Isn't the term “World-Class” just a fancy way of saying, best in class, best in the world?
Answer: Yes, and for those of us who have worked and documented evidence of excellence for organizations with the title "World-Class," it means much more. The term has evolved over time, similar to the term "high-reliability organization" (HRO). Initially, high-reliability organizing (HRO) was simply a name given by researchers to describe the performance level of nuclear power, aviation, and firefighting organization, each founded on a solution to improve safety by understanding human error and organizational culture.
Similarly, the term “world-class” originating in the 18th century was used to describe the emergence of new social rankings linked to economic changes following the industrial and political revolutions. The term evolved to be used as an adjective for how a person, like an athlete, performs. Today both “HRO” and “World-Class” represent a more comprehensive, measurable, systems approach of achieving excellence in safety and beyond. "World-Class" has come to represent how well a specific way a business operation is managed, including how to manage for safety.¹
Researchers, including those in engineering, academia, and government, have studied cross-industry safety systems. They have identified key attributes and characteristics of “World-Class Safety Management Systems,” considered to be the highest standard for managing and monitoring risks, leading to the emergence of safety and high-reliability. Many of the same attributes found in high-reliability organizations are also present in world-class safety management systems, creating synergy between the two approaches.¹
World-class safety management systems provide an evidence-based framework for actively organizing, managing, monitoring, and continuously improving to achieve safety and high-reliability.²
According to the National Safety Council, five characteristics determine whether a safety management system is “world-class”¹:
Leadership – Management must lead by example to drive employee engagement.
Integrated systems approach – Integrating safety processes into all business functions and structures, making safety an embedded part of how an organization operates.
Performance measurement – Using leading, lagging, and real-time indicators with a systems-thinking approach (Note: HRO principle: reluctance to simplify interpretation) to promote and monitor continuous improvement.
Alignment to core organizational initiatives – Through visioning, strategic planning, and budgeting, safety becomes aligned with all other objectives, strategies, and values in an organization.
Corporate citizen and off-the-job safety – World-class organizations extend their safety efforts to both the community and employees outside of work through various initiatives.
The Reliability 4 Life Safety Management System, a framework for World-Class High Reliability Healthcare, has been designed to account for the unique differences between technical complicated and complex systems (human-to-machine) and human-to-human complex systems in healthcare delivery.
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References:
¹ National Safety Council. https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/13695-defining-world-class-safety.
² National Safety Council – Campbell Institute. White paper, Defining EHS Excellence Best Practices from Campbell Award Winners (2016)