It is interesting to hear the reaction of QF to a discussion site/forum for employees.
First of all it is interesting that your DCP can 'have a bet each way' by saying that his communication was about a personally held opinion, not as DCP.
Though they might not be able to articulate it, most of his colleagues/employees would recognise that there are very few people in this world that can effectively separate their person opinions and beliefs impacting on their official roles. Maybe he is one of the few that can, but he is still the DCP and apart from the very courageous, who would want to put themselves on his bad side?
The lads and lasses at national joke have had their own mini-pprune running for almost two years, driven by the equipment change to 717 and the learning/operational challenges and the industrial/lifestyle/people management issues that resulted. Their management are aware of it, and are very wary of it because they dont have access to it, but accept that it is there. The top man at flight ops even begrudgingly admitted that it probably does the company good service because it keeps a lot of whinging and rubbishing off Pprune!
The conundrum with professional aviation is that it is seen from outside as a high-tech industry, but once inside it has operational cultures that disappeared from other industries a long long time ago. It is very hierarchical, very change resistant, favours seniority and minimum performance standards against merit, high achievement and talent, and ties itself up in SOP, , three levels of legislation, bidding rules, rostering rules, promotions protocols etc. Not surprising when it borrowed the core of its cultures from maritime traditions and the average australian ATPL is 45 and apart from pulling beers as a wannabe, has spent most of their working life in aviation.
It must be very confronting for people that 'played the game' of seniority, waiting your turn and biting your tongue to now see a new generation of tech savvy 'kids' creating virtual 'pubs' to get together and have a bitch.
Whether it is a website, a blog, a crew bar in Thailand or coffee at the Ettro in King Street, these SO's have been doing what junior officers have been doing for centuries. I am told that the Royal Navy even has a tradition dating back from before Trafalgar - it is poor form for a Captain to enter his ships' officers wardroom. Crew need to let off steam and will bitch and moan and criticise the captain. Interestingly, it is often the place where the junior learns of a few more wrinkles about the job that he/she had not considered.
For any captain of any 'ship' to bark about whispers from junior officers is getting just a bit precious. It is part of the territory and was that way for years before you came into the job; if you feel offended, just count the stripes on your shoulders and take another look at the pay packet.
The first step in effective CRM, hell in anything, is accepting that you might not be the perfect captain/crew member/human being. An airline company that puts three or four bars on your shoulders is not the Queen tapping you on those shoulders with the Royal sword knighting you. It is a commercial operation putting you into a particular job. Prohibiting dissent and criticism will be as effective as the US prohibition of alcohol in the 1920's... it wont work, so build a bridge and get over it!!
Last edited by ITCZ; 17th Nov 2006 at 23:36.