PreAccident Investigation Podcast

Host Todd Conklin chats with Harvard’s Amy Edmondson about psychological safety, learning from failure, and how leaders can create workplaces where people speak up and learn. They cover just culture, systems thinking, and practical steps to choose curiosity over certainty.

This warm, wide-ranging conversation blends research with real-world stories and leaves listeners with a clear call to action: build environments that support candid dialogue and collective learning.

Part two of a deep conversation with Professor David Woods examines five decades of safety practice and argues for a stronger science base, foresight, and continual revitalization. Topics include the Command–Adapt Paradox, the fluency law, the law of stretch systems, and the novelty inequality, showing why plans must be paired with guided adaptability.

The episode urges putting safe and effective outcomes first, working together to innovate, and rebuilding practical tools and research so safety programs scale and adapt in an increasingly complex world.

Here is the cited article for your reading pleasure:

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-45055-6_8#:~:text=The%20Command%E2%80%93Adapt%20Paradox%20arises,%E2%80%9D%E2%80%94being%20poised%20to%20adapt.

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-45055-6_8#:~:text=The%20Command%E2%80%93Adapt%20Paradox%20arises,%E2%80%9D%E2%80%94being%20poised%20to%20adapt.

Todd hosts Dr. David Woods in a two-part episode challenging the current state of safety science, arguing for more synthesis across disciplines and a shift from one-off fixes to ongoing capacity for safe, effective, and viable organizations.

They examine the history and fragmentation of safety work, the rise of resilience thinking, barriers like short-term pressure and limited budgets, and why the safety community must collaborate to create stronger, long-term approaches.

Join Ra Donda Vought and Todd Conklin and they meet up to discuss how Ra Donda has refined her message to the world and how surprised she is in other, non-medical industry.  It is always so much fun to talk with Ra Donda - she has great energy and is so much fun to spend time in discussion.  

See what you think - I think you will enjoy this Pod a bunch.

Join Todd and Dr. Anne Lynne from the CHOL conference as they explore “modern safety” in children’s hospitals and the SPS mission — how new lenses on risk, leadership behaviors, and a willingness to try small experiments are reshaping safety, reliability, and improvement work.

They discuss practical examples like reducing unplanned extubations, the role of leaders in creating capacity and permission, and how sharing success stories fuels innovation and wider adoption across healthcare.