The effects of national culture on safety: Insights from a multi-case study

Abstract

This is a study of the influence of national culture on safety; more specifically it is a study of the effects of national culture on safety and risk management information architecture. Based on a multi-case study, we argue that when the traits of high power-distance (HPD), high uncertainty- avoidance (HUA) (Hofstede, 2001), and low trust (LT) (Inglehart et al., 2014) are combined in a national culture, as in the Brazilian case, it can have negative effects on information processing architecture and, consequently, on safety outcomes. HPD negatively affects communication and the quality of information, while HUA leads to efforts to solve problems by way of increased top-down controls, which block continuous learning. Low trust has a negative effect on information sharing for preventing accidents. This combination leads to the development of a disabling context for informed risk reduction and suggests the need for a specific type of orchestrated effort to ensure safety in such national contexts.