NTL Record

Title Corporate culture, compliance and railroad operating rules
Record ID 33649
Personal Name
Creator
Coplen, Michael K.
Source 36p. in various pagings
Corporate Creator John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (U.S.)
Publisher United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Railroad Administration
Publication Date 19971200
Language English
Abstract A focus group was held at the 1996 Bi-annual Operating Rules Association meeting of North American railroads to discuss the general issue of compliance and operating rules. Twelve operating rules officers participated, representing Class I, II, and III railroads. Individual structured interviews were also conducted both prior to and following the focus group session to discuss general issues surrounding operating rules, and to provide follow-up information to major findings from the focus group session. Focus group participants generally reported that senior management tends to emphasize productivity over safety, suggesting some railroads may have created an organizationalculture that unintentionally encourages operating rules violations. Follow-up interviews with a number of industry representatives supported this view. Some interviewees suggested railroad mergers often result in discordant management philosophies withinthe same organization, directly influencing corporate culture and how operating rules officersenforce rules compliance. Findings for each of the five focus group questions are categorized by type of response. Specific recommendations for structural change and follow-on work are also discussed.
Rosap ID dot:8722
Rosap URL https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/8722
General Subjects culture; compliance; operating; railroad; corporate
Classification NTL - SAFETY AND SECURITY - SAFETY AND SECURITY;
NTL - SAFETY AND SECURITY - Human Factors
Geographical
Coverage
United States
TRIS Online
Accession No
1207234
Contract Number RR728/R7201
Report Number DOT-VNTSC-FRA-97-7
Availability Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Technical Reference Center
Resource type Tech Report
URL https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/33000/33600/33649/33649.pdf
Format PDF
Database NTL Digital Repository