There is an intellectual foundation to goal setting. Under the late and esteemed W. Edward Deming’s concept of Total Quality Management (TQM), a clear statement of the goal is the first order of business. So what is the safety goal of every airline executive? What executive is willing to admit that his goal is only, say, one crash or so many dead or injured passengers or employees? As the saying goes, we differentiate between goals and expectations.

If the goal is zero accidents for each airline, then the collective goal for the industry must be zero. To accept losses simply is unacceptable, given the inestimable value of a human life, the enormous cost of an airplane, the considerable legal and other costs associated with an accident, and the shock to the public, resulting in a loss of confidence in the safety of air travel.

The concept of zero losses as the safety goal is part of a larger “theory of organizational excellence.” Excellence may be defined as full performance of the mission, plus no damaged or destroyed aircraft, and no fatalities or injuries involved in the airline enterprise, or among the passengers. Or, more crudely expressed:

Full performance is here defined as meeting the flight schedule. Excellence therefore means supporting the flight schedule and doing so with no loss/damage to aircraft and no deaths/injuries to the people involved. If this truly is what is desired, then the current goal of reducing the fatal accidents by 80%, or to reduce deaths by 2025 to 4.4/100,000,000 departures, might be described as the interim target on the way to zero. Remember, there is a difference between goals and expectations. Set the goal high, but expect some missteps in execution (which, by the way, defines an accident).