Operational excellence culture

As senior managers, we recognize the importance of achieving a positive operational excellence culture and that excellence is defined by the diligent consistent efforts by everyone in the organization. An organization s company culture reflects the collective actions of every worker and in our role as leaders we recognize we must always ... 

The term safety culture is often over used and frequently not well understood. To some people safety culture means the company has rules that have to be followed and how that is perceived is largely a result of the leadership in place. Safety culture is defined by what an organization does and the actions it takes routinely and reliably, more so than just the words used to portray the desired state. Words without actions ring hollow and so it is with a company s core safety and the overall operational excellence culture. Here are some diagnostic questions that may help determine where your company safety culture currently stands ... 

Many companies, particularly large corporations, will publish a Mission Statement that includes an explicit commitment to operational integrity values and programs. Mission statements are a high-level expression of the culture that management wishes to foster. Table 3.2 is an example of such a statement for an operational excellence. 

Talvivaara has continued to develop its operations in line with its sustainable development policy which emphasizes continuous improvement and operational excellence. With respect to safety issues Talvivaara s goal is a safe and healthy working environment. The company has continued to develop its safety culture based on zero accident philosophy. The company is also committed to continuous improvement in environmental efficiency, operational risk management and reduction of environmental impact. 

The value of this Leadership drive goes beyond the substantial monetary value. The investment in the capabilities of staff at all levels has formed an investment in the Production Leadership, but has also formed the basis for the Pride in Production that has manifested itself amongst all frontline staff across the organization, for operators, technicians, contractor partners, and functional staff alike. The positive energy that has been derived from this pride has resulted in a remarkable passion, resilience, performance and team work across the organization that will form the basis for a continuous improvement journey towards operations excellence that is based on a culture of learning and investment in people. 

Good housekeeping is central to all types of operational, maintenance, and safety work. The quahty of housekeeping also provides auditors and other outsiders with an opportunity to provide a quick evaluation of the overall level of operational excellence in a facility. In the words of the proverb, You don t get a second chance to make a first impression. And it is housekeeping that creates that first impression. Housekeeping also provides a quick check regarding culture and employee participation since everyone has an impact on the appearance of the facility. 

This book will examine key attributes that are part of the operational excellence journey and will also provide insights for developing a genuinely effective and sns-tainable company culture that truly values safety, health, and the environment within organizations in the oil, gas, and related industries. 

To achieve and sustain world class performance, we must develop strong capability in operational excellence throughout (Company B). This requires active leadership and the entire workforce to be engaged. We must develop a culture where everyone believes that all incidents are preventable and that zero incidents is achievable. With engaged and committed leadership, effective processes and an OE culture, we can achieve our objectives in operational excellence. 

Operational excellence (OE) and PSM are closely related. PSM elements typically coincide with the enabling elements selected for inclusion in the OE framework for organizations operating with the oil, gas, and petrochemical industries. Foremost among them are culture, procedures (aU types) training, competency, and management review. One of the most fundamental requirements for an effective OEMS is... 

These and other questions should begin to indicate that safety leadership is foundational to the operational excellence journey. It has been said that a company s safety culture is not what they say they will do (as in their written procedures, rules, and standards) but what everyone does in actual fact, when no one is looking over their shoulders, how they approach each and every task, day in and day out, 24/7. 

The undelayed evaluation of state of a culture by using software sensors and computers, based on the quantitative analytical information provided by hardware sensors and intelligent analytical subsystems, constitutes an excellent basis for targeted process control. Experts - either human or computer - have the data and the deterministic knowledge to trace observed behavior back to the physical, chemical and physiological roots thereby gaining a qualitative improvement of bioprocess control, a quantum leap process control can act on the causes of effects rather than just cure symptoms. A simple standard operating procedure [398] has proven useful, namely ... 

At JACADS, significant progress was made in developing a safety culture, and during the latter phases of demilitarization operations the plant was consistently achieving excellent safety performance. This does not appear to have been the case at TOCDF (NRC, 1999a). 

On the other hand, it is claimed that these advantages are offset by the necessity of sterilizing the must, pressed grapes and juice. In practice, however, the benefits derived from the use of pure culture yeast can often be had without resorting to the costly operation of sterilization. The pure culture yeasts arc especially advantageous in the manufacture of white and sparkling wines and in the refermentation of the latter. They are used extensively abroad for these purposes and have secured some recognition and produced excellent results in some wineries in this country. 

Probably the most traditional type of inspection is that conducted by the laboratory supervisor. This form of inspection presents an excellent opportunity to promote a culture of safety and prudence within an organization. The supervisor gains the opportunity to take a close look at the facilities and operations. He or she also can discuss with individual workers issues of interest or concern that may fall outside the scope of the actual inspection. Again, a constructive and positive approach to observed problems and issues will foster an attitude of cooperation and leadership with regard to safety. It can help build and reinforce a culture of teamwork and cooperation that has benefits far beyond protecting the people and physical facilities. 

Secondly, additional studies are required to constmct more items to measure the different sources of chemistry self-efficacy. If researchers construct items based on Bandura s (1977, 1997) four sources of information, then four subscales should be developed. Investigations are particularly needed to examine the differential effects of the sources, because the four sources of information may operate differently in different cultures and thus have different effects on self-efficacy (Klassen, 2004). The sources of mathematics self-efficacy have been examined by many researchers (e.g., Lent et al., 1991, 1996 Lopez et al., 1997), and excellent reviews are available (e.g., Usher Pajares, 2008). When chemistry educators attempt to create more items to measure sources of self-efficacy, they may consider the experiences of mathematics educators. Qualitative research methods such as semi-structured interview are also useful to explore sources of chemistry self-efficacy. Chemistry students may be asked what sorts of things does your teacher do that help you feel more confident about learning chemistry More examples of interview questions are available in Usher (2009). 

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