Telling stories to communicate values • Intellectual stimulation • Getting people to develop their own solutions • Individualized consideration • Listening, showing concern, empathy

12. We have completed three studies on the effects of transformational leadership on safety performance • Transformational leadership and injuries • Training teenage supervisors for safety-specific transformational leadership • Transformational leadership as a part of a “high performance work system”

13. Safety specific transformational leadership and occupational safety Julian Barling Catherine Loughlin Kevin Kelloway Journal of Applied Psychology, 2002 jbarling@business.queensu.ca

14. Studied 174 participants (64% males) • Average age = 27 years (range: 15-64) • All in the restaurant industry

15. Transformational leadership

16. Transformational leadership Safety consciousness

17. Perceived safety climate Transformational leadership Safety consciousness

18. Perceived safety climate Transformational leadership Safety- Related events Safety consciousness

19. Perceived safety climate Transformational leadership Safety- Related events Occupational injuries Safety consciousness

20. Conducted a replication study • Young workers, for whom safety is a major issue • Expanded the focus on the predictors of injuries • 164 participants (49% female) • Mean age = 19 years (range = 14-24)

21. Transformational leadership Perceived safety climate Safety- related events Occupational injuries Safety consciousness

22. Transformational leadership Perceived safety climate Safety- related events Occupational injuries Role overload Safety consciousness

23. Transformational leadership Perceived safety climate R2 = .42 Safety- related events R2 = .10 Occupational injuries R2 = .34 Role overload Safety consciousness R2 = .33

24. Training young supervisors in safety-specific transformational leadership Niro Sivanathan Julian Barling Nick Turner A work in progress

25. Next challenge • Can we actually training leaders to behave more transformationally so that they influence subsequent safety? • Strong evidence from our previous research • Deliberately chose to focus on a vulnerable group (teenage employees) completing a highly responsible task (swimming pools instructors) in a hazardous setting (municipal swimming pools) who usually do not receive much safety management training • Entire study took place during a 12 week swimming session

26. Design of the study • Weeks 2-3: Surveys completed by 18 swim supervisors and 81 swim instructors. Ratings in terms of safety-specific transformational leadership and safety attitudes and behaviors • Week 5: Six hour training session for 9 supervisors in the “experimental” group (all at the same pool) • Taught the concepts of transformational leadership • Focused on leaders they identified and examined their behaviors • Focused on stories about famous transformational leadership • Focused on the importance of safety in their jobs and the role of transformational leadership

27. Week 9: Booster session for the experimental group • 2 hour session for 9 swim supervisors in “experimental” group • Summarized the major concepts of transformational leadership • Group discussions of their own successes and lessons learned in transformational leadership • Weeks 11 & 12: All swim supervisors and 81 swim instructors complete all the transformational leadership ratings, and surveys on safety attitudes and behaviors

28. Transformational leadership training works with teenage swim supervisors

29. Transformational leadership training Changes in transformational behaviors Personal safety orientation

30. Safety-specific transformational leadership is one component of a high performance work system Anthea Zacharatos Julian Barling Rick Iverson Journal of Applied Psychology, in press

31. Transformational leadership does not exist in isolation • Generated a high performance system, comprising: • Transformational leadership • Employment security • Selective hiring • Extensive training • Teams and decentralized decision making • Information sharing • Reduced status distinctions • Contingent compensation • Job quality • Measurement of management practices

32. Organizational level analysis • Surveys sent to health and safety managers and HR Directors of 1471 industrial organizations • 147 HR directors responded (10.2%); reported on HR practices and occupational injuries • 247 health and safety managers responded (17.1% response rate); reported on occupational injuries • High performance work systems then significantly predicted company’s annual injury record

33. But… • This study does not explain how HPWS affect safety • Therefore we conducted a study at the employee level • 196 employees from two different organization (petroleum and telecommunication industries), both safety-sensitive situations • Hypothesized that HPWS affect safety indirectly, through the effects of safety climate and trust in management

34. High performance work system

35. Trust in management High performance work system Positive safety climate

36. 1st aid Near miss Trust in management Safety incidents High performance work system Positive safety climate

37. 1st aid Near miss Trust in management Safety incidents High performance work system Positive safety climate Personal safety orientation Comply Initiative Knowld Motivate

38. Transformational leadership affects safety:Some concluding thoughts • Expands our understanding of the extensive effects of transformational leadership • Opens up new avenues for enhancing safety (vs. minimizing injuries) • Need to focus more on evaluation studies of the effects of transformational leadership training • Provides an optimistic perspective of what can be achieved with part-time, teenage supervisors

39. Thank you!