Safety intelligence: an exploration of senior managers' characteristics

Area of Science:

• Organizational Psychology
• Safety Management
• Human Factors

Background:

• Senior managers exert considerable influence on organizational safety.
• The specific personal attributes that enable this influence are not well understood.
• Understanding these attributes is crucial for enhancing safety policies and practices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and explore the concept of 'safety intelligence' in senior managers.
• To identify personal attributes that contribute to senior managers' effectiveness in safety leadership.
• To investigate the relationship between senior managers' characteristics and their impact on organizational safety.

Main Methods:

• Study 1: A questionnaire survey (N=76) with direct reports to Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) in European air traffic management (ATM) organizations.
• Study 2: In-depth interviews (N=9) with senior ATM managers focusing on their daily safety-related work.
• Qualitative and quantitative data analysis to identify relevant managerial attributes.

Main Results:

• Six key attributes were identified as relevant to senior managers' safety intelligence.
• Social competence and safety knowledge emerged as particularly important attributes.
• Other significant attributes include motivation, problem-solving skills, personality, and interpersonal leadership.

Conclusions:

• Senior managers' 'safety intelligence' is influenced by a combination of specific personal attributes.
• These findings provide a foundation for developing targeted leadership training and guidance.
• The identified attributes have been incorporated into practical safety management guidance, such as the EUROCONTROL White Paper.