ramblings

I just learned my friend has completed her study; she’s written the last two chapters and submitted them to her editor. Ugh! I feel like such a failure!!! I haven’t failed yet, but hell, I want to be where she is. I’m slow. It’s true. Her topic is polypharmacology – she’s going to be a health care admin doctor. I’m going to be a doctor of management doctor. Near miss incidents interest me….and safety systems. Safety systems are all about perceptions of risk. People do what they do based on their perceptions of risk. Maybe that’s my assumption…perhaps it’s not true. Hmmmmmmm.

This was my reflection statement this week. It has a direct relationship to my dissertation.

The discussions this week reflected the importance of planning for strategic project success. Cho and Wright (2010) broadly defined a strategic project as one that plays a direct role in supporting a company’s strategy or has a profound effect on a company’s success or destiny. Regarding safety management systems, safety professionals rely on vendors’ promises and statistics to determine if implementing a safety system will improve safety in the workplace. In workplaces where the incident rate is very low, implementing a new safety system makes no measureable difference on traditional lagging metrics (number of injuries, designated environmental incidents, first aid cases, fatalities).


Safety systems are implemented similarly to security systems in that they are intended to provide layers of protection. New safety systems are added, but older systems are rarely decommissioned. Safety managers are afraid to remove anything for fear a resulting gap might have negative consequences. Is it possible for a successfully implemented strategic system to have a profound effect on a company’s failure?


References


Cho, V., & Wright, R. (2010). Exploring the evaluation framework of strategic information systems using repertory grid technique: a cognitive perspective from chief information officers. Behaviour & Information Technology, 29(5), 447-457. doi:10.1080/01449290802121206

I have a good feeling about my girls getting tutored for their pre-calculus class. It’s a long story – the twin who needed tutoring the most resisted help. They are both brilliant (of course, all my kids are brilliant :)  and talented, and so is my step-daughter!) Their strengths are diverse but I think this is expected since people are diverse.

The twins are sophomores in high school this year, turning 16 in December. Where does the time go? It seems like only a few short years ago I was ragged from changing diapers and holding babies.  (The twins are about 3 or 4 in this picture, the olders are about 13 and 15...I think).