"Human Error": A Finger in a Cup and the Search for Deeper Understanding

We've all been there: something goes wrong at work, and the immediate reaction is to look for someone to blame. "Who messed up?" is often the first question we ask. But what if that's the wrong question? What if, by focusing solely on "human error," we're missing the bigger picture?

The Finger in the Cup

In my recent book, "Aren't You Curious? The Operationally Curious Leader," I tell the story of Jason, a maintenance crew leader, who had a workplace accident.  While performing a routine belt replacement, he ended up with a piece of his finger in a Styrofoam cup filled with ice.    

The initial reaction from leadership was typical: shock, frustration, and a search for someone to blame.  The focus quickly landed on Jason: "Why would he put his hand in there?"    

The Problem with "Human Error"

The problem with stopping at "human error" is that it's rarely - if ever - the whole story.  It's like reading the first page of a novel, highlighting the sentence "someone made a mistake," and then declaring you know the entire plot.  You're missing the context, the pressures, the systemic factors that contribute to that "error."    

In Jason's case, it would have been easy to blame. But that would have ignored the fact that the belts they were replacing failed far more often than they should have, that the crew had developed a workaround to replace them quickly due to production pressures, and that those concerns had been repeatedly passed over or dismissed.    

The Power of Curiosity

Instead of stopping at "human error," we need to focus on practicing our operational curiosity.  This means digging deeper, asking better questions, and truly listening to understand the operational reality that people face.  It means shifting our focus from "Who messed up?" to "How did this make sense?"    

Actionable Tips for Cultivating Curiosity

• Ask "Can you teach me?" questions: This simple phrase shifts the power dynamic and encourages people to share their expertise.

• Focus on understanding, not blame: When something goes wrong, resist the urge to assign fault. Instead, seek to understand the context and the factors that contributed to the situation.    

  
  

• Listen actively: Give people your full attention, and demonstrate that you value their input.

• Investigate "normal work": Don't just focus on what goes wrong. Seek to understand how work usually goes right. This can reveal hidden challenges and opportunities for improvement.    

The story of the finger in the cup is a powerful reminder that there's always more to the story than "human error." By practicing our operational curiosity, we can move beyond blame and create safer, more efficient, and more humane workplaces focused on improving instead of blaming.

Want to dig deeper? Check out "Aren't You Curious?"

Ready to get curious?!

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Keywords: Human & Organizational Performance (HOP), Learning Teams, Pre-Event Learning, Starting Points