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What is security culture?

Security culture comprises the values, norms, beliefs, attitudes, and assumptions that are built into the daily operations of your organisation.

It is reflected in the actions and behaviours of all staff, personnel and stakeholders involved with your organisation. Security is everyone’s responsibility—including high-level management and operational staff—and a positive security culture is built and reinforced across all levels of an organisation. When security is included as part of core business goals and values, everybody is clear on their role, and everybody benefits.

A positive security culture is about:

  • recognising that effective security is critical to the success of your organisation or business and of the aviation sector.
  • building an open and honest organisation where security issues are openly shared, understood and solved.
  • establishing an appreciation of positive security practices among employees at all levels of your organisation.
  • articulating security as a core value of your organisation, rather than as an obligation or burdensome expense.
  • understanding that an effective security culture will contribute to the safety and security outcomes your organisation desires; and
  • recognising that there is not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ way to create a good security culture: what is effective for your organisation will depend on what you do, where you are located, your organisational makeup, threats faced, and your risk profile.

Security culture goes beyond security awareness, and good security awareness does not automatically imply good security culture. Policies, procedures, and the environment created by an organisation that can enable an understanding of security at a deeper institutional level, results in positive and effective practice and outcomes.

A positive security culture means that security is in the DNA of your organisation and an integral part of everything people do.

 

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