How do you measure the unmeasurable?

A our recent Social Psychology of Risk annual Conference in Canberra, this question was presented to the learners. How do you measure the unmeasurable?

So many things in Risk and Safety, beyond the physical and the checklist, is unmeasurable and therefore largely ignored.

The example we used was the importance of the Churinga (the ‘Bullroarer’ of the Arrente people) and the coming of age ceremony and Qubara.

The parallels from this to other beliefs, religions, ceremonies and traditions was easily made, but what then of the workplace?

How can we understand or measure the excavator operator who knows how much pressure to apply to the lever to complete a task, delicately scrapping back 5mm of gravel. And if we value this unmeasurable skill, how do we enhance this? Should we talk about? How is this learnt?

So a deeper dive is required and I took the opportunity while in Canberra to make time to interview Dr Rob Long, founder of the Social Psychology of Risk (SPoR) and film a series of videos about ‘What is Poetics”

This is the first in a series of videos that will be released Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays over the coming weeks.

Poetics and Risk Part I; What is Poetics and how does it relate to Risk and Safety?

The Poetics of Risk Mind Map will help guide you in your thinking, and you will be able to see from the videos how we have used it to shape our conversations. None of this was scripted, as the video quality will attest! I knew the subject topic but not how I was going to frame the question, nor where Rob would take the conversation.

Enjoy! Matt.

Poetics of Risk Mind Map