We're going to hurt each other ... It's a fact of life, a cost of doing business. On the bright side, we can reduce the odds. Abandon our no harm, no foul approach to criminal liability, initiate meaningful tort reform by retiring the medical malpractice system, rewrite regulations and corporate policies that outlaw human error, reconsider society's perceptions of both wrongdoers and unjustly injured victims, and teach parents to think differently about their children's mistakes. Marx addresses regulators, attorneys, corporate CEOs, public policy makers, the media, and even parents to show that current social perspectives toward our inherent human fallibility have substantially hindered efforts to make the world a safer place to live. While his observations are primarily about American culture, the lessons are universal. Insightful, bold, and told through often humorous tales, Whack-a-Mole pushes readers to rethink accountability at work, at home, at play.
David Marx is a true pioneer in the internationally recognized safety practice of Just Culture. He draws on experience that spans more than two decades of examining laws, regulations, and industry practices to help lawmakers, regulatory authorities, and organizational leaders fulfill their responsibilities to produce safer outcomes. Marx currently leads Outcome Engineering in the development and implementation of values supportive practices and culture within high consequence organizations.
Just Culture is the hallmark of risk management for which Outcome Engineering is known. A Just Culture encourages open reporting that can lead to improved systems and behaviors within complex socio-technical environments. Marx believes that to create better outcomes, regulatory authorities, regulated organizations, and staff must work within a fair and just system--and hold each other accountable for choices they make within that system.
Marx's Just Culture Algorithm advises to console true human errors, coach against risky behaviors, and ultimately discipline reckless behavior. A strong Just Culture puts a premium on critical decision making skills-and asks the organization to continually evaluate the risks inherent in the systems it creates, and staff members to do the same with the choices they make.
Marx's expertise in aviation/aerospace is supported by his experience at Boeing, where he was an aircraft design engineer. He organized a human factors and safety group at Boeing and was awarded the International Federation of Airworthiness' Whittle Award for his development of a human error investigation process used by airlines around the world. The Federal Aviation Administration's Human Factors Research Program and the NASA Space Shuttle Program used Marx as a primary advisor, and he was NASA's principal consultant in the development of the agency's major mishap investigation process. Marx was also an outside team leader in benchmarking space shuttle processing quality.
In the healthcare sector, Marx authored Patient Safety and the 'Just Culture': A Primer for Healthcare Executives for the US National Institutes of Health. He also advises the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in its efforts to improve patient safety. His book on Just Culture, Whack-a-Mole: The Price We Pay for Expecting Perfection, was released in September 2009.
