HRO: (5) Reluctance to Simplify

There is a principle found in HRO’s described as “reluctance to simplify observations.”  Other training I’ve received describes this principle as “reluctance to simplify conclusions.”  In an organization, this manifests as a restless attentiveness, a terrier-like desire to dig down to the true root cause, a cynical-leaning mindset that does not allow the easy, simple or obvious be the answer.  It is the raised-eyebrow response that says “surely that can’t be the only reason, it can’t be that simple.”  Simplification says “they were just tired; they were just new; they were just distracted; they were just not feeling well”; “that equipment is too old; that machine just fritzes like that sometimes.”  

Reluctance to simplify uses thoughtfully phrased clarifying questions:  “yes, I understand this person is new to the organization; but tell me about the training and orientation they received”; “fatigue is certainly a contributor, but how long had it been since this person had two sequential days off and how often is that occurring for this ward?”; “thanks for researching the age of the machine and I understand that definitely was part of it, but can you also give me the last year’s-worth of work orders, when the replacement parts were ordered, and tell me who was on shift when this problem happened”; “this is an unfortunate failure for this person, but were they impaired somehow when this happened and what could we have done to prevent putting that person into that situation”.

This principle relates directly to the biblical principle of discernment.   King Solomon is held up as an example of wisdom and discernment, but that was not how he started his rule.  1 Kings 3 relays the early days of Solomon’s kingdom.  Solomon recognized his deficits and specifically asked God for wisdom.  In verse 7, Solomon humbly describes himself as “a little child.”  He recognizes that he is unprepared for the job set before him; he has no illusions about his competence and abilities.  He does not stand on his own in pride.  Instead, when asked by God for “whatever you want me to give you”, Solomon asks for “a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong” (vs 9).  God’s response to Solomon is three-fold:  He is pleased with Solomon’s unselfish request; He promises to grant the request for wisdom; He promises to grant wealth and honor for which Solomon did not ask.  1 Kings 3: 16-28 gives the famous example of Solomon’s discernment when two prostitutes bring their sons—one living, one dead—to Solomon.  His demand that the living child be cut in half causes such distinct responses from the women, it reveals clearly who is truly the baby’s mother.  This judgement exemplifies simultaneously Solomon’s wisdom and his care for people—recall that his prayer to God was for wisdom to lead the people well.  

The principles used by highly reliable organizations have at their heart a desire to avoid harm.  In healthcare, that means not harming patients; in industry, it means not having accidents that harm employees or damage property.  While some of this “zero harm” mentality may come from a desire to avoid litigation and bad publicity, I believe that the purest desire for zero harm stems from true love of others, a desire to serve others, and an understanding that all people are God’s people.  Like Solomon, we ask for wisdom to “govern [God’s] people.”  We can look to apply Godly wisdom to our roles in work, our leadership and management positions and demonstrate “reluctance to simplify.”  Because we will simultaneously desire to take care of people and steward the resources of the organization, we will not lazily simplify—we will not look to scape-goat a person or blame failure on “only” a broken piece of equipment or an unclear process.  Because we seek to emulate God’s wisdom, we will strive to understand complexity and not shy away from challenging problems.  

Solomon’s proposed solution of cutting the baby boy in half seemed like a simple, brutal solution—the opposite of Godly wisdom and discernment.  But the desired outcome—protect the innocent, expose the guilty, create a just outcome—was achieved by his unorthodox approach.  I believe that in order to successfully, consistently apply HRO principles, we must keep the end result clearly in mind:  protect the innocent, expose the guilty, create a just outcome that glorifies God.  A reluctance to simplify will not stop with only one of these but will seek a complex and sustainable good.   

Psalm 119 is the longest Psalm in the Bible.  It is organized in sections which, in the original Hebrew, use the letters of the alphabet to guide the structure of the writing.  The theme of the entire Psalm, which has a unique flavor in each section, is that of both rejoicing in and seeking God’s wisdom.  Themes of protecting the innocent (v 63, 79), exposing the guilty (v 53, 95, 113; 97 through 104), and creating a just and sustainable outcome that glorifies God (v 88, 94-96, 111, 116-118) abound.

 

1)      Select a section from Psalm 119 and meditate on it.  Look for themes of protecting the innocent and seeking justice; exposing the guilty or exposing flawed, weak and dangerous processes; seeking out, emulating and rewarding justice, wisdom and integrity. 

2)      Consider a recent work-related error or situation that caused harm.  Was there an innocent party who needed to be protected, someone who could be unfairly blamed?  Was there a guilty person—someone who had been negligent or downright malicious?  Or was there a flawed, broken, risky process in place that represented shoddy management and poor foresight—the opposite of wisdom, discernment, and sustainable good?  Were there components of all of these things?   How did you approach the situation?  Did you simplify or did you use discernment?

3)       King Solomon was far from a perfect king—verse 3 says that he followed God’s decrees but continued to worship idols.  Despite Solomon’s imperfection, God used him to lead His people.  Read 1 Kings 3, in particular 5 – 15.  Do you approach your obligations with humility (v 7)?  Do you ask for wisdom first—or for wealth and honor first?