Description

The research uncovers imbalances related to human error in operational risk management by providing solutions embedded on the African culture of Ubuntu. The strategic perspectives of business, people, systems, and technology and innovation management models for operational risk management were considered. Contemporary approaches in operational risk management have not yielded the desired zero harm in injuries in the workplace, despite huge investments by enterprises. The envisaged zero harm goal and reduction in human error highly influence the establishment of a fresh business philosophy with new social dimensions. This thesis presents an integral framework of two models, the Kurima leadership and safety maturity culture and the African Knowledge Building Concepts (AKBC) - Usaputsa Chirongo models that infuse exogenous knowledge systems and indigenous knowledge systems to bring into fore tested new models that has assisted a mining house in Zimbabwe to sustainably attain the zero harm status. The co- researchers from the Zimplats operations team embarked on a healing mission of the ills related to human error. Utilising the spiralled research journey of descriptive grounding, phenomenology emergence, navigation through feminism critiquing and effecting the research outcomes through transformative action engaged participative action research processes. The integral research to innovation research framework for the transformative integral approach, guided by humanism and holism uncovered the lack of socio economic and spirituality depth by conventional human error models. Creative synthesis between cultures and between local (indigenous) wisdom and global (exogenous) knowledge was one of the cornerstones of this trans-cultural approach, the others being: fusing one discipline with another (trans-disciplinary), the individual with the community and the past with the future. The 4Cs approach (Call, Context, Co-Creation and Contribution) was employed in line with Da-Vinci guidelines on integral approach to research and innovation and were followed transforming the Zimplats-Mhondoro mining community. This research contributed towards transforming Zimplats as a business in Zimbabwe through development and implementation new models, making the organisation a zero harm operation and a leader in operational risk management. Other outcomes included:
• Transformed leaders, communities or societies in Zimbabwe such that human error levels are reduced and losses to organisations are reduced.
• New understanding of facets of a vibrant operational risk culture for companies in Zimbabwe and beyond.
• Creation and enhancement of existing body of knowledge on minimising human error that will be useful to institutions of learning throughout the whole world.