The "Old School" Manager - How to Win Them Over to Your Side

Context: Generational Shift and Safety Culture Transformation

The issue of interaction between different generations in production is particularly acute today. The implementation of new HSE standards often faces resistance from experienced "old school" managers accustomed to working by established rules. During the webinar, Anton Dolgikh, Leading Specialist in HSE Tools Development at Metalloinvest, discusses practical approaches to engaging such managers in a proactive safety management system.

Cascading Norms and Practice-Oriented Training

Using his company as an example, the speaker demonstrates how the mechanism of cascading norms works. The process begins with the involvement of top management, after which new rules and values are gradually broadcast down to the level of foremen and line personnel. An important element of this process is moving away from classic lecture formats in favor of training, networking, and practical skill development directly at the workplaces ("in the field"). This allows not just declaring rules, but forming sustainable habits of safe behavior.

Motivation and Engagement Tools

To overcome resistance to change, the presentation details a set of motivational tools:

• Information Support and PR: Broadcasting successful cases of solving long-standing problems through corporate media (newspapers, Telegram channels, app, TV). This demonstrates the real benefits of new approaches.
• Recognition System: Awarding managers and departments (e.g., with a challenge cup) at various committee levels for achieved safety performance.
• Gamification: Using a corporate store ("Market") where employees of any level can exchange points awarded for proactive actions (recording risks, etc.) for branded merchandise.
• Cascade Meetings: Building two-way communication where unresolved problems at the lower level are escalated upwards, and ready-made solutions are cascaded back down.

Rating as a Key Mechanism for Managing Engagement

The speaker pays special attention to the process of rating managers. This system measures the level of engagement in applying safety culture tools (risk hunting, discussing risks before work, holding committees). The rating is built on assessing compliance with territory norms, work norms, and leader norms.

Importantly, the rating is not punitive. It serves as a diagnostic tool: if a manager shows low results in certain criteria, risk specialists help them identify the causes and jointly practice the lagging skills. In addition, rating creates a healthy competitive effect, stimulating managers to improve their performance.

Working with Barriers and Feedback

At the end of the webinar, the main barriers hindering manager engagement are analyzed:

• Misunderstanding of Tools: Resolved through targeted training and practical assistance at workplaces.
• Personal Beliefs: Requires systematic work with mindsets and demonstrating the real effectiveness of new approaches.
• Unresolved Production Problems: Helping a manager solve their long-standing problems, followed by recognizing their merits, becomes a powerful driver of engagement.

A key success factor is constant feedback — not only corrective but also supportive, reinforcing correct behavior.

What you will learn from this webinar:

• How to build a system for cascading safety norms from top management to line personnel?
• What tools of non-material motivation and gamification actually work in production?
• How to implement a manager rating system without a punitive bias?
• What to do if a manager sabotages the application of new safety tools?
• How to avoid formalism and the "corruption component" when assessing engagement?