Reflexão epistemológica sobre cultura organizacional de segurança

Abstract

Introduction: Assessing safety culture is one of the first steps in identifying organizational culture. Considering the complexity of this phenomenon, epistemological reflection on organizational safety culture is essential. Objective: To reflect epistemologically on organizational safety culture based on the precepts of the positivist functionalist paradigm. Materials and Methods: This is a theoretical-reflective study based on a narrative literature review on safety organizational culture and the positivist functionalist paradigm as an epistemological presupposition. Results: Organizational culture guides behaviour and mentality, adapting practices and habits. The positivist functionalist paradigm seeks a practical explanation for the status quo and the problems of reality, which is done when assessing an institution's patient safety culture in order to implement improvement actions. When analysing an organization's safety culture to determine whether it is strong or weak, it is assumed that companies have different types of cultures. Therefore, from a functional point of view, its members are exposed to different cultures and are trained to absorb the organization's culture and multiply this behaviour more efficiently, since it is understood as something objective and replicable. Conclusion: The functionalist positivist lens seeks to rationalize behaviour, explain and objectively validate what is desired by analysing its causes and consequences. The positivist functionalist lens shows that an organization has cultures at different levels of maturity, which is achieved through training, information, rules, norms and corrections.