Safety climate and the influence of leadership : a study of safety climate and the influence leadership training has on employee perceptions of health and safety : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Business Studies in Human Resource Management at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Abstract

The aim of this study is to understand the influence leadership has upon safety in
 the workplace as seen through the eyes of its employees. This research was undertaken
 in the Island City of Singapore and associated with a business owned by a Multi-National
 Corporation, (MNC), operating locally. The research was carried out as a reflection of the
 organisations safety climate, through a professionally available questionnaire mechanism.
 While research and theory contend that safety culture is enduring and possibly
 more difficult to assess, it is recognised that safety climate is measureable and is
 considered to be a reflection of safety culture. Theory also contends safety climate as
 being a snap shot of the organisations ‘mood’ at a single point in time and therefore has a
 short shelf life. It is also recognised that the background to this study is done
 acknowledging the continued debate surrounding the understanding and definitions
 associated with the concepts organisational culture & climate, safety culture & climate.
 Leadership theory and research points out the importance of leadership on
 employee behaviour and motivation. The organisations’ senior leadership underwent
 intervention training provided by the author based upon leadership theory of a
 transformational style and workplace best practice. A Safety Climate questionnaire was
 provided to the participating employees of the MNC business and was repeated following
 a three-month interval. The study was quantitative, longitudinal and comparative in
 nature. The participating employees forming a control group and an intervention group.
 Following the leadership training the Senior Leadership was associated only with the
 employee intervention group. Safety climate analysis was undertaken with the findings
 being a result of questionnaire responses. Prior to the research it was expected that the
 results of the research would provide useful future guidance for organisations and their
 leadership. The author believed that the study would help organisational leadership
 better understand and make full use of the influence they have. This knowledge would in
 turn provide leadership the requisite emphasis to improve workplace safety and
 employee’s perception through the influence leadership holds.
 The study’s hypothesis was that a discernible difference should be noted between
 the ensuing assessments due to improved leadership and the understanding of the
 influence it holds. The improved leadership influence will be reflected in employee’s
 perception of management and workplace safety as captured in the safety climate
 questionnaire.
 It was believed that this research should help provide the organisation greater
 understanding of both an organisations safety climate, and leadership culture. Through
 this research the organisation should also recognise the role leadership influence plays
 and that the utilisation of safety climate assessment can be a useful and predictive tool.
 That its use can play a part in the organisations endeavour to reduce workplace injuries
 and help reduce the associated escalating financial cost to both employees and the
 organisation of such injuries and loss.
 The outcome from the study found a positive correlation to the research question
 and hypothesis with the safety climate results indicating a positive improvement for the
 intervention group associated with the leadership influence, as a direct consequence of
 the intervention training. The safety climate measurement improved significantly for the
 surveyed dimension of Management Commitment and the other management specific
 areas. The Safety Climate Index improvement for the dimension of Management
 Commitment alone increased by 41.03% and an overall increase of 16.95% across all of
 the nine survey dimensions.