Unlocking Insights in Process Safety Leadership

In partnership with Empirisys, Step Change in Safety recently launched a survey to assess the maturity of Process Safety Leadership across the Offshore Energy Industry. We anticipate receiving valuable data which will provide a detailed view of the industry as a whole and how leaders behave in complex environments.

The survey aims to capture behaviours and practice of leaders in the industry and consider how this translates to safety and productivity within their organisations. To help organisations investigate and delve deeper into their behaviours, we look to provide in-depth analysis of survey responses using various data visualisation tools within our cultural survey tool, Sense.

We have a unique opportunity to re-engage how data is interpreted and evaluated, to provide broader views between themes and topics within the industry, as well as provide specific metrics between cohorts and roles. To extract the most insight, we looked to generate insights using comparative analytical tools.

We have curated a collection of the most intuitive tools and techniques to investigate offshore industry data.

Radar Charts

Radar charts are particularly useful in identifying hidden context or patterns in survey response data. By visualising the responses on different dimensions or criteria, we can identify outliers or unusual patterns that may require further investigation.

For example, a radar chart can reveal if a particular group of employees consistently rates certain aspects of their job or work environment significantly differently from other groups, indicating potential disparities or points of interest. The figure below showcases the similarities and discrepancies employees experience at the job, split into two distinct groups and all organisations.

Radar Charts coupled with interactive filters allows the user to dissect the data across various demographic data we collect. In addition, we have included various categories behind the curtains (such as perspective categories) to deliver even more investigative control. These allow users to understand what the difference in opinion is when addressing individual behaviour vs collective.

Like Radar charts, box/violin plots, heatmaps and scatter plots are great at allowing users to perform comparative analysis.

Network Charts

Survey response data can go beyond just surface-level information and provide insights into open-ended text responses. Through sentiment analysis using Natural Language Processing (NLP) models and various metadata we gather, organisations can gain a deeper understanding of the sentiment, emotions, and underlying attitudes expressed in the survey responses.

This can provide valuable insights into the drivers of leadership practice, motivation, as well as any challenges, or areas of improvement. Network diagrams can also be useful in visualising the connections and relationships among different sentiments, topics discussed and their prominence. This reveals more nuanced patterns or themes that the industry wants to surface.

The above example is a result of processing various open-ended text responses to find commonly occurring patterns and subtext. It indicates that certain topics are commonly occurring in both related and unrelated roles and disciplines within an organisation. In addition, each node (circle) is then revaluated to label their occurrence with negative, neutral and positive sentiment with red, amber and green respectively.

Interactive Visualisation Tools

When utilised to their full potential, static visualisations that are made interactive, provide an additional dimension to investigate. Interactive data visualisations allow users to explore and analyse data in real-time, enabling them to identify trends, patterns, and outliers that may not be visible in static charts. They provide users with the ability to filter by demographics and change variables to gain deeper insights into the underlying topics.

By providing an interactive and engaging experience, users are given an opportunity to be curious, to follow threads and be investigative. Moreover, interactive data visualisations can help organisations communicate their insights and findings more effectively, making it easier for stakeholders to understand complex data and make informed decisions.

This approach is an organic step towards sparking interest and leading to more informed decision-making.

In conclusion, interpreting survey response data correctly is essential for the offshore energy industry to gain valuable insights into their workforce, build a narrative that is informed by data and address both short-term and strategic challenges.

Interactive visualisations such as radar charts and network charts can be powerful tools to investigate different experiences within cohorts in a workforce, gaining deeper insights into Process Safety Leadership. By leveraging these tools, organisations can make informed decisions, improve employee safety, and create a sustaining work environment.

If you found this useful, please let us know by getting in touch, give us a like or follow. You can find out more about us at empirisys.io or on Twitter @empirisys. And you can drop us an e-mail at info@empirsys.io or directly to the author of this article, Das@empirisys.io.