Abstract

Successful organisations can proactively respond to the dynamics of the macroenvironment and become a modern network. This results in formation of a mutually benefiting ecosystem inf luenced by a combination of various parties. Proactivity is seen as an ability within an organisation to prevent and to adapt, focused on safety culture, which includes a supportive work environment, an inclusive and transparent management system, and high capacity of managers. Earlier research papers have demonstrated a quite reactive safety culture in care providing institutions, which includes a disproportionate physical and mental workload and possible negative influence on the quality of provided services.
The aim of the study was to create a holistic framework for safety culture in health care and social welfare institutions, based on potential factors predicting safety, and promoting the safety and welfare of care workers and patients/clients.
Methods. Safety culture was defined as a complex phenomenon, which was studied by using a sequential explanatory mixed method study design and multidisciplinary approach. The research process consisted of four stages, in which quantitative and qualitative research methods were used.
Results. The study demonstrated that the prerequisites for proactive safety culture is a non-punitive culture and a supportive work environment, focused on the inclusion of workers and learning from their mistakes. Learning from mistakes is not a widespread practice in care institutions, instead there is the dominating fear of being punished. Proactive safety culture depends on the organisation´s readiness to empower professional competences of the staff members and to increase their psychosocial welfare.
Conclusion. As a result of this study, two new subcultures were defined: professional competences culture and psychosocial wellbeing culture, which were defined as the prerequisite components of proactive safety culture and the factors improving the safety behaviour of staff members.