My Vision for WANO
Editorial
Vol 24 No 1 2018
18 March 2016
In my first three months as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO), I have visited all four of the WANO regional centres in Atlanta, Moscow, Tokyo and Paris, as well as spending some time in the Hong Kong Office.
Where possible, I have coincided my visits with regional governing board meetings or alignment weeks when all staff are in the office for a week of training, workshops and team building. Discussions with teams around the world have been open and honest; giving everyone the opportunity to ask me questions and provide direct feedback and ideas for improvement on the way that WANO is currently working.
I've ensured that these first three months have been about listening; to the staff, the directors, the governors and the members. The feedback I have received has shown that although WANO and its programmes are strong, there is still room for improvement when it comes to consistency and cross-functional working across the regional centres and offices.
In accepting the WANO long term plan, Compass, the global WANO staff in all regional centres and offices have committed themselves to a 'One WANO' approach
Something I've been very clear about in my meetings with WANO staff is that we need consistency. Consistency is about WANO delivering the same high quality outcomes of our processes and products. This is sometimes interpreted as everyone following an identical process. Being in the business of excellence means constantly questioning if there is a better way, which means that as an organisation and as a global industry we can never settle for 'good enough'. Collectively we need to ensure that we are fostering a culture that allows every one of us to not only have the opportunity and voice to question current practice and provide feedback, but the humility to readily accept questions and criticisms from others. Can we do better? Be better? Mediocrity is never acceptable, and when it comes to 'excellence' we can always improve on the way we do things.
Our task in WANO is made very complex as a result of geography, time zones, cultural differences, language and prevailing geopolitics. For us to be successful in our mission, we need to have a sense of collective responsibility for the delivery of our tasks within the regions. We must share the responsibility for the safety standards of our members whatever their regional affiliation. We cannot do this through focusing on process alone; it can only be achieved through the establishment of strong relationships among the WANO family members.
One of the questions asked of me during my visits has been how I perceive our role as a form of safety regulator? It is my belief that 'regulation' is very rules-based, logical and results in compliance to minimum standards. As WANO, we are about far more than this, we regulate not from the head but from the heart, to deliver excellence in nuclear safety.
WANO is us and we are WANO.