In the first episode of Leading & Learning Through Safety for 2026, Dr. Mark French explores a challenging but critical topic: organizational dehumanization and its direct impact on leadership, safety, and human dignity at work. Drawing from a December 2025 Journal of Applied Psychology article titled “Seeing the Good in the Bad: A Self-Affirmation Model for Organizational Dehumanization,” the episode examines whether any redeeming outcomes can exist in workplaces that treat people as numbers rather than humans.

Dehumanization often shows up subtly—viewing employees as spreadsheet entries, productivity metrics, or cost centers instead of people with autonomy, competence, and emotional needs. Dr. French argues that this mindset is fundamentally incompatible with safety. When people are dehumanized, organizations lose autonomous thinkers, silence risk-spotters, and erode the trust required to protect one another.

Interestingly, the research suggests that while dehumanization is never appropriate or acceptable, some individuals respond by seeking meaning elsewhere—through volunteering, social connection, or prosocial behavior outside of work. This “rebound effect” is not a justification for poor leadership, but a testament to human resilience and self-affirmation.

The episode also explores an important nuance: not all language that removes “human” framing is harmful. Being called “a machine” for exceptional performance may feel motivating in context—but systemic dehumanization that strips dignity is something entirely different.

Dr. French closes with a call to action: safety begins with re-humanization. Leaders must recognize the signs of dehumanization and intentionally restore autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Because when we value people as people, safety becomes possible—and sustainable.