CRM Conundrum
Background: I received my leadership training in a strategic military environment. In this environment, leaders (Colonels and above) would gather to determine appropriate goals, how available resources would be managed to execute those goals, potential threats to these plans and how these threats would be countered to ensure the mission succeeded. In this environment the unusual was important, the unknown the biggest threat and it was important to keep lines of communication open, to make it possible for individuals with critical information, no matter how low their rank, to get this information to the leaders who required it in a timely manner.
Fast forward to recent years, I work in an aviation-related domain in a position that requires me to lead teams of subject-matter experts as they resolve high-impact, short-notice, time-critical, dynamic events. I have found the strategic style of leadership I had previously learned to be effective; my role as leader it to make sure my teams are composed of the right people, have the resources they need to accomplish the task, keeping members on task and on schedule, putting out fires and clearing any hurdles or roadblocks they encounter, a "how can I help you help me" form of guidance. (Just so you don't think it's all cookies and punch, YES there are time I must assert my authority and the cost of not meeting goals can be very high.)
I recently had the opportunity to sit in on some CRM classes, aimed at undergraduates aspiring to work for the airlines. The professor stated that his objective to reduce the number of accidents where the FO is heard to say "I'm not comfortable with this" or "I knew this would happen." The CRM model taught in this class was "authority with participation, assertiveness with respect." But I noticed that the focus was not really on increasing communication but rather maintaining a heirarchical, more tactical (task, rather than goal focussed)"the Captain is the center of the universe" form of leadership. The students were taught communication strategies such as "never correct a captain in front of others" which are known to increase power distance and reduce communication. Over time it became clear the students were being taught to support and protect the Captain's ego at the cost of the free flow of communication. As I continue to read accident reports containing CVR transcripts where FOs make these statements, it appears to me this is a failed model.
Question: Are we asking too much of CRM training in it's current form? With the technological advances in the cockpit since the origin of CRM, which has shifted the role of the pilot from monitor/controller to system/resource manager, is the current CRM model still valid?
I'd appreciate your thoughts.