Crew Resource Management: Enhancing Flight Safety
Crew Resource Management
What is Cockpit/Crew Resource Management?
- CRM is the effective use of all resources to achieve safe and efficient flight operations. It is an extension of pilot judgment to the multi-person flight crew.
- The primary focus of CRM is on communications within and outside the cockpit, engaging ALL available resources.
- CRM was started by UAL around 1990 as a way to reduce crew/human errors in airline flying.
Objective of Crew Resource Management
The broad objective of CRM is to enhance the decision-making process by improving the performance of flight crews, especially in areas of:
- Interpersonal communication
- Teamwork
- Leadership
It attempts to change cockpit behavior, not personalities.
CRM Elements
- Communications
- Leadership and management
- Cooperation
- Situation awareness
- Decision making
A breakdown in any aspect of CRM will adversely affect the crew’s performance.
Communications—Key to CRM
- Tone
- Pace
- Inflection
- Volume
- Facial expression
- Body language
Elements in the Communications Process
- Communicator
- Intended message
- Encoding process
- Medium
- Receiver
- Decoding process
- Perceived message
- Feedback
- Noise
Causes of Poor Communications
- Differing frames of reference
- Selective perception
- Value judgments
- Source credibility
- Semantic problems
- Filtering
- Time pressure
- Communications overload
- “Noise”
CRM Relies on Key Aspects of Interpersonal Communication
- Inquiry
- Advocacy
- Active listening
- Conflict resolution
- Critique
Key Aspect – Inquiry
- Includes instrument scans, sensing, outside communications
- Absorbing all available information
- Referring to charts and publications
- Questioning fellow crew members
- Asking for clarification
- Main problem: People who are reluctant to ask questions.
Key Aspect – Advocacy
- The act of stating what you know, or believe, in a forthright manner
- The act of promoting your point of view
- Maintaining your position until convinced of another position by facts and argument, NOT authority
- Problem: People know, and even state a situation, but don’t insist on a correct outcome.
Key Aspect – Active Listening
- Listen carefully with attention
- Ask questions
- Ask for clarification.
- Make your understanding known.
- Assist in developing or facilitating the discussion.
- It is a two-way process!
Key Aspect – Conflict Resolution
- Conflicts will arise when people advocate their positions.
- Not bad, unless they involve issues outside the cockpit
- Not bad if all persons are heard, and all issues are highlighted
- Acknowledge diverse points of view.
- Problem: Clouding by outside issues and arbitrary decisions.
Key Aspect – Critique
- Critique after every event
- Everyone should be trained to expect critiques
- Superiors should ask for critiques from subordinates
- Should be focused on issue, frank, and objective
- Attitudes and reactions must be respectful and professional
- Problem: Defensiveness, reluctance to criticize, fear of confrontation.
Crew Effectiveness Factors
- Overall technical proficiency
- Briefing and communications
- Leadership and teamwork
- Situational awareness
- Decision-making
- Crew self-evaluation.
Overall Technical Proficiency
- Set a professional example
- Adhere to SOPs, FARs, sterile cockpit rules
- Demonstrate a high level of flying skill and airmanship
- Be adept at normal and abnormal procedures
- Maintain thorough knowledge of aircraft systems
Briefing and Communications
- Establish an “open” tone
- Fully brief flight and cabin crew on operational/safety issues
- Explicitly encourage participation
- All are obligated to seek and give information
- State how SOP deviations will be handled
- Include cabin crew.
Leadership and Teamwork
- Balance authority and assertiveness.
- Promote continual dialogue.
- Adapt to the personalities of others.
- Use all available resources.
- Share your doubts with others.
Situational Awareness
- Monitor developments (fuel, weather, ATC, etc).
- Anticipate required actions.
- Ask the right questions.
- Test assumptions, and confirm understanding
- Monitor workload distribution and fellow crew members.
- Report fatigue, stress, and overload in self and others.
Decision-Making
- First, fly the aircraft!
- Obtain all pertinent information.
- All crew members should state their recommendations.
- If a better idea is suggested, abandon yours.
- Clearly state plan or intentions.
- Establish “bottom lines.”
- Resolve conflicts and doubts quickly.
Crew Self-Evaluation
- Debrief key events.
- Continuously provide information to self-correct.
- Openly discuss successes and mistakes.
- Ask how the crew could have done better.
- Discuss WHAT is right, not WHO is right.
Good Leadership
- Persuading others to achieve goals
- Providing cohesion and motivation to a group
- Exerting influence over other persons
- Making good decisions for the team/crew/organization.