The Criminalization of Human Error

It is a relatively new phenomenon, appearing only in the last 200 years of our human history. It is the criminalization of an inescapable human error.

In our chase for high reliability, we’ve raised the bar to criminalize an immutable human characteristic. And it has worked its way from a societal expectation right into the human resource rules of most organizations.

We believe the prohibition of human error to be both unjust and counterproductive. Our just culture model give recognition to error, believing that learning, system design, mentoring, and coaching are stronger interventions than a more traditional and emotionally-satisfying tact of blame and shame.

Substantive v. Procedural
Justice

Most of us know procedural justice as “due process.” What makes an investigation fair, equitable, and just?

Nine Behavioral
Benchmarks

How can an organization maximize its performance given it is populated with inescapably fallible human beings...

Criminalization of
Human Error

In our chase for high reliability, we’ve raised the bar to criminalize an immutable human characteristic.

System
Design

Good systems of justice should lead us to system design more often than it does today. Merely telling employees...

Agency and
Choice

We humans have agency. We make choices. And how we help humans make better
choices is central to...

No Harm,
No Foul

We societally turn a blind eye to risky choices, waiting for the undesirable outcome to occur. When harm...

Psychological
Safety

Work environments are meant to be a place where we can all feel safe, and free from discrimination...

It has been our mission, for the past 30 years, to help overhaul workplace and societal justice, to do a small part in ridding the world of structural injustice. We started with the cancer of demanding perfection from inescapably fallible human beings.