Reimagining airport security: Organisational culture trumps cultivating a ‘security culture’

It is no exaggeration to say that the safety and security of employees and the travelling public is the industry’s highest priority. Much has been written and discussed at industry conferences on cultivating a ‘security culture’, but airports must start by developing an overarching organisational culture with one set of values — a shared playbook, so to speak — which can inform actions across a variety of endeavours, including those related to safety and security. To get consistent results, values must be seen to be pervasive, permeating every corner of the organisation. As such, senior leadership is responsible not only for setting the example for these values, but also for facilitating their propagation throughout the airport. Cultivating a strong organisational culture, in combination with the latest in safety and security training, guards against apathy and helps experts and lay people alike do the right thing in essentially any foreseeable scenario.