Communicative Experiences of African American Female Pilots on the Flight Deck: an Application of Co-Cultural Theory and Narrat

Communicative Experiences of African American Female Pilots on the Flight Deck: An Application of Co-Cultural Theory and Narrative Nonfiction to Inform Crew Resource Management by Michael L. Zirulnik A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Approved September 2015 by the Graduate Supervisory Committee: Janet Alberts, Co-Chair Benjamin Broome, Co-Chair Lee Gutkind Mark Orbe ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY December 2015 © 2015 Michael L. Zirulnik All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT This study sought to inform the curriculum of crew resource management (CRM) for multi-pilot flight deck operations. The CRM curriculum requires continued reexamination to ensure safe flight in the changing demographic of flight decks in the US. The study calls attention to the CRM curriculum’s insufficient inclusion of robust training components to address intercultural communication skills and conflict management strategies. Utilizing a phenomenological approach, the study examined the communicative experiences of African American female military and airline transport pilots on the flight deck and within the aviation industry. Co-cultural theory was used as a theoretical framework to investigate these co-researcher’s (pilots) experiences. A parallel goal of the investigation was to better understand raced and gendered communication as they occur in this specific context—the flight deck of US airlines and military aircraft. The researcher conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews and shadowed two co-researchers (pilots) for a period of days and built a relationship with them over the course of one year. Eight years of preparation working in the airline industry situated the researcher for this study. The researcher collected stories and interviews during this time immersed in industry. The data collected offers initial insights into the experiences of non-dominant group members in this unique organizational environment. The study’s findings are reported in the form of a creative/narrative nonfiction essay. This effort was twofold: (1) the narrative served to generate a record of experiences for continued examination and future research and (2) created useful data and information sets accessible to expert and non-expert audiences alike. i The data supports rationalization as a co-cultural communication strategy, a recent expansion of the theory. Data also suggests that another strategy—strategic alliance building—may be useful in expanding the scope of co-cultural theory. The proposed assertive assimilation orientation identifies the intentional construct of alliances and warrants further investigation. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This project would not have been possible without the support of many people. Professionally, thank you to my dissertation committee. Dr. Benjamin Broome who guided my thinking with his ever so gentle and thoughtful use of Socratic methods. His willingness to sit with me for many hours over the years and discuss the world of aviation was always enjoyable, as I caught on slowly to his use of those times as an opportunity to accelerate my thinking. Dr. Jess Alberts for her willingness to guide and support this work and my scholarly goals, all the while making sure I smiled though it. Dr. Mark Orbe who spent his time editing my words and challenging my thoughts. His development of co-cultural theory is responsible this project’s theoretical framework. For this, I am honored. Lee Gutkind, who over the course of five years taught me how to write creative nonfiction. He enriched my thinking and taught me the writing life, from craft to business and all that comes in between. He has been a strong mentor and a friend. Thank you to Dr. Linda Lederman, an astute scholar and educator who has taught me the ways of teaching and who exemplifies what it means to be a professional. Without her support, care, and guidance since my time as an undergraduate student of hers at Rutgers University, the journey of this project would not have come to fruition. The past 12 years after having first taken a seat in the back of her classroom on a cool day in New Jersey have been fulfilling. Dr. Amira de la Garza and Judith Martin’s work have also played key influential roles in this project. Dr. de la Garza, for teaching me about the depths of intercultural communication and for always challenging the ways in which and iii how I conduct analysis. Dr. Martin, whose writings on culture and communication remain in my collective consciousness as I move through my day. My family and friends are a tremendous support. My mother for her encouragement even when she wasn’t sure exactly what I was doing while in school for so many years or while traversing the earth on a jet. I am grateful to so many others in my family that pushed me onward and to Bobby I.J. Walker who saw to it that I stayed focused and supported me in the final months of my writing—ensuring that it got done. There are a host of organizations and individuals noteworthy but for which space is too limited to include them all in their support of this project. Foremost, thank you to the two courageous, determined women who allowed me into their lives for the duration of this project, Lieutenant Colonel Erika LeBlanc and First Officer Dawn Cook. Their experiences and their words, many of which appear in the narrative chapter of this dissertation are important and noteworthy for more reasons than I can write here. Thank you is due to the support of Atoa (pseudonym) for inspiring me to take on this project and for acting as a confident and an informant. She, in large part is responsible for my ability to collect most of the statistical information to account for the number of Black and African American female pilots employed by US airlines. I owe a debt of gratitude to The Organization of Black Airline Pilots and The International Society of Women Airline Pilots for their professional assistance on this project. Thank you to Flying Tigress, Norah O’Neill for graciously allowing me to interview here and converse with her a number of times about this project at its outset. O’Neill was the first female to fly passengers aboard the 747 and the first in the world to pilot the McDonnell Douglas DC- iv 8. Notably, she was one of the first 10 women to pilot commercial aircraft in the US when women were finally permitted to work in this capacity in 1973. To all whose names I did not mention, you are not forgotten. I will forever be indebted to you for the time, commitment, and encouragement you offered me. Finally, to Arizona State University, thank you for the organizational and financial support that allowed me to learn and conduct research in a dynamic and enriching environment. I am humbled and honored to have had this seemingly dream of an opportunity. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ...........................................................................................................viii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................................................1 Overview .................................................................................................................1 The Study’s Impetus................................................................................................4 Justification .............................................................................................................6 By the Numbers.......................................................................................................7 2 THEORETICAL FOUNDATION & LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................. 14 Co-Cultural Theory ...............................................................................................14 Race Communication Research—An Absence Being Filled by Applications of Co-Cultural Theory ..............................................................................................20 Segregation and Discrimination in Airline Transport Piloting .............................22 Discriminatory Hiring Practices................................................................24 Co-Opted Self Segregation........................................................................26 Homogeneity of Airline Transport Pilots in Aviation...............................28 Perceptions of Female Pilots and How They Communicate.................................31 Sex-Role Typing and Linguistic Manipulation .........................................32 Pressure and Performance Expectations....................................................35 Research Questions ...............................................................................................37 3 METHODS & ANALYSIS.................................................................................................................................... 39 vi CHAPTER Page A Phenomenological Approach.............................................................................39 Access, Co-Researchers, Capta, and Analysis ..........................................41 Narrative Profiles ..................................................................................................45 Concerns and Outcomes of Creative Nonfiction Writing (a brief) ...........45 4 NARRATIVE .......................................................................................................................................................... 48 5 ANALYSIS, REFLECTIONS AND

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