There are lessons Leaders can learn from airline crashes other than commercial airline travel is still safer than riding in a car. Even with continual improvement in technology commercial airplanes still crash. U.S. crash statistics since 2000 show variability in the number of crashes over the years [Airlines]. Why? Shouldn’t better technology show a steady decline in crashes? Shouldn’t Leaders with more experience make similar or the same mistakes as less experienced Leaders?
Research into airplane crashes in the early 50’s revealed problems in the cockpit, ‘human error’ rather than mechanical were the primary cause of crashes. Over 80% of crashes were caused by human error [Pilot]. In response to these findings Commercial airlines started CRM (Crew Resource Management) training in the 80’s to improve how cockpit personnel worked in hopes of decreasing incidents caused by human error. Early on they focused on improving ‘communications’ and ‘teamwork’.
I had the opportunity to work with a trainer and observe ‘check ride training’ for commercial pilots in a state-of-the-art flight simulation center. This training served as a refresher for the crew on problem solving and feedback on how they worked together in flying the plane. To enhance learning it was not tied to their licensing.
In working with Leaders and their organizations I have observed how airline crews and Leaders and their employees experience similar problems in trying to accomplish their goals.
First of all, here is the process cockpit crews went through during a ‘check ride’ session. Crews started in a training room where they would listen to the recording of a real-life event/problem that had occurred with another flight along with any other pertinent information. After a discussion of the incident with the trainer, they proceeded to the flight simulator. In the simulator they would fly an outbound leg to a destination and back. Everyone knew that one leg would be problem free and the other one NOT. Believe me, when I say these simulators are real as a flying experience you can get outside of the real thing. During one leg of the trip the instructor would reconstruct the same or similar type of flight problem that had been discussed in the classroom before entering the simulator. At the end of the flight there was a debrief about how they performed in correcting the problem and keeping the plane ‘in the air’ (you never used the word crash nor did the trainer allow them to crash). In my experience with cockpit crews and organizations here are a few lessons I think apply for Leaders of any organization.
Lesson one. Even with the threat of death people do ‘stupid stuff’. Flight crews are like any group of workers, they have their strengths and weaknesses but by and large they care about their job. This doesn’t keep them from doing bad things. It goes without comment that cockpit crews care significantly more about their job than people on the ground because their life is on the line. However, just as with any of your employees human dynamics can and do intercede to create stupid and harmful situations.
I heard stories where dysfunctional interpersonal dynamics in the cockpit lead to conscious decisions by individuals in the cockpit that put everyone’s life at risk. Don’t think people will ‘do the right thing’ just because of the operational environment.
Lesson two. Stressful situations bring out strengths and weaknesses of individuals. Who rises to the top is not necessarily who lead prior to the incident. Not all appointed leaders manage well under stress. You will not know how an individual will lead and or act under stress until they are put in that position. This also goes for teams. Until they are in a stressful situation you will never know how they will work together as a team. If you don’t think this is true, ask a military squad leader. High stress assignments require excellent staffing and close monitoring. Think carefully about who you appoint as a leader in a critical situation.
Lesson three. Formal classroom training is ALWAYS FAULED. Outside of the classroom people won’t carry forward the training they just received. Mistakes are usually made and or repeated. Training people in a formal classroom and expecting them to correctly implement everything taught is a fools bargain. Repetition, learning from mistakes (without early on punishment) and mentoring is what in-grains learning. Talk with a coach even at the collegiate or professional level and they will confirm this.
Lesson four. Cultural norms play a bigger role in how people work together than people understand or think about. It is also hard and sometimes politically difficult to define what is driving undesired outcomes. At first, the airline thought the main problem was poor communication and teamwork. In the beginning they didn’t clearly define what GOOD was and no one asked what the cause was for the bad. They knew there wasn’t two-way communication, just the Captain giving orders.
So, as they say, ‘close but no cigar’, they had the symptoms but not the causes. Culturally that was the role of the Captain, control, and order giver. Another unexpected learning airline companies found out was that when the leader/Captain took total responsibility for everything the probability of crashing increased substantially.
Look at the organizational structure of the crew (the formal or informal pecking order). Captain, First officer (or Co-Pilot), engineer and the Cabin crew (flight attendants) who also have a Lead attendant. Who do you think everyone defers to? Answer, always the leader. When there was a problem whose is responsible to figure it out and give out orders? Airline personnel (everyone but the Captain) had a saying “God sits on the left side in the cockpit”. This cultural norm drove poor communication and teamwork and I believe it is the most difficult problem to overcome. Can’t seem to get rid of old bad habits in the organizations? Ask yourself what reinforces their ‘stickiness’ for these habits and or norms.
Remember if you are trying to change cultural norms you need to be careful you don’t create more damage. This article looks at both changing organizational norms but also how they are changing even without your intervention [SMB].
My next blog will be Part II on these lessons.