Agent‐based organizational modelling for analysis of safety culture at an air navigation service provider

Assessment of safety culture is done predominantly by questionnaire‐based studies, which tend to reveal attitudes on immaterial characteristics (values, beliefs, norms). There is a need for a better understanding of the implications of the material aspects of an organization (structures, processes, etc.) for safety culture and their interactions with the immaterial characteristics. This paper presents a new agent‐based organizational modelling approach for integrated and systematic evaluation of material and immaterial characteristics of socio‐technical organizations in safety culture analysis. It uniquely considers both the formal organization and the value‐ and belief‐driven behaviour of individuals in the organization. Results are presented of a model for safety occurrence reporting at an air navigation service provider. Model predictions consistent with questionnaire‐based results are achieved. A sensitivity analysis provides insight in organizational factors that strongly influence safety culture indicators. The modelling approach can be used in combination with attitude‐focused safety culture research, towards an integrated evaluation of material and immaterial characteristics of socio‐technical organizations. By using this approach an organization is able to gain a deeper understanding of causes of diverse problems and inefficiencies both in the formal organization and in the behaviour of organizational agents, and to systematically identify and evaluate improvement options.