Building Safety on the Three Cultures of Aviation

Effective efforts to achieve safety must recognize the importance of culture. Organisations must have a full understanding of cultural influences on their operations if safety efforts are to succeed. The basic premise of this discussion is that it is essential to build on the strengths of national culture and to enhance professional and organisational cultures to establish a robust safety culture. Culture surrounds us and influences the values, beliefs, and behaviours that we share with other members of groups. Culture serves to bind us together as members of groups and to provide clues and cues as to how to behave in normal and novel situations. When thinking of culture, what comes to mind first is national culture, the attributes that differentiate between natives of one culture and those of another. For pilots, however, there are three cultures operating to shape actions and attitudes. The first, of course, is national culture. But there is also a strong professional culture that is associated with being a member of the pilot profession. Finally, organisations have their own cultures that are closest to the daily activities of their members. While national cultures are highly resistant to change because they surround an individual from birth, professional and organisational cultures may be modified if there are strong incentives. All three cultures are of importance in the cockpit because they influence critical behaviours. These include how juniors relate to their seniors and how information is shared. Culture shapes attitudes about stress and personal capabilities. It also influences adherence to SOPs and how automation is valued and used. Each of the three cultures has its strengths and weaknesses. The strengths enhance safety and the weaknesses diminish it.