2025 Spring Meeting and 21st Global Congress on Process Safety
(41t) Lifting the Veil: A Decade of Research Reveals New Thinking and Industry Trends in Human Performance and Operational Resilience
As industries face rising operational complexities and increased safety challenges, the role of human performance in navigating these demands has become the buzz. After a decade of data collection and 18-months of in-depth analysis in the petrochemical sector, our research reveals significant insights into human performance and its influence on operational resilience. This presentation introduces a conceptual framework that moves beyond traditional compliance models, emphasizing the importance of human adaptability and dynamic decision-making. Our evolved model redefines human performance, showcasing how an organization's ability to adapt and learn is central to achieving safe and efficient outcomes in both routine and high-stakes scenarios.
This framework challenges conventional safety paradigms that rely heavily on engineering design and strict procedural adherence. While these factors are important, our findings indicate they fall short in capturing the nuanced, real-world environment of frontline operators and leaders. Instead, the framework we present emphasizes non-linear interactions, situational awareness, and critical thinking as core components of operational success. We will examine how advanced analytics support this model, providing evidence that effective human performance hinges on an individual’s ability to respond flexibly and make sound decisions in the face of changing conditions.
In a time when the stakes of safety incidents are higher than ever, the need to foster adaptive human performance is critical. Organizations can no longer depend solely on technical robustness or procedural compliance; human-powered resilience is the foundation of sustainable operations. We highlight the crucial role of organizational culture in supporting this shift toward adaptability. An organization that prioritizes a learning culture—one that sees people as assets rather than liabilities—can harness human factors to drive operational resilience. Our model reveals that by understanding organizational dynamics and leveraging human adaptability, organizations can improve their ability to manage unexpected events by up to 83%, compared to a mere 58% improvement through traditional methods alone.
This research further underscores the importance of leadership alignment and teamwork. Leaders set the tone for a safety-oriented culture that encourages employees to learn from incidents and adapt their approaches to new challenges. We will explore how organizational alignment with values and goals provides the foundation for unified adaptive strategies, ultimately enhancing human performance in critical moments. Balanced leadership fosters an engaged workforce that is proactive, vigilant, and equipped to address safety challenges with creativity and flexibility.
A key finding of our analysis is the notable gap between leadership perceptions of risk and those of frontline operators. While senior leaders may feel confident in their strategies, frontline personnel often express concerns that risks are not adequately managed at the ground level. This disconnect suggests a pressing need to establish stronger communication channels and mechanisms for early issue identification, which could significantly enhance situational awareness across all levels of the organization.
Our research also identifies a substantial opportunity for growth in incident learning practices. Despite the high stakes, fewer than half of respondents in our studies report feeling competent at learning from incidents, and only a minority feel confident in developing new tools to address emerging risks. This indicates an environment where beneficial deviations from established procedures are rare, often due to a lack of support for innovation and continuous improvement. Addressing these gaps requires cultivating an organizational culture that promotes empowerment and problem-solving capabilities, empowering employees to contribute to a more resilient and responsive system.
To translate these findings into actionable strategies, this presentation will outline practical steps for organizations seeking to strengthen their human performance. These include engaging leadership and stakeholders, assessing current resilience levels, and leveraging predictive analytics to identify vulnerabilities. Training and continuous education are emphasized as essential components of this process, alongside fostering an environment where learning is prioritized. Regular monitoring and progress reviews ensure that efforts to build resilience remain adaptive to evolving risks and challenges.
Our presentation invites leaders to rethink human performance in the context of resilience and adaptability. By focusing on the human element, organizations can turn resilience into a competitive advantage, transforming both strengths and blind spots into opportunities for improvement. This approach aligns safety and performance goals with the real, often unpredictable nature of work, providing a roadmap for safer, more resilient operations.
This framework challenges conventional safety paradigms that rely heavily on engineering design and strict procedural adherence. While these factors are important, our findings indicate they fall short in capturing the nuanced, real-world environment of frontline operators and leaders. Instead, the framework we present emphasizes non-linear interactions, situational awareness, and critical thinking as core components of operational success. We will examine how advanced analytics support this model, providing evidence that effective human performance hinges on an individual’s ability to respond flexibly and make sound decisions in the face of changing conditions.
In a time when the stakes of safety incidents are higher than ever, the need to foster adaptive human performance is critical. Organizations can no longer depend solely on technical robustness or procedural compliance; human-powered resilience is the foundation of sustainable operations. We highlight the crucial role of organizational culture in supporting this shift toward adaptability. An organization that prioritizes a learning culture—one that sees people as assets rather than liabilities—can harness human factors to drive operational resilience. Our model reveals that by understanding organizational dynamics and leveraging human adaptability, organizations can improve their ability to manage unexpected events by up to 83%, compared to a mere 58% improvement through traditional methods alone.
This research further underscores the importance of leadership alignment and teamwork. Leaders set the tone for a safety-oriented culture that encourages employees to learn from incidents and adapt their approaches to new challenges. We will explore how organizational alignment with values and goals provides the foundation for unified adaptive strategies, ultimately enhancing human performance in critical moments. Balanced leadership fosters an engaged workforce that is proactive, vigilant, and equipped to address safety challenges with creativity and flexibility.
A key finding of our analysis is the notable gap between leadership perceptions of risk and those of frontline operators. While senior leaders may feel confident in their strategies, frontline personnel often express concerns that risks are not adequately managed at the ground level. This disconnect suggests a pressing need to establish stronger communication channels and mechanisms for early issue identification, which could significantly enhance situational awareness across all levels of the organization.
Our research also identifies a substantial opportunity for growth in incident learning practices. Despite the high stakes, fewer than half of respondents in our studies report feeling competent at learning from incidents, and only a minority feel confident in developing new tools to address emerging risks. This indicates an environment where beneficial deviations from established procedures are rare, often due to a lack of support for innovation and continuous improvement. Addressing these gaps requires cultivating an organizational culture that promotes empowerment and problem-solving capabilities, empowering employees to contribute to a more resilient and responsive system.
To translate these findings into actionable strategies, this presentation will outline practical steps for organizations seeking to strengthen their human performance. These include engaging leadership and stakeholders, assessing current resilience levels, and leveraging predictive analytics to identify vulnerabilities. Training and continuous education are emphasized as essential components of this process, alongside fostering an environment where learning is prioritized. Regular monitoring and progress reviews ensure that efforts to build resilience remain adaptive to evolving risks and challenges.
Our presentation invites leaders to rethink human performance in the context of resilience and adaptability. By focusing on the human element, organizations can turn resilience into a competitive advantage, transforming both strengths and blind spots into opportunities for improvement. This approach aligns safety and performance goals with the real, often unpredictable nature of work, providing a roadmap for safer, more resilient operations.