Quality & Safety Moment – Normalizing Deviance

What is it?
Normalization: To make normal; to Deviance: Departing from the norm;
make an established standard performing in a non-standardized way

How does this happen?

Over time, deviant behavior can become the norm. Even grossly deviant
behavior – the kind of behavior that would seem to be way outside the
bounds of safe practices – can become the norm.

What to do: Lower right image source: KNKT, National Transportation Safety
Committee, Republic of Indonesia

1. Follow AECOM processes & procedures and Speak Up with improvement

suggestions. Examples from history
2. Discuss areas of vulnerability in your team where you may be drifting Challenger Launch Decision – NASA
toward failure. Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster
3. Discuss a close call or near-miss event that could be due to taking Boeing Lion Air 737 Max
shortcuts multiple times over a long period of time.
Further reading:
4. Consider an independent evaluation on your team’s processes as a PEImpact Ethical Dilemma blogs
learning experience.

Thank you, Rusty Schroedel, AECOM PM based in the Americas, for owning quality and informing us on this topic!