The derailment of a Puyuma Express train in Yilan County last month is still under investigation, but when the accident happened, top Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) officials attempted to blame the driver.
A Puyuma driver has since revealed that every time an “automatic train protection” system error was reported, drivers were told by the operations control center to act cautiously, because there was no one there to provide assistance. Such neglect of passenger and staff safety is shocking.
Regardless of what the investigation determines, the facts uncovered so far have given a glimpse into the TRA’s work style, and this revelation is probably only part of their deep-rooted organizational culture.
The TRA’s long-standing problems have been insufficient training and personnel shortages.
These challenges are indirectly aggravated by lax management and an unhealthy financial structure.
For many years, the government has wanted for the TRA to be run as a business, and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications has tried to restructure the agency.
The long list of reform plans has included corporatization and even privatization, but there have been no concrete results.
To be fair, the financial burdens from retirement pensions and debts from major construction projects have caused the agency to spend more than it earns.
The government should find a solution to these old debts so that the agency can return to a reasonable operational environment and push for transformation.
People generally think of the TRA as being old-fashioned, lax, conservative and bureaucratic — an impression seemingly proven right by the Puyuma accident.
The effect of the agency’s organizational culture on its workers is clearly greater than anyone imagined.
Fortunately, apart from the government’s disaster rescue and relief work, the agency has handled the accident appropriately, which shows that it is unwilling rather than incapable.
The TRA’s organizational culture is an invisible helmsman that guides staff thinking and behavior.
The agency’s habits have been accumulated over a century and created an entangled culture that is difficult to change, but the derailment could be a turning point to reshape its culture.
Continuing internal training, implementing a system of rewards and penalties, reshaping the organizational atmosphere and reconstructing the management system are all measures that the TRA could accomplish.
Only through sustained effort over many years would the TRA succeed at replacing bad habits with good ones and rebuilding a positive culture focused on stability, innovation, responsibility, progress, openness and transparency, but it must persevere so that a foundation is laid for sustainable operations.
The TRA is responsible every day for the safety of hundreds of thousands of passengers traveling across the nation.
It should adopt a passenger-centered service philosophy that places safety first, and assimilate these ideals into its culture.
Embracing preparation and prevention should prepare the TRA to turn danger into safety.
The social pressure and criticism resulting from the Puyuma accident will hopefully teach the TRA to learn from its mistakes and carry out bold and decisive reform, turning this tragedy into transformation and organizational reconstruction.
Chen Dun-ji is a professor at National Taiwan Normal University’s Department of Business Administration.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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