Let’s talk about building a deep foundation – not physically,
but culturally – not by driving piles, but by nurturing
psychological safety. Early in my career, I spent
five years as a plant manager in the steel industry. In
addition to producing hot-rolled coil and plate, our plant
produced steel pipe that was sold into the deep foundation
construction industry as piling. I have great affection
for heavy industry, but in all candor, the prevailing culture
of heavy industry is a growing liability to competitiveness in
the 2020s.
Rather than tell a soothing story, here’s a challenge to take
inventory of your company’s culture and lead a transformation.
The crucial question: How do you know if you have a
healthy culture? It’s not a secret and it’s not complicated: You
know you have a healthy culture when your people are both
willing to challenge the status quo and tell you when you’re
wrong. Do your people do that? Has your company created
a tolerance for candor that can accommodate that kind of
intellectual friction?
FIZKES/123RF
Transforming
Culture
Through
Psychological
Safety
Rebuilding an
organization’s deep
foundation
By Timothy R. Clark
40 Q2 2020 www.pilingcanada.ca
/profile_fizkes
/www.pilingcanada.ca
