ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Get to know Nikki Knapp:
Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicoleknapp/
Email: nikki.knapp@kquadrant.com
In her conversation on the Counter Errorism podcast, Nikki Knapp shares practical, creative approaches to teaching Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) and emphasizes the critical importance of human connection.
Here are the key lessons we learn from her approach:
Relationships as the Foundation of HOP
Knapp stresses that you cannot prevent, detect, or correct errors until people feel comfortable talking to you. If a safety professional lacks a relationship with workers, leaders, or engineers, they have zero influence and cannot advocate for meaningful change. To build this trust and psychological safety, she intentionally uses vulnerability—sharing her own mistakes and off-the-wall personal stories to disarm people and prove she is just as fallible as they are.
Integration vs. Implementation
Many leaders simply want a checklist or procedure to formally "implement" HOP as a standard safety program. However, Knapp points out that you cannot mandate or implement a relationship. Because every person and organization is unique, HOP principles must be organically integrated into everyday interactions and systems rather than blindly implemented out of a box.
Using Games for Experiential Learning
To make dry subjects (like error precursors or radiation training) engaging, Knapp uses hands-on games to crack people's shells. Some of her practical exercises include:
- Lego Exercises: Having teams attempt to build identical Lego cars with and without instructions to practically demonstrate the pressure of time, the necessity of clear communication, and the value of pre-job briefs. She also built a scale model of a nuclear reception center out of Legos so workers could finally visualize their exact role within the big picture.
- Match Madness: Using a block-matching puzzle game to subtly teach groups about error precursors, peer-checking, and how to build resilient systems under time pressure.
Celebrating Success and "Normal Work"
Organizations are notoriously quick to dissect what went wrong, but they rarely take the time to celebrate "normal work"—the days when everything goes right and no one gets hurt. Knapp advocates for pausing to actually celebrate successes before picking apart minor failures. She also champions peer-to-peer recognition systems (like Bucket List or Kudos) where workers can publicly reward each other with points for good catches, safety improvements, and helpful behavior, which also gives leaders visibility into the good things happening on the floor.
Care Before Correction
When an incident does happen, leaders often default to their strategic brains, immediately asking how the event could have been prevented. Knapp actively coaches leaders to pause and ensure that the very first question asked in any post-event meeting is, "How are they doing?", ensuring that the human being and their family are cared for before any operational learning takes place.
Please check out the amazing people doing amazing things on these podcasts we listen to and love:
- Leading Safely Podcast with Georgina Poole
- Were We Lucky, or Were We Good Podcast with Steve Smith
- The Safety Bros with Brad and Dan Ruiz
- Punk Rock Safety with Dr. Ben Goodheart, Dr. Dave Provan, and Dr. Ron Gantt
- Counter-Errorism in Diving: Applying Human Factors to Diving with Gareth Lock
- How Did It Make Sense? with Gareth Lock
- The HOP Nerd with Sam Goodman
- A HOP Podcast (With No Name) with Andrea Baker and Matt Florio
- Health & Safety Conversations with Tom Bourne
- Pre-Accident Investigations with Todd Conklin
- Safety on Tap with Andrew Barrett
- Hop Into Action with Brent Sutton
- The Safety of Work with Dr. David Provan and Dr. Drew Rae
- Illusion of Safety with Allison Short, Joshua Russell, and Gabe Encarnacion
- Be Empowered with Dr. Santoshi Billakota and Dr. Shahla Moghbel
- (Not HOP-related, but an AMAZING untold history podcast) The Missing Chapter Podcast with Philip Horrender and Phil Schoff
