A key aspect of effective safety leadership is identifying organizational learning and translating in ways that resonate with boards, senior leaders, staff, and external partners. Safety leaders are often tasked with improving outcomes without having direct authority over decisions, resources, or priorities. They are expected to demonstrate diligence, insight, and progress, yet often work in organizational contexts where learning is reduced to the individual performance level.

This full-day workshop focuses on organizational learning as an essential leadership skill and practice. The day balances safety-science theory, participants’ actual examples, and hands-on design work to support practical application. Participants will explore how different approaches to risk management shape organizational awareness, how inquiry methods affect lessons learned, and common myths that hinder learning and continuous improvement.

The morning session establishes these foundations and challenges familiar assumptions about learning, error, and accountability. The afternoon is about application. Participants will work with a kit of tools and templates designed for different learning purposes, including learning from incidents and performance variability, site visits, post-program reviews, after-action reviews, operational learning teams, safety metrics, and seasonal and annual reports. Participants will leave with a custom suite of fit-for-purpose learning methods and a plan to implement these tools and processes in their work.

Throughout the day, participants will practice translating learning into priorities and narratives that senior leaders can act on. Participants are encouraged to bring examples from their own organization, as the workshop emphasizes helping participants communicate lessons in ways that support organizational decision-making aligned with programmatic and safety concerns.

Participants will leave with:

• A clearer understanding of how organizational learning currently functions within their organization
• A toolkit of templates they can adapt and apply to their context
• A dashboard of safety performance metrics aligned with their priorities
• A plan to implement new learning processes and practices over the next season or year

Who this workshop is for:

• Program administrators, including program directors and program managers responsible for designing, coordinating, and overseeing programs
• Program coordinators and program directors working within schools and who partner with third-party providers
• Risk and safety leaders responsible for safety oversight, learning, and improvement
• Senior leaders who influence decisions related to safety, risk, and program performance