Organizational and Individual Factors on Safety Culture in Airside Operations Department at International Airport AAA in Southeast Asia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14456/abacodijournal.2024.26Abstract
This case study reports on the use of an organization development approach to develop and improve safety culture in the airside operations department at an international airport. The study used an action research approach to investigate two objectives; 1) assessing the current safety culture and opportunities for improvement; and 2) implementing appropriate OD interventions (ODI) to improve safety culture. The action research process involved managers (n = 5) and staff members (n = 100) from the department, who engaged in a series of large-group and small-group interventions planned by the researcher and department managers. A pre-test/post-test quantitative survey, coupled with formal and informal interviews and observations, were used to collect data to analyze outcomes and plan future steps. The predictors of safety culture included organizational factors (management commitment, safety communication, safety training, employee involvement, and procedural compliance) and individual factors (safety beliefs and hazard perception). The findings indicated that perceptions of safety culture significantly improved following the series of interventions, as did the components of safety culture that were identified. Qualitative interviews also indicated improvement in safety culture and greater awareness of safety issues. Furthermore, findings indicated that both organizational factors and individual factors had a significant impact on safety culture. The implication of the study is that safety culture can be influenced by organization development practices, although there were limitations to the change’s scope and there is a need to consider how to sustain changes in the long term. Recommendations are provided for the focal organization, industry, and academic study based on the findings.
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