Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Play
safe
Perceived
as gain
Realized
Expected
Perceived
as loss
Take
risk
Realized
Expected
Present
situation
Start
Deadline
Perception during project
This law creates a special problem in all cases where targets are
involved. As long as we haven
t yet reached the target, the difference
between the already achieved level and the target is perceived as a loss.
When the deadline is near and we still have some activities for a final
task, we become more willing to take risks. According to this rule,
unsafe behavior is more likely to occur just before the deadline of
a project.
'
If we are about to miss a crucial deadline, we can easily be seduced to
take an extra risk, just to finish in time.
Crucial to this process is how the person involved perceives the
task: Can it lead to a possible loss or to a possible gain?
The manager needs to act if he discovers that employees are stretch-
ing themselves so heavily that their willingness to take risks increases.
He can change the deadline by giving extra time or manage additional
support and supplies so that the work can be done faster. It can be
argued that it is a sign of bad management to accept trespassing of
deadlines, but if employees are really stressed, they can
t maintain their
level of performance. They will more easily make mistakes, which can
lead to even further delay. Taking away the direct trigger for stress is
the best guarantee that the work will be done both safely and quickly.
'
Case 1
In this case, preparation before starting the task took significantly lon-
ger then expected. The mechanics first had to wait for the usual
