As an idividual who experiences deviation from SOP's on a regular basis, especially re the flight deck door policy I am intigued by the comments so far.
First of all I in no way infer that any of the above contributors deviate from SOP's.
After completing my most recent CRM course which comprised of a mixture of cabin crew (variety of ranks) and flight crew (variety of ranks) it was a refreshing change from normal CRM.
CRM is a very useful tool if everyone involved appreciates and believes in it. Unfortunately, not all parties do. This makes it very difficult in the air. Ostensibly, it falls upon the cabin crew to figure out which members of the flight crew are CRM minded and which are not and to behave accordingly. This places additional stress on the rest of the flight crew and also the cabin crew, I often wonder what the "old school" pilots actually want from thier job, as they seem to detest any company they work for.
CRM is at the core of a good working relationship. It is important for all parties to understand what each party has done to get where they are and what they do to continue to stay where they are. It is also important to realise that as individuals we do not always have the answers, there is no "fail" in asking for help, indeed a great trait in individuals is knowing when to ask for help.
When any of the crew I work with deviate from SOP's - regardless of rank (flight crew or cabin crew) - I find that a reminder to them that I know the SOP's and would prefer to follow them, generally re-focuses their thoughts, without confrontation.
Understanding that we all work towards the same goal is the key.
That's me off my soapbox..............
