I bring you a weekly bite-sized chunk of the science behind helicopter human factors and CRM in practice, simplifying the complex and distilling a helicopter related study into a summary of less than 500 words.
TITLE:
The effects of Crew Resource Management on Flight Safety Culture: Corporate Crew Resource Management (CRM 7.0)
WHAT?
Study examining whether CRM has a measurable effect on Flight Safety Culture (FSC). Rather than viewing CRM as aircrew centred non-technical skills (NTS) training, the paper argues for a broader concept of “Corporate CRM” (CRM 7.0), where NTS principles extend across the entire organisation.
WHERE?
Crew Resource Management Institute, Istanbul, Turkey.
WHEN?
Published 2024 in The Aeronautical Journal.
WHY?
Although CRM has long been associated with improving crew performance and reducing error, the author argues that less attention has been given to its role in shaping an organisation-wide safety culture. The study aimed to determine whether strong CRM behaviours among pilots are associated with broader safety attitudes and organisational practices.
HOW?
The study surveyed 451 airline pilots using established aviation psychology and safety culture tools.
CRM attitudes were measured using the Flight Management Attitude Questionnaire, which assesses:
- command responsibility
- stress management
- awareness of others’ stress
- rules and procedures
- communication and coordination
Flight Safety Culture was measured using the Commercial Aviation Safety Survey, assessing:
- organisational commitment to safety
- management involvement
- reward systems
- employee empowerment
- reporting culture
The researchers then used a statistical method to examine the interaction between CRM attitudes and FS culture.
FINDINGS:
The study found a strong positive relationship between CRM and Flight Safety Culture. Higher CRM awareness and stronger CRM behaviours were associated with improved perceptions of organisational safety culture across all measured dimensions.
Key findings included:
- Awareness of others’ stress and fatigue had the strongest relationship with safety culture.
- Effective communication and coordination strongly supported employee empowerment and organisational commitment.
- Strong adherence to rules and procedures was closely linked to reporting culture.
- CRM behaviours positively influenced perceptions of management involvement and organisational safety commitment.
SO WHAT?
The significance of this paper is its argument that CRM should no longer be viewed as simply an annual crew training requirement. Instead, CRM is presented as a mechanism for building a shared organisational safety culture.
The idea of CRM 7.0 reflects a wider shift in aviation human factors thinking: safety is not created solely in the airborne environment, but through wider interactions between pilots, management, dispatch, maintenance, cabin crew, and organisational systems.
This aligns closely with modern Safety Management Systems (SMS), Just Culture principles, and increasingly integrated operational models. The paper suggests that organisations gain the greatest benefit when CRM principles, such as communication, stress awareness, shared responsibility, reporting, and cooperation, become embedded throughout the company rather than remaining confined to flight crew training.
For CRM practitioners, the study reinforces the value of training that goes beyond individual skills and focuses on:
- shared operational understanding.
- organisational communication.
- psychological safety and reporting culture.
- cross-department cooperation.
- collective responsibility for safety.
The paper therefore concludes by arguing to develop CRM from a training course for aircrew to more of an organisation-wide operational philosophy.
REFERENCE:
Terzioğlu, M. (2024). The effects of crew resource management on flight safety culture: Corporate crew resource management (CRM 7.0). The Aeronautical Journal, 128(1328), 1743–1766. https://doi.org/10.1017/aer.2023.113
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