GROWTH OR NORMALIZATION?  SMART OR SLOPPY?

Written by Doug Weibel, Frolic

While catching up on back issues of magazines, I noticed an intriguing contrast between the sailing and aviation communities. Differences often reveal new perspectives, helping me apply knowledge from one field to another. In particular, one aspect of the way these communities approach safety caught my attention.

In sailing, we frequently debate what is considered safe. In contrast, the aviation community—despite some disagreements over the best equipment or procedures—tends to have more consensus on safety standards and emphasizes training and awareness as crucial elements of safety. One recurring safety concept in aviation, little discussed in sailing, is the “Normalization of Deviance.”

The term "Normalization of Deviance" was coined by sociologist Diane Vaughan during her analysis of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. It describes a gradual process where deviations from standard practices become normalized within an organization, including smaller groups like your sailing crew. Over time, what begins as a one-time exception can subtly evolve into routine behavior, no longer raising red flags, even when it should. This creeping complacency can be dangerous, as actions that once would have been considered unsafe are gradually accepted as the norm.

This phenomenon is not limited to large organizations like NASA; it can manifest in any group who becomes desensitized to risky behavior through repeated exposure. The danger lies in the gradual erosion of safety standards, where small deviations accumulate over time, creating a false sense of security until, inevitably, "we've gotten away with it before" changes to something going wrong. Understanding and identifying this process is crucial for maintaining a culture of safety, whether you're managing a space shuttle launch or setting sail on open waters.  The phrase "culture of safety" might sound awfully pretentious when it’s just my wife and me cruising on our own boat, but if we don’t take our safety seriously—both in big and small ways—who else will?

This concept also applies to individuals. It's when your shortcuts turn into your norm.  Iggy Pop’s mantra, doing something “till wrong feels right”, captures this insidious process. Last year, I had two accidents while cruising (unlike my wife, who had none), and I can attribute one of them directly to the Normalization of Deviance. I injured my thumb by consistently taking a shortcut I knew was risky but had gotten away with—until I didn’t. I should have been using two hands to ease the genoa sheet on the winch, but instead, I had become complacent, relying on one hand. A moment of carelessness when the sheet load was high resulted in a torn ligament in my thumb.

The lesson seems clear: pay attention to where your habits have changed, as this might indicate you've become sloppy. However, it's not always that straightforward. Though my wife and I have been cruising a good number of years we still have much to learn and need to try new things out from time to time.  Other experienced sailors, the “old salts,” might have a firm grip on their routines, but the rest of us must continuously adapt and grow. As we gain experience, our understanding of risks evolves, leading to changes in how we sail. For instance, we now reef at somewhat higher wind speeds than before because we better understand how our boat reacts to different conditions. This change isn’t due to the Normalization of Deviance but rather to a more informed risk assessment. Would it be safer to reef at lower wind speeds? Certainly, at the risk of lower performance.  Cruising involves a balance of risk and reward, and you always must accept some risks for the joy of sailing.

Understanding that there are both legitimate and illegitimate reasons for changing habits leaves much to ponder. For example, we used to make sure we always had a spare fuel jug, paddles, anchor, handheld VHF, compass and flashlight in the dinghy for every trip. Nowadays, we often jump in and go assuming everything we need is aboard. Is this a wise decision?  Other than the spare fuel jug we routinely leave all the other stuff in the dinghy, though sometimes things get taken out for other uses and not returned.  I can justify being lax in most cases.  Most trips in the dinghy are unlikely to lead to much trouble even if the engine fails. But on reflection, I see this has become a slippery slope towards Normalization of Deviance. What starts as a rational decision could gradually become a careless habit—until that one time when it matters, and we find ourselves drifting out to sea.

Normalization of Deviance is insidious, often creeping in unnoticed, especially alongside legitimate changes in habits due to growth and experience. It's vital to remain vigilant, questioning whether changes in our routines are genuinely informed by experience or simply the result of complacency. The Challenger disaster and countless other examples in aviation, medicine, and industry, as well as my torn thumb ligament, underscore the importance of recognizing and guarding against this dangerous phenomenon.