That would be considered poor CRM where I come from. Communication is a big part of CRM but that doesn't mean lots of talking. The Comms have to be clear, correct, and timely.
Having flown in a few different parts of the world I have seen Airlines/countries misunderstand what CRM actually is. It sounds like the mob you were watching have misinterpreted CRM to be " flattening out the authority gradient and being helpful".
It is not that at all.