PJ2:
Under SMS, "everyone" is responsible for safety, which is complete nonsense and entirely impractical not to say a conflict of priorities. A flight operations manager simply does not become a safety "expert" or specialist overnight and is far more likely to default to old habits and priorities which are entirely cost and schedule-driven. Take for example, the complexities of implementing an FDA Program. Are line managers going to take such a project on? Not at all. If "everyone" is responsible for safety, where does the leadership come from to implement such fundamental programs? Where do the justifications for resourcing such programs come from and how do they survive when such audits accept box-tick FDA programs?
I disagree in part with your statement here. I don't believe that the concept of everyone being responsible for safety is complete nonsense, nor do I see how it would necessarily be a conflict of priorities. While it's true that you can't expect anyone to become a safety expert overnight, why is it necessary to be an expert in order to make a legitimate contribution?
To make an analogy... I don't have to know the ins and outs of the city sanitation system to pick up a piece of stray trash and throw it in the trashcan. I could easily ignore the trash and let it accumulate, but if I've decided to make picking up the trash one of my priorities, no matter what I'm doing, then it can become second nature. On the other hand, relying solely on good samaritans to ensure a clean city is stupid.
I think what the concept of "safety culture" tries to avoid is the situation where people can tell themselves that it's okay to put aside the safety questions because there are "experts" in the system to take care of that.