Should one acknowledge or punish mistakes ?

• Christian MOREL
  Sociologist
  Author, 'Absurd Decisions' (Les décisions absurdes, ed. Gallimard)
  
• Christian SICOT
  Former manager, a hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
  Former general secretary, SOU Médical (insurance company for doctors)
  
• Daniel SOULEZ LARIVIÈRE
  Lawyer at the Paris Bar, Soulez Larivière & Associés
  

Summary

When mistakes are made, the usual reaction is punishment. However, organisations are tending to move away from such a reaction. The rationale for this is that errors are dealt with more efficiently if sanctions are not introduced, and people are encouraged to talk about mistakes which have been made and to learn from their experiences, avoiding similar mistakes in the future. This approach is most likely to be adopted in 'high-risk' organisations, a fact which appears paradoxical since these are the organisations where the consequences generated by mistakes are most serious, but where these errors are least punished. If sympathy is greatest between the general public and the victims after a catastrophe, how should one punish those responsible ?

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Summary translated from French by Rachel MARLIN.

• The entire article was written by Jacques BERTHIER.

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