Human and Organizational Performance (HOP): A People-Centered Approach to Safety

Explore the principles of Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) and how it can significantly improve both safety and performance.

With stagnant workplace fatality rates across the globe, Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) is increasingly gaining recognition as the next generation of safety management. This approach is specifically designed to target high-risk industries, such as aviation, manufacturing, healthcare, and energy, where the potential for fatalities is high.   

HOP offers a practical and realistic framework, shifting away from traditional safety management methods that often place blame squarely on individuals for mistakes or failures. Instead, it focuses on understanding the underlying factors that contribute to these errors, drawing insights from fields like psychology, systems engineering, and safety science.  

This blog will explore:

• The principles of Human and Organizational Performance or HOP
• How it challenges traditional approaches
• Why its application can lead to significant improvements in both safety and overall performance within organizations

What is Human and Organizational Performance (HOP)?

First and foremost, HOP is not a safety program! It’s an operating philosophy that uses social sciences to better understand how to design resilient systems. HOP acknowledges the complexity of the work environment, which is filled with unpredictable variables that influence both successes and failures. Rather than assigning blame to individuals for errors, HOP focuses on understanding the systemic issues that contribute to those mistakes.  

Traditional safety models often foster a culture of fear, where workers are blamed for errors, stifling open dialogue and learning. HOP flips this narrative, treating human error not as a failure but as an opportunity to dig deeper into the underlying factors at play. It’s about understanding contexts and human interactions within organizational systems to improve safety.  

The HOP Principles

HOP operates on 5 principles that reshape how we think about human error and safety:  

1. Error is Normal: Everyone makes mistakes — it’s part of being human. Recognizing that errors often signal deeper organizational issues is crucial. Instead of punishing mistakes, organizations should focus on creating resilient systems that account for human error. Building in controls to fail safely when things do go wrong.  
2. Blame Fixes Nothing: Assigning blame isn’t just unproductive; it can be harmful. Cultivating a culture that encourages problem-solving at the root promotes learning and growth. By addressing issues head-on rather than finger-pointing, organizations can foster an environment of trust and continuous improvement.  
3. Context Drives Behavior: Understanding the environment in which decisions are made is critical. People’s actions are often influenced by their surroundings, so to effectively analyze what went wrong, looking at the big picture is required. This context is essential for guiding future improvements.  
4. Learning and Improving is Vital: HOP champions the idea that every mistake is a learning opportunity. Embracing failures allows organizations to identify the underlying causes and implement corrective actions that truly enhance safety and performance.  
5. Leadership Response Matters: How leaders respond to errors sets the tone for the entire organization. It’s essential for leaders to model effective communication and a commitment to learning, ensuring that everyone feels empowered to discuss and learn from mistakes.  

The Benefits of Embracing the HOP Philosophy

By embracing the principles of HOP, organizations can reap several benefits, particularly in high-risk industries where human error can have significant consequences. These benefits include:

1. Improved Safety and Risk Management

HOP provides organizations with a framework to identify, understand, and mitigate the factors that contribute to errors and incidents. By focusing on systemic issues and creating a safety culture that values learning and continuous improvement, organizations can reduce the likelihood of incidents and injuries.

2. Increased Productivity and Efficiency

By addressing underlying issues and creating systems that support human performance, HOP can also lead to increased productivity. When employees feel valued, safe, and empowered to contribute, their engagement and performance improve, leading to better outcomes for the organization as a whole.

3. Enhanced Employee Morale and Engagement

Organizations that adopt HOP are often seen as more supportive, collaborative, and open to feedback. This environment promotes higher levels of employee engagement, satisfaction, and loyalty. When workers feel that their well-being is a priority, and they are part of a system designed to help them succeed, they are more likely to be motivated and productive.

4. A Stronger Organizational Culture

HOP encourages a cultural shift from a blame-driven environment to one that is focused on learning and improvement. This shift fosters trust, transparency, and accountability at all levels of the organization, creating a more resilient and agile workforce.

To learn more about how to incorporate HOP into your organization, check out this blog: - What are the 4Ds in Safety Risk Management?

How Technology Can Help to Embrace HOP

To minimize the consequences of human error and build more resilient organizations, workers need access to data about their tasks, processes, and environment, to effectively evaluate risk. However, many organizations can’t provide this access, as data is often stored in separate systems. EHS software standardizes risk assessment practices helping workers consistently assess risks and reduce errors.  

Choosing the right software can support organizations as they contemplate how to incorporate HOP into their safety programs. Data-driven decision-making is the foundation for performance improvements as it provides deeper insights through data analytics, including real-time data collection on hazards, controls, and system failures. Dashboards identify trends and patterns in human and system performance, not just compliance metrics.  

This proactive and data-driven approach to safety promotes learning across the organization. It lowers overall risk and allows teams to adopt best practices across multiple locations.   

Final Thoughts

Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) offers a transformative approach to safety management that fosters a culture of resilience and learning within organizations. By recognizing that error is a normal part of human activities and focusing on systemic improvements, organizations can create safer work environments and achieve better overall performance. If there is interest in fostering a more resilient and safer work culture, embracing the principles of HOP could be a game-changer.

For more on managing safety with a human-centered approach, check out the eBook, Mitigating Safety Risks Through Human-Centered Design.