Home > Emotional Intelligence in Business > Case Studies > Specialty Chemical Plant

Creating a Culture of Safety in Specialty Chemical Plant

A multi-year intervention in an American chemical manufacturing plant led to a 91% improvement in employee engagement, correlated with a 167% increase in production quality and an 83% decrease in reportable safety incidents.

Overview

Situation: a speciality chemical manufacturing plant with 285 employees, based in the eastern United States, confronted reality: their employees were disengaged, their safety record was not satisfactory, and the “safety programs” were not working. They needed a different approach.

Solution: After data collection and debriefing, the company worked with Six Seconds’ Partner Tom Wojick to embark on a collaborative program focused on the Why, What, and How of increasing employee engagement for a culture of safety.

Results: They experienced a dramatic increase in engagement, production quality, and safety, while transforming their workplace into a positive place to work.

The project focused moving away from a “safety program” and replacing that with a “culture of safety” based on a clear understanding of the organizational climate and new management practices focused on Relationship-Centered Leadership.

The case is summarized in a key concept: Leaders Don’t Motivate – They Create the Conditions for Self-Motivation.

Situation

Management and employees both recognized that their plant was struggling. One employee, echoing the feelings of many of his coworkers and managers, stated, “We have tremendous possibilities and potential, but we can’t seem to find a way to make it all come together.’’ A lack of trust, respect, and meaningful input into decisions for all contributed to a culture of disconnection and alienation. Employees were unwilling to report “near-miss” incidents for fear of retaliation, allowing serious safety lapses to go unrecognized. Production quality was low. An attitude of “us vs. them” was pervasive.

Solution

Building off of the results of an Organizational Vital Signs analysis, plant management engaged in a committed and collaborative data-gathering process. They then committed to shifting from a “carrot-and-stick” management style to one rooted in autonomy, connection, and competence (informed by Self-Determination Theory). Managers were trained and coached to use this new style, and developed new criteria to evaluate their daily interactions:
Are we permitting and encouraging employee autonomy?
Will this approach improve and build our relationships with employees, or distance us?
Are we recognizing, developing, and empowering our employees’ competencies?
Are our interactions guided by the values of our vision?

Results

The project was highly successful. Engagement increased, as did quality and safety. The plant became a positive place to work.

.

INCREASED ENGAGEMENT

Share of disengaged employees dropped a massive 91.6%

%

.

QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

Batch quality improved 167%

%

&

IMPROVED SAFETY

Serious safety incidents decreased 83%

%

Products & Services Delivered

Organizational Climate

OVS – Organizational Vital Signs is a validated assessment that quickly captures essential indicators of your organization’s health — and offers a clear path toward peak performance.