Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research Volume 9 Number 3 JAAER Spring 2000 Article 6 Spring 2000 Integrated Airline Organizational Frameworks and Crew Resource Management Effectiveness Triant Flouris Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.erau.edu/jaaer Scholarly Commons Citation Flouris, T. (2000). Integrated Airline Organizational Frameworks and Crew Resource Management Effectiveness. Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research, 9(3). https://doi.org/10.15394/ jaaer.2000.1258 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research by an authorized administrator of Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Flouris: Integrated Airline Organizational Frameworks and Crew Resource Ma Integrated Airline Organizational Frameworks INTEGRATED AIRLINE ORGANIZATIONAL FRAMEWORKS AND CREW RESOURCE MANAGEMENT EFFECTIVENESS Triant Flouris It is only through well-designed and implemented Crew Resource Management being deeply rooted in an airline's organizational culture that an airline can achieve its highest possible standard of safety, by having the highest degree of operational efficiency. It is not Crew Resource Management training itself that contributes to well-trained crew members who implement Crew Resource Management principles in flight operations. Rather, it is a strong company organizational culture that contributes, ultimately, to the effectiveness of Crew Resource Management. INTRODUCTION circumstances that arise in the air and on the ground. The Crew Resource Management (CRM) is based on the aforementioned definition of Crew Resource Management "effective management of a pilot's available resources."' as the effedive management of a pilot's available resources The aviation community has come to the consensus that is in itselfproblematic. What do we mean by effective, what Crew Resource Management is a valid concept as several by management, what is available and what is a resource? early studies on different aspects of CRM have The above questions are valid and effective4 and Crew demonstrated that causal links can be established between Resource Management training programs depend on they Crew Resource Management and flight safq. Precisely, ways airlines define the above concepts. the analysis of several accidents in which the flight crew This paper recognizes the elusiveness of Crew Resource did not apply at all or did not apply Crew Resource Management as a concept and therefore the difficulty in Management concepts correctly are cited as Crew Resource teaching Crew Resource Management "effectively" in Management related accidents3. Crew Resource training programs. Therefore, this research proposes an Management is elusive as a concept and practice because it alternative to maximizing the overall safety and operating is multidimensional and its content is shaped by particular efficiency benefits of Crew Resource Management training. Our approach borrows heavily fiom organizational behavior theory. The most salient criticism of Crew ' Krause, Shari. Aircraft Safety: Accidents, Investigations, Resource Management programs is that, whilst they focus Analyses, and Applications. New York, NY: Mew-Hill, on a concept that has to do with enhancing communication Inc., 1996, 5. and cooperation and as such maximizing the efficiency of See. Caro, Paul "Flight Training and Simulationn in Human available resources, as the definition tells us, they are Factors in Aviation. Ed. Wiener, Earl and Davis Nagel. San Diego: Academic Press, 1988: 258-259; Chute, Rebecca and heavily technical in nature. So, Crew Resource Earl Wiener. March 1995. "On a Collision Course?" Air Line Management training programs are captive of a mistake, -Pilot: 20-25; Foushee, Clayton and Robert Helmreich "Group which has been made in training programs for many years, Interaction and Flight Crew Performance." Human Factors in Aviation. Ed. Wiener, Earl and Davis Nagel. San Diego: Academic Press, 1988: 189-227; Helrnreich, Robert "Does Effectiveness is defined as "utility maximization." We can CRM Training Work?" Air Line Pilot. May 1991: 17-20; argue in circles here if we get into a definitional debate because Negrette, Arthur. "Cockpit Communication Could Save Your effective actually means the reduction of accidents. Given that Life." Rotor and Wing International. February 1987: 22-23; establishing causation in accidents is a problematic task in Viets, Jack. "Cockpit Resource Management and Airline itself, the definition of "effective" can be a major problem; so, Safety." San Francisco Chronicle. 15 January 1986: Aa9. this paper in its limited space will not address. Ibid. JAAER Spring 2000 Page 55 Published by Scholarly Commons, 2000 1 Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research, Vol. 9, No. 3 [2000], Art. 6 Integrated Airline Or~anizationalFrameworks which they try to eliminate. That is, whilst Crew Resource pounds of her5. "Although some captains resumed a Management training tries to create pilots with skills that leadership role and regained the flight crew's attention, go beyond technical skills, Crew Resource Management in others either never heard what the flight attendant asked for itself is taught as a technical skill. or did nothing to stop the second officer from discontinuing In this paper, we assume that Crew Resource his duties'%. Management is a non-technical, multidimensional, and Although most of the professional flying community has elusive concept. Based on this assumption, we argue that accepted Crew Resource Management training as a viable Crew Resource Management should not be taught as a asset to one's leadership style, the United States National technical skill, but rather in non-technical and holistic ways Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) continues to to aid airlines in their Crew Resource Management document cases in which the cockpit is more like a training. This paper argues that the answer to maximizing demilitarized zone than a positive work environment. the understanding and implementation of Crew Resource Usually being the more experienced airline pilot, the Management concepts in flight operations is the grounding captain is most likely to dictate heobjectives and priorities of Crew Resource Management principles in a company's of the flight. Therefore, an underlying tone might be organizational culture. The just mentioned core argument created that does not allow other crew members to speak of this paper suggests that, it is not Crew Resource fieely or worse, to do their jobs. In those cases, Crew Management training itselfthat contributes to well-trained Resource Management training might be the only way crew crew members who implement Crew Resource members could form a bridge between conflicting Management principles in flight operations. Rather, it is a viewpoints or personalities and achieve the mutual goal of strong company organizational culture that contributes, ending the day without incident. This is the reason why it ultimately, to the effectiveness of Crew Resource is imperative to hire pilots with personalities pre-disposed Management. to substantively accept Crew Resource Management CREW RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: principles.' DEFINITION AND EVOLUTION It is important to note that a breakdown in Crew Resource The concept of Crew Resource Management has proven Managment can cause problems other than fatal accidents. so successful that many of the world's airlines have These may include operational inefficiencies and errors developed at least some form of Crew Resource such as fuel miscalculations, clearance misunderstandings, Management training. The core of the program is to create ATC instruction misunderstandings, poor crew teamwork and alleviate pilot error. Various techniques are coordination etc, but could also include incidents and non- designed to enhance management and leadership methods, htal accidents. An example of such an incident is TWA emphasize decision-making and judgement skills, improve 843 on 30 July 1992, a LlOl 1, which caught fire after take- effective communication with others, and provide an off at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York8. overall productive work environment. The training also develops a keen insight into a person's behavior pattern during normal and emergency situations. Krause, Shari. Air4Safety Accidents. Investigations, As early as 1976, NASA researchers studied the value of Analyses. and Amlications. New York, NY:McCraw-Hill, Inc., 1996,6. Also see, Foushee, Clayton and Robert Helmreich total crew involvement and teamwork. One simulated "Group Interaction and Flight Crew Performance." Human exercise involved 18 experienced Boeing 747 pilots. The Factors in Aviation. Ed Wiener, Earl and Davis Nagel. San test included a progressive emergency coupled with bad Diego: Academic Press, 1988: 189-227. weather and numerous cockpit distractions. Several flight Krause 1996, 6. Krause, Shari. Aircraft Safety Accidents, engineers abandoned their critical fuel-burn calculations to Investigations, Analyses, and hplications. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1996. oblige flight attendants who had interrupted them with ' This point will be addressed and further explained later in the trivial matters. As a result, 'WASA noted a number ofgrms paper, when suggestions for a more effective implementation of operational errors, including one miscalculation of 100,000 crew resource management