Many industries have reflected on the complexity and inherent risks involved in their operations and have developed systems to maximize safety and increase efficiency. At the forefront of this revolution to perfect operational execution are those industries designated as High Reliability Organizations (HROs). HROs such as commercial aviation, health care and the fire service have "no fail missions" in which lives are at considerable risk during every operation and the cost of mistakes can be staggering. HROs typically recognize human error as the root cause of most significant incidents leading to the application of a human factors approach to operational execution, called Crew Resource Management (CRM). Since April of 2013, one oilfield organization has joined these HROs in the pursuit of operational excellence through the application of CRM. Since integrating a CRM leadership model into all elements of their operations, empirical evidence collected pre and post implementation from Corporate HSE&Q data established an increase in safety and service quality at the tactical level of operations. Further evidence supplied through field case studies demonstrates that the employment of CRM in oilfield operations has a positive impact in optimizing efficiency in the execution of operations while mitigating risks and maximizing crew safety. This paper provides a high level curriculum of a CRM program including strategies for implementation and integration of CRM tools and processes within frontline oilfield operations. Significant findings of this research are demonstrated methods used to overcome cultural challenges in embedding CRM in an organization. This includes approaches to break down barriers to acceptance by leaders and operators at all levels of the organization. Drawing from research, as well as a field case study, this paper will examine the positive operational effects of applying CRM as a leadership model for the oilfield. It will also suggest tactics and considerations for training and implementation of CRM.

High Reliability Organizations (HROs) are organizations with systems that maintain exceptionally low failure rates while operating in environments where the nature of the risk and complexity of serious incidents would be anticipated. HROs such as nuclear submarines, aircraft carriers, and the fire service have no fail missions because the costs of failure are extremely high. Applying the same systems and tools that created their passionate commitment to excellence that permeates every aspect of their operations, other industries can produce their own culture of high reliability where nearly perfect safety and service quality are the norm. The aim of this paper is to illustrate how the principles, concepts, and processes of HROs, including Crew Resource Management (CRM), can optimize operational execution of a pressure pumping company through increased levels of safety and quality. The contemporary oilfield operating environment requires teams to be proactively aware of emerging threats and to trap errors or incidents to prevent them from escalating into significant incidents. The paper includes the following themes: A literature review of the principles and concepts of traditional and established HROs from other industries;The process and systems to operationalize HRO principles and concepts within the energy industry; andTwo case studies demonstrating how HRO principles and concepts allow teams in the oilfield to reduce system failures and to notice, confront, resolve, and learn from unforeseen problems and failures when they do occur.