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The Persistence of Safety Silence: How Flight Deck Microcultures Influence the Efficacy of Crew Resource Management

Perkins · Voice & Silence, Safety & Error · International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace · 2022 · Open access

Survey of 822 airline pilots finding that two-thirds reported hesitating to speak up about safety concerns 1–10 times per year when acting as First Officer — despite decades of CRM training. Qualitative data showed First Officers often feel undervalued, micromanaged, or subjected to demeaning remarks, undermining PS and producing safety silence. Captains who invited feedback, used inclusive language, and acknowledged fallibility fostered greater PS. Argues CRM must be redesigned to explicitly centre psychological safety.

Connected concepts (14)

• Crew Resource Mgmt
• Leadership Behavior and Employee Voice: Is the Door Really Open? (paper)
• Organizational Silence: A Barrier to Change and Development in a Pluralistic World (paper)
• The Evolution of Crew Resource Management Training in Commercial Aviation (paper)
• The Tenerife Disaster
• Airline Pilots' Perceptions of and Experiences in Crew Resource Management (CRM) Training (paper)
• Reducing Power Gradients
• Silence That May Kill: When Aircrew Members Don't Speak Up and Why (paper)
• Watermelon Effect
• Barriers to PS
• Cultural Diversity and Crew Communication (paper)
• Hierarchy in the Cockpit: How Captains Influence the Decision-Making of Young and Inexperienced First Officers (paper)
• PS in Aviation
• Shared Leadership in Multiteam Systems: How Cockpit and Cabin Crews Lead Each Other to Safety (paper)