Domino Theory

Reputation and the Domino Theory The Domino Theory is a theory used by Health and Safety practitioners to show how accidents or incidents happen in the workplace, which has direct application for Reputational Risk Managers. For those of you who have ever played dominos or have seen it being stacked at Guinness Book of World Records events, will know that there are a number of rules vital to domino playing: You have to line them up correctly. If you line them up correctly, they'll fall down nicely. Line them up incorrectly, and they won't fall against each other. You've got to push the first domino in the right direction. When you knock over the first domino, be ready for the rest of them to fall. They will fall, and if you are not ready. Health & Safety specialists use this theory to demonstrate how an accident happens. This is how they depict it: • The first domino is the failure to maintain work performance standards; • The second domino relates to personal and job factors, which leads to; • The third domino - unsafe practices and unsafe conditions which leads to; • The fourth domino - types of incidents which leads to; • The fifth domino falling which leads to injury, illness or property damage. Thus the thread of an accident can be seen through a series of distinct stages. And so can most reputational incidents or accidents. The most important domino - LACK OF MANAGEMENT CONTROL - is the domino that starts up the whole process. Shall we apply this to the Ford - Firestone debacle? Does your company have in place the necessary controls for preventing potential reputational incidents? I bet not. If not! Let me not scare you. Soon the domino WILL fall. Don't believe me? Do me a favor - for the next three (3) weeks cut out as many references to reputational issues out of all your available newspapers and other media, then make a collage out of it. Maybe then you will believe me. If not, then look up Ford -