I hate the phrase, “you can’t fix stupid.” It is offensive and mean; most importantly, that phrase is just wrong. Stop saying it. Stop using this phrase right now. “You can’t fix stupid” is serving you and your organization poorly. It colors your thinking, it makes you stop investigations too early, it sounds like something a “jerk” would say, and it pisses people off. “You can’t fix stupid” causes a worker who already feels bad to feel much, much worse.
I think when people say “you can’t fix stupid,” they do not intend to be mean-spirited; my guess is the person who says these words intends to be clever and funny. It is not funny or amusing, and worse yet, it communicates the wrong message. It causes managers and supervisors to approach an operational problem with a bias that the reason something bad happened is that the worker was just an idiot. Wrong thinking equals wrong solutions; wrong solutions equal bad outcomes and wasted resources.
When has name calling ever created a safer organization? Wishing people were smarter is not a good safety management strategy. Hoping bad things would not happen is really a weak management position from which to lead. And, frankly, it just has not worked … ever.
I would add to this discussion a further complication; your workers are often so responsible and feel so much pride in what they do for your organization that they believe that in order for a bad thing to happen they had to have been stupid. Good workers are very dedicated to and responsible for your organization’s successes. Good workers take pride in doing the right things. When something bad happens, it must go without saying that a good worker would step up to the plate and admit momentary stupidity. You do not have to do anything to further perpetuate the idea that you can not fix stupid.
Source: PRE-ACCIDENT INVESTIGATIONS, BETTER QUESTIONS – AN APPLIED APPROACH TO OPERATIONAL LEARNING, Todd Conklin, PhD., 2016
