Who can be Dangerous

It's not a question and it's not permission. It doesn't refer to the band or the Doctor. It is a word sometimes used in problem solving, safety investigation and root cause analysis, and it can be dangerous. It can also be powerful, but with power comes responsibility.

I have talked about ditching the word why and replacing it with what, where, when and how. I didn't include the word who because who must be used sparingly, with extreme caution, and always in a generic sense i.e. anonymously. If you use it in a non-generic sense, you will be perceived as chasing blame, and you will poison the environment you're trying to improve. Once you do that, you can forget ever again being granted good will, cooperation and honesty in your root cause analysis work.

Who, in a generic and anonymous and blame-free sense, can help find issues that need more attention.

• Mechanics that seem to cause more rework.
• Operators on one shift having a noticeably higher error rate.
• Laborers at one job site getting injured more frequently.
• Server techs/admins experiencing more service interruptions .
• Nurses in one ward having more adverse patient care outcomes.
• Engineers in one department releasing more designs with errors.
• Technicians in one lab contaminating more samples.
• Baggage handlers in one terminal misplacing more bags.
• Programmers on one project missing more deadlines.
• Sales partners in one office not meeting quotas.

See the pattern? Asking who in a generic and anonymous sense points the way to other problems. Asking who for learning and not for blame uncovers issues closer to the root causes. Use the word who sparingly and for the right reasons and you will be rewarded with valuable information.

On the other hand, asking who for the purpose of blame and scapegoating is dumb. When you find a person to blame, and maybe to fire or let go, you send a message, and that message is fear. People will receive that message and act upon it, and you won't like the results. Asking who in order to place blame is a stupid practice. You need to ditch it.