Communication and safety in organizational contexts

Communication and Safety:

One of the most important concerns in the aviation industry that professionals in this field usually encounter is the safety of aviation operations. The need for safety in this industry is attributed to the fact that aviation is considered as one of the most risky industries. Notably, safety problems in aviation are normally brought by various factors and addressed through an effective safety program. Despite of a myriad of issues that contribute to safety problems in aviation on a daily basis is the communication between the aviation crews and within the entire organization. Actually, most of the accidents in aviation are commonly attributed to human factors like poor communication between managers, pilots, and maintainers. Therefore, the ability of managers, crews, pilots, and maintainers to communicate effectively is critical in enhancing their decision making ability, which contributes to safety of operations.

Communication Problem in Aviation:

Similar to other industries and sectors, some kind of communication is significant to the achievement of common goals and the desired outcomes in aviation industry. Communication between managers, pilots, and maintainers is considered as a serious safety problem that has led to many accidents in the aviation industry. This is primarily because effective communication is essential for good decision-making in all aviation operations (Hill, 2011). Similar to other human activities, communication plays a significant role and function in air travel, particularly in relation to aviation safety. In addition to being a critical aspect of every human interaction, communication is essential for managerial and organizational performance as well as success in the aviation environment.

In the past few years, several studies have been conducted in attempts to identify the significant nature of communication in aviation safety. According to the findings of these studies, improved communication in air carrier operations is necessary for preventing accidents and maintaining safety at the highest possible level. Moreover, effective communication within the organization is crucial for the success and effectiveness of other human factors since it's directly linked to these factors. For instance, communication is crucial for various aspects in the aviation environment such as decision-making, information gathering and sharing, identification and management of errors and problems, leadership, and planning (Krivonos, 2007).

As aircraft accidents usually involve human error, these human factors are brought by failures in inter-personal communication between managers, pilots, maintainers, and other crew in the aviation environment. In the past two decades, factors associated with communication have contributed to approximately 80% of all aviation accidents. Some examples of communication-related aviation accidents include the double Boeing 747 accident at Tenerife Airport, Avianca 52 accident, and Air Florida crash in Washington.

Communication has become a major pressing issue in aviation today because of its importance in the safety and effectiveness of any flight. In most cases, flight crews need to convey information, acknowledge commands, implement callouts, communicate to issue orders, and carry out briefings. Communication patterns and factors tend to be vital determinants of the transfer of information and crew coordination. Actually, as compared to other human activities in aviation operations, communication is the most vulnerable factor to failure that results in performance limitations.

The other reason that has made communication between managers, pilots, and maintainers to be one of the most pressing issues in aviation today is because lack or poor communication between technicians can contribute to maintenance error that result in an aircraft accident. Actually, the importance of this issue in aviation industry is also evident from the fact that communication-related problems account for a considerable portion of Aviation Safety Reporting System database by NASA. In the first five years of the introduction of this reporting system, 70% of the reports were either directly or indirectly linked to communication problems and issues. As a result, major changes have been introduced to the area of communication since it was difficult for junior personnel in aviation to present their opinions in the past. The junior personnel faced the difficulties in voicing their opinions because of fear of embarrassment and being reprimanded by the captain. Due to the change and the increase recognition of the significance of communication in aviation operations, the junior personnel and flight crew are incorporated to ensure that the best safety-related decisions are made.

Safety Program:

Since communication between managers, maintainers, pilots, and other crew is essential in enhancing aviation safety, the development of an efficient safety program that addresses communication problems is crucial. Aircraft accidents can be lessened significantly through efficient and consistent communication between all the stakeholders in the aviation industry and the parties in aviation operations. The safety program should address the proper encoding and decoding of messages, communication between pilots, positive communication factors, and communication between pilot and air traffic control (Madson, n.d.).

Communication between managers, maintainers, and pilots should involve clear understanding of the message through proper and complete wording and the elimination of barriers that contribute to proper and improper decoding of messages. The company should promote team communication and coordination in order to lessen pilot errors and remove barriers with subordination problems. In order to capitalize on positive communication factors, the airline could consider providing training for all managers and employees.

One of the major ways to ensure effective communication occurs between pilots, managers, and maintainers as well as the other personnel, the management must establish an organizational culture that promotes a healthy climate for safety. This involves minimizing negative aspects of every type of culture while promoting and emphasizing a positive organizational culture. Through a healthy and positive organizational culture, the organization will eliminate subordination issues that tend to contribute to communication difficulties and problems. As these issues are addressed, the organization's personnel, especially junior personnel will be able to communicate with their seniors effectively and voice their opinions that could be crucial in promoting aviation safety. The establishment of a positive culture also promotes effective communication because it enables personnel to set personal goals and provides motivation to succeed beyond the norm.