The Persistence of Safety Silence: How Flight Deck Microcultures Influence the Efficacy of Crew Resource Management

Abstract

The majority of First Officers and Captains feel that Captains establish the tone of the flight deck microculture. However, the majority of these pilots also report that as First Officers, they have hesitated to share safety-pertinent data and/or experience being silenced after sharing safety data due to a psychologically unsafe flight deck. Utilizing direct feedback from industry pilots, we explore ways that Captains can create a more inclusive microculture that elicits safety voice. The safety system designed to enhance crew collaboration, Crew Resource Management, fails to adequately establish tools for designing a psychologically safe flight deck. We conclude that Crew Resource Management training must be re-designed with a human-centered data approach to increase the efficacy of the systems.

Authors

• Perkins, Kimberly Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
• Ghosh, Sourojit Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
• Vera, Julie Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
• Aragon, Cecilia Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
• Hyland, Adam Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Keywords

• Crew Resource Management
• psychological safety
• safety voice
• flight deck
• microculture
• Aviation and Space Education
• Aviation Safety and Security
• Leadership Studies
• Social Psychology