From countless cases of catastrophic events, we have learned many things. One is that safety is an organisational property (or a system one). Another is that the organisations (or systems) are not static but evolving, changing, in order to adapt to their business (or political) environment.

Strategies matter in this respect, and this is another finding of decades of studies of accidents. From the stories of BP, NASA or Boeing, it has become established that a strategic analysis is more than necessary to understand the conditions of safe performance. Strategies are developed to adapt organisations (or systems) to their environment.

They therefore imply change. Change can have consequences. It must be managed. It must trigger learning. Yet, linking strategy, change, learning and safety is not always done explicitly in organisations. The aim of the workshop is to debate about ways of promoting a better grasp of these connections.