ABSTRACT
The prerequisite for beginning down the path that both Kotter and Quinn illuminate is the appointment of a champion; for people, that champion is the individual who will lead the Safety Management System (SMS) implementation effort—people's disciple. The champion of SMS can expect to encounter the challenge of dealing with powerful people who do not agree with some components of SMS. Moving from a philosophy of the necessity of disciplinary action to the expectation of accountability is perhaps the most difficult cultural issue facing SMS implementation. Still, the champion of SMS needs to be prepared to address the concerns of those front-line managers who have had the misfortune of being disappointed in the level of responsibility of some employees. Punitive/non-punitive actions are means to an end, but accountability in all levels of the workforce is a goal in itself, one that any manager can agree with.
