MODULE 10 DECISION MAKING
5) Review
After the poor judgment chain has been broken, a review of the original bad decision should be made as soon as possible after the flight. This review will provide feedback to avoid similar poor judgment chains in the future.
Hazardous Attitudes
There are a number of hazardous attitudes and behaviours that impede good judgement and effective decision making. Even the most experienced and capable aircrew are susceptible to such attitudes and they are embedded in all of us in one form or another.
1) Anti-authority
"Don't tell me what to do." They often consider the rules and regulations as unnecessary.
The antidote is to follow the rules as they have been developed with the benefit of years of experience from others.
2) Impulsive attitude
"Do something fast!". This is seen in people who feel the need to do something and do something now, they do not stop to think. For example, they may say “lets brief quickly and get going before the weather gets too bad” These people also jump to conclusions and solutions. Beware of choosing a mental model of the situation which seems close enough and then bending the facts to fit the model.
The antidote is to step back, slow down and give it some thought.
3) Invulnerability, Complacency, Denial
"It can't happen to me." This refers to those people who feel that accidents only happen to others. Aircrew who think this are more likely to take unwise risks for example carrying the snag you know you shouldn’t carry. Or, take for example this very famous dialogue “When anyone asks me how I can best describe my experience in nearly forty years at sea, I merely say uneventful. Of course there have been winter gales, and storms and fog and the like. But in all my experience, I have never been in any accident, of any sort, worth speaking about. I have seen but one vessel in distress in all my years at sea. I never saw a wreck and never have been wrecked, nor was I ever in any predicament that threatened to end in disaster of any sort.” Spoken by Edward J Smith, Captain of RMS Titanic on the 5th April 1912. On the 14th April 1912 RMS Titanic struck and iceberg at 23:40hrs and sank at 02:18hrs with the loss of 1513 lives. The antidote is, make no mistake it could happen to you.
4) Macho
"Can Do" attitude Risk taking to prove themselves or impress others (think of Maverick in Top Gun). Being afraid to voice and share uncertainty or overload.
The antidote is not to take unnecessary risks, it impresses no-one.
5) Resignation
"What's the use? Nothing I do makes any difference." They have a reliance on luck for good or bad outcomes and can adopt a “someone is out to get me” attitude for a bad outcome.
The antidote is to remind yourself it is not what luck does to you that matters, it’s what you do in spite of what “luck” throws your way.
6) Not being willing to challenge ‘Experts’
A steep cockpit gradient can exacerbate this.
The antidote is, if in doubt speak up. Remember the past has proved that even the most highly regarded, experienced professional pilots make mistakes!
7) Pressonitis
Most aircrew will be familiar with this behaviour and it is a very powerful force. It is the overriding need to reach the destination at any cost and it blocks situational awareness and good decision making.
The antidote can be found in the term “better late than never”!
8) Risky Shift
This is the concept that groups can make riskier decisions. Decision making by a group tends to be of a higher quality than the individual over a range of decisions and this gives rise to the concept of synergy (1+1=3).However research has shown that groups can make riskier decisions than the individual would make on their own. For example it is more likely a group of children would climb over the fence to steel apples, or knock on a neighbour’s door and then run away, than an individual child. It could be suggested that by being part of the group, you dilute both the responsibility for and the guilt associated with taking a high risk decision.
Antidote, the first stage to overcoming this hazardous behaviour is to recognise them in ourselves and others.
9) Anchoring Bias
A decision based on an initial parameter (perhaps drawn from memory or experience). For example put your hand in bucket of cold water for 5 mins then put it in luke warm water and it feels hot. Or, the crosswind has been 40kts for the past week and today its 30kts so you feel it to be much better than it actually is.
Antidote, while the past may be relevant, the environment may offer other pertinent clues to the future. Illuminating potential anchoring biases may enable decision-makers to consider what information they are considering.
Key Points
- Don’t assume you don’t have the time
Decision making is a structured process especially when faced with an unusual situation. Don’t assume you don’t have enough time to consider the problem. Time spent on diagnosis is time well spent.
- Consultation is n