At SafetyWorX 2024, we had the pleasure of inviting Dirk Van de Walle, Director of Business Knowledge Health & Safety at Securex, to the stage. He introduced us to Cultegy—a unique approach that merges culture and strategy to improve workplace safety.  

Join us as we discover how this behavior-based safety philosophy was born and how you can implement it in your workplace. 

Dirk, can you tell us how Cultegy came to life? 

25 years in business, and more on the (amateur) football field, have taught me that culture is a powerful force that helps us achieve great things. Everyone knows Peter Drucker’s saying, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast,” right?  

It highlights that without a supportive culture, even the best strategies can fail. 

This got me thinking about how to describe the connection between strategy and culture in one word. At first, I toyed with ‘Strature’, but it went against the fundamental principle that culture is stronger than strategy. 

Then it struck me—’Cultegy.’ This new word is easy to say, sticks in your mind, and feels more human and approachable. It shows that when culture leads, strategy naturally follows. 

And what’s Cultegy all about? 

Cultegy is about making sure a company’s culture and strategy are perfectly aligned. Simply put, for a strategy to succeed, it must be backed by a strong culture.  

This means the company’s daily habits and attitudes need to match its broader goals. Everyone must be ready for new strategies; otherwise, they might clash with established habits and fail.  

That’s the essence of “culture eats strategy for breakfast”—without the right culture, the strategy stands no chance. Ultimately, it comes down to behavior—how people act in their roles, from safely operating machinery to handling broader risks like financial or environmental challenges. 

Could you dive a bit deeper into why behavior is so key in Cultegy? 

When we think about workplace safety, we look at it in three waves: technical, organizational, and individual. A century ago, machines were pretty risky, which led to a focus on technical safety measures to prevent accidents. By the 1990s, although we had advanced technically, accidents still occurred. This led to a focus on the organizational level, creating risk management systems like ISO 9000.  

By the turn of the century, we realized we were overlooking the end-user. This led us back to the individual level. Risk homeostasis suggests we continuously test our own limits of safety, subconsciously balancing risk with our own security levels.  

Considering this, technical and organizational measures alone are insufficient, we need to consider how each person’s behavior affects safety and compliance. This birthed the idea of behavior as the ‘fourth wave’ of safety. 

So, why is it so tough to change our behaviors? 

I fully agree with Darwin’s “survival of the fittest”—the notion that only the strongest and most adaptable will thrive through evolution. But Darwin also suggested that all living things are connected and descend from a common ancestor—apes. Here, I playfully disagree. I think we descend from sloths! I’m not saying we’re all lazy, but often, we choose the easier path unless driven by a deeper motivation to break from routine and strive for excellence. 

So why don’t we change? Because it’s hard; we prefer familiarity.  

For instance, if someone has operated a machine safely for 20 years without incidents, they might become complacent and disregard safety measures. Or, if you don’t suffer from lower back pain, why worry about your posture when lifting?  

Often, we default to quick and sloppy methods because it’s easier, and we think there will be no consequences—until there are. 

If there’s no immediate gain, the effort seems unnecessary. It requires an immense belief in oneself and a relentless focus to make an improvement, day after day. But igniting an individual’s drive to transcend their everyday routine is important.  

This is where Cultegy comes in—it challenges us to break from routine and strive for continuous improvement. 

How can organizations make Cultegy work? 

We’ve always emphasized individual efforts in hitting strategic goals, but Cultegy is a team sport. It’s crucial to understand both group dynamics and your role within them.  

The core of this approach is Organizational Social Capital (OSC), which is all about the collaborative power of a company, grounded in trust and fairness. It hinges on four key elements: proactivity, leadership, technology, and human interaction: 

#1. Proactivity is essential

Often, our actions are reactive—like sloths, we stick to familiar routines until forced to react when something goes wrong. It’s crucial to consistently push ourselves to be proactive, even if it’s just that extra 5%. 

#2. Next comes leadership 

More than just being the boss, effective leadership permeates every level. It’s about creating an environment where people can excel, strategically placing individuals where they can thrive, and fostering trust across the board—both amongst team members and between staff and management.  

This trust is crucial; without it, the whole team dynamic breaks down. Fairness is key here, dealing with conflicts justly and assigning tasks based on each person’s skills. Like not putting a goalkeeper in the striker’s position, everyone should play to their strengths. 

#3. Technology plays a part

While technology is a fantastic tool, it can’t replace the human element when it comes to driving cultural and behavioral shifts. It should complement, not dominate, the human interactions that are essential for real change. 

#4. That’s why human interaction is essential

In larger organizations, you can’t address every individual risk through high-level interventions alone. You need a scalable system where minor issues are swiftly handled, and major ones receive detailed attention and expert analysis. You’ll never change behavior with one-size-fits-all training programs. Individualized interactions are essential for significant change. 

Shaping the future of workplace safety 

Thank you, Dirk, for explaining what Cultegy—both a term and a philosophy that redefines the landscape of workplace safety—stands for. 

Behavior is the backbone of all operations, and no matter how robust our technology or systems may be, success starts with individuals fully embracing the culture and practices. By adopting Cultegy, we can foster more engaged, safer, and ultimately more successful workplaces. 

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About Securex

Entrepreneurship is at the core of economic activity; employees are the key to success. HR service provider Securex supports entrepreneurs in developing and growing their businesses. We believe in a human resources approach that is tailored to the individual and aimed at sustainable employment.

Securex is a trusted partner for both new and experienced self-employed people, as well as for large companies and public authorities. The company offers everything required to build and sustain an integrated HR policy. We offer services in the fields of business creation and development for entrepreneurs, personnel administration and wage calculation, employee health and safety, and talent development and payroll management. Securex is the one-stop shop for both entrepreneurs and employers.

In 2022, Securex’s turnover amounted to 300 million euros. The Securex Group is active in Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Spain, with 1,600 employees in 24 regional offices. Every day, they do their best to support 92,000 companies, 150,000 self-employed people, and more than 5,000 partners.