We have previously mentioned Ancient Greece, and how incredibly clever they were in introducing the world to what we all know today as Democracy. Democracy was more than a political ideology back in Ancient Greece – it was a philosophy driven by the hope that a majority of empowered voters would ultimately make a reliable and sustainable choice for the whole of the population.
But the question of who should be making difficult decisions on a national scale was not the only controversial philosophical question that came from Ancient Greece. The debate over which came first, the chicken or egg? is not just a time-honoured question that has been around since Ancient Greece.
Now, on the surface, the questions of parliament elections and egg-hatching have nothing in common, but as you analyse the paradigmatic or conceptual structure of both topics you realise one funny and almost paradoxical comparison – the equation of action Vs inaction.
Is the success or failure of a selected outcome the result of action or inaction? Can a result be determined through the action or inaction of participants? Would the results have been the same should the balance of action and inaction be different? So, what came first?…
Don’t worry, it will all make sense in a few moments – in order for a chicken to bring a fertile egg and nurture it until it is ready to hatch there is a certain chain of events and circumstances that need to take place. Assuming that we all know the intricacies and have a rough idea of the interested parties….let’s just leave the chickens here for a moment.
We all have the power to make decisions that affect our lives, and even if they don’t seem too big at first glance – every decision will lead us down a path where responsibility falls into place.
The extent of our responsibility will depend on a variety of factors such as:
- The scope and impact of our decision
- The legal authority and influence we have on the matter in question
- The extent to which we have taken into account any applicable requirements
- The extent to which we followed and fulfilled any applicable policies, obligations or duties
- The result of risk assessment we have undertaken (where applicable)
- The actual end result of our action or inaction
- The degree to which we have adhered to procedures, consulted other parties and more.
In the business world, to help us understand our place in the Chain of Responsibility to clarify the degree to which each of us is accountable, and to finally answer what comes first – the great philosophers of the new era of legal compliance have shared with us the light of knowledge through the power of the written word – Acts, Regulations and Codes of Practice.
A painfully boring, yet fundamentally important collection of sacred contemporary scriptures that explain to us just about everything a business should or should not do. One of such documents is the Registered Industry Code of Practice (RICP) – or ‘Master Code’ which was developed in strict accordance with the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) and is wholeheartedly accepted and supported by the NHVR.
The RICP is a practical guide that helps organisations (perhaps like yours) meet legal vehicle safety and compliance standards, by outlining the extent of responsibility and duty of care of each party involved in the transport activity chain of a heavy vehicle. (Hence the acronym CoR – Chain of Responsibility). The RICP Covers Speed, Fatigue, Mass and Maintenance (Vehicle Standards) and applies to a broad range of industry sectors and commodities. The code defines Parties in the Chain of Responsibility as Drivers, Prime Contractors, Operators, Schedulers, Consignors, Consignees, Packers, Loading Managers, Loaders and Unloaders.
This is the same as other publications previously mentioned in our articles. The RICP demands that all parties do everything so far so it is reasonably practicable to ensure safety and conformity to the standard through their daily decisions and actions.
Same as it is a choice to adhere to a set of laws, it is also a choice to what extent you follow the laws and which ones you decide to follow. On a daily basis we see two completely different types of disasters; individuals that decide to dismiss the law and face the consequences, and participants that gracefully decide to do the right thing – but strangely, use old, outdated and sometimes inadequate paper systems.
And while we struggle to understand those individuals that decide to not follow the laws, we do, to some extent, understand the participants who go through the hard yards through piles of paper and boxes of staples. You see – they simply are used to doing things in a certain way, because there was no other choice. And when you can only vote ‘one’ from ‘one’, you vote ‘one’.
Thankfully, the times have changed and democracy is now in our grasp.
We can now decide how to do things in an easy way or a hard way… through glass or through paper… in hours or in seconds…. through torture of sweat and tears and fines or with a victorious grin of relief!
Is it a joke? – Yes it is! Paper should not even be a choice anymore. It’s a completely ancient way of running a business. It’s much closer to rock and leather carvings than to running a smooth and efficient operation! But you still do have two wonderful choices! “KIM” and “Q”.
To find more about ‘Q’ go to https://www.quallogi.com/ and to find out more about KIM, simply request a free demo, and we will show you how you can access an endless world of possibilities and magic!
KIM is a human resources management software, that is a lot more than just another human resource management software. It is a human resource management software that contains Risks & Opportunities management tools, electronic forms and signatures, road maps, task management tools, timesheets, risk management, internal audits and much much more!
Call us now to book in a free demo and see how KIM can simplify your business operations!