Professor Tom Reader

Tom Reader is Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science at LSE. He studies how organisational culture contributes to accidents and corporate scandals – and in particular, why institutions often fail to see or act on the warning signs of failure.

Tom’s research investigates how organisations build a 'corrective culture' that ensures safety and prevents accidents: for example, through overcoming barriers that stop people from speaking up about hidden or unresolved problems, and learning from the feedback of outsiders to correct errors. His work harnesses advances in AI and textual data to study organisational culture through patterns of language, fundamentally changing how we measure and conceptualise culture.

Tom has published over 60 academic papers and the book Safety at the Sharp End: A Guide to Non-Technical Skills, and is writing a new book about learning from complaints (Cambridge University Press). His work has had real-world impact; notably, the Healthcare Complaints Analysis Tool has changed how hospitals worldwide learn from patient feedback, and his work developing Unobtrusive Indicators of Culture has been applied across industry. Tom directs the Culture and Risk Research Unit, the MSc in Organisational and Social Psychology, and the Leading Organisational Culture executive programme.

Expertise

Organisational culture; decision-making; safety and risk