Just Culture

Just Culture refers to an organizational culture that balances accountability with a non-punitive approach to error reporting and learning. In a healthcare setting, a just culture is “an atmosphere of trust in which those who provide essential safety-related information are encouraged and even rewarded, but in which people are clear about where the line is drawn between acceptable and unacceptable behavior." Pioneered by safety experts like James Reason and David Marx, this approach recognizes that while human errors will occur, individuals should not be punished for system failures or honest mistakes – instead, they and the organization share responsibility for improving systems and behaviors​.The goal is to shift from a culture of blame to one of learning, transparency, and fair accountability, thereby improving patient safety outcomes.