Laws of Software Engineering · Saying
Saying
Just Culture
A culture that holds people accountable for the work they did, while looking honestly at the system that shaped the choices they had.
How to use it. When an incident happens, ask two questions in sequence. First: was the action reasonable given what the person knew at the time? Second: what does the system need to change so the next person does not face the same trap? Both questions are necessary.
How it gets misused. Confused with no-blame ("nobody is ever responsible") or with traditional accountability ("someone did this, punish them"). Just Culture sits between the two. People are accountable for reckless violations. Honest mistakes point to the system. Drawing that line is the work.
Related
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Principle
Blameless Retrospectives
When something goes wrong, look at the system that allowed it, not the person who triggered it.
- Saying The New View (Dekker) Human error is not a cause of failure. It is a symptom of trouble deeper in the system.
- Principle Psychological Safety The shared belief that you can speak up, ask questions, admit mistakes, and disagree without being punished or humiliated.
Clusters
- The Culture and Incidents cluster - How organisations learn, or fail to, from what goes wrong.