Status and Cockpit Dynamics: A Review and Empirical Study

Milanovich et al. · Voice & Silence, Power & Equity · Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice · 1998 · Open access

A review and empirical study of how status shapes communication and decision-making in the cockpit. Inexperienced pilots, shown two crew members described in identical terms, still expected the captain to be the more skilled — evidence that belief in another's superior expertise can discount one's own judgement before a challenge is even formed. A useful empirical anchor for how cognitive trust in expertise steepens the authority gradient that psychological safety must work against.

Milanovich, D.M., Driskell, J.E., Stout, R.J. and Salas, E. (1998) 'Status and cockpit dynamics: A review and empirical study', Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 2(3), pp. 155–167.

Neighbours (9)

• PS & Trust
• Crew Resource Mgmt
• The Tenerife Disaster
• Silence That May Kill: When Aircrew Members Don't Speak Up and Why (paper)
• Cultural Diversity and Crew Communication (paper)
• Hierarchy in the Cockpit: How Captains Influence the Decision-Making of Young and Inexperienced First Officers (paper)
• Shared Leadership in Multiteam Systems: How Cockpit and Cabin Crews Lead Each Other to Safety (paper)
• Setting the Tone: Early Interaction Patterns in Swift-Starting Teams as a Predictor of Effectiveness (paper)
• The HiPPO