Databases in Atc Units, Stumbling Blocks or Stepping Stones?

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Are there databases in Atc units? Do we really need data in Atc? What are some challenges to data generation in Atc?

For my first Master's thesis I decided to use Atcos from the CARICOM (Caribbean Community)  as part of a study on fatigue. With optimistic spirits, the knowledge of about 50 fatigue-related studies and training on my new toy - the latest statistical software, I sent out invitations to controller associations of the Caribbean and eagerly waited for the responses. Then I had a very rude awakening. 

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An Inventory of Wellbeing for Controllers and Assistants

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Why do we need an inventory of wellbeing?

What is wellbeing? The first 4 posts of this blog discussed wellbeing in the context of Atc. There is a definition of wellbeing in the sidebar. Do you agree with this definition? Do you think that wellbeing in the Atc unit is important? 

What is wellbeing?

Wellbeing affects worker performance and worker performance affect organizational productivity. Reiterating from previous blogs, economists prefer to say that the relationship is monotonic. For example, increased wellbeing leads to increased performance and this leads to increased productivity. The converse happens if wellbeing is decreased. 

When an organization is inefficient or not making the best use of its resources, the wellbeing of its workers is diminished. In the Atc scenario, if a controller is dissatisfied, her wellbeing is affected and in turn, her performance is affected. Researchers of organizational policy associate organizational inefficiency with disorder in the organization. There are telltale signs. Absenteeism is one of them. Presenteeism is another. These and other forms of deviant worker behavior  indicate the presence of detractors to wellbeing. What do the annals of organizational development say?

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Objective Analysis of Problems in Atc - Absenteeism

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How to deal with absenteeism and other problems in the Atc unit?  

"It ought to be remembered that there's nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things." - The Prince, Nicolo Machiavelli (c.1513)

Nicolo Machiavelli was one of the first analysts of government policy. But analysts do not limit their roles to government. Have you ever looked at the structure of an organization and observed that an analyst is part of the hierarchy? An analyst does just what the name suggests. If no analyst is present, then some companies hire the services of a consultant.
Today we are going to wear the shoes of an analyst and examine a generalization that we hear from some managers in Atc and other companies - the problem of absenteeism. There are other problems too but we use this as an example to explain the process involved in examining problems and other potential setbacks in the Atc unit. 

Sherlock Holmes was a fictional analyst.  Both he and Machiavelli  objectively  examined  specific problems via a methodology. How can we analyse the problem of absenteeism in Atc?

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Detractors to Wellbeing in Atc - Identifying Causes of Absenteeism and Presenteeism

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Are absenteeism and presenteeism (A&P) detractors to wellbeing in Atc?

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Organizational Efficiency in Atc

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What is meant by efficiency in Atc? Why are absenteeism and presenteeism so prevalent in some Atc units more than others? What is meant by Bottom-Up Processing Approach in the context of Atc? 

From the previous post we learned that service productivity is a function of efficiency in Atc. The controller transforms the resources that are available to produce a valuable service to the primary consumer, the pilot. If the resources are insufficient, the Atco cannot effectively perform the transformation. Of course, the controller will be frustrated to a greater or a lesser degree. 

Given the nature of Atc whereby the Atco utilizes highly specialized cognitive skills, any lack of resources: psychological, physical as well as physiological will result in the happy state of the controller to wane because her wellbeing has been adversely affected. Thus, we can intuitively deduce that the wellbeing of an Atco is closely linked to her service productivity. Think of it as a workman who arrives at the work site without all of the necessary tools.

Imagine that this worker did not have all the resources and tools at his disposal. How do you think he might feel? Will his performance be affected?

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The Greatest Happiness of the Greatest Number Part II

Part II

Preview Questions

What are some detractors of well-being in Atc? What is understood by the expression, "engaging work atmosphere"? How can Atcos produce in a service-oriented industry?

There are several tell tale signs that accurately predict the extent of the presence of detractors to well-being. An unusual circumstance or series of repetitive events happening in the workplace is an indication of the degree of conglomerate or collective well-being.  Have there been any unusual events at the workplace within the past year, such as a natural disaster, a suicide, an atco having a sudden and serious illness, an accident? How many runway incursions have occurred within the past 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, a year?
Is the level of absenteeism persistently high? How many atcos report for duty but who remark that they are demotivated and would rather not work (presenteeism)? The annals of organization reveal that persistent problems in the workplace is a strong indication of inefficient management. This implies that the methodology of administration is flawed due to the absence of suitable strategy.

Statue of Rodin's Thinker, Metro Line 13 Varenne Station, Paris

TIME TO THINK ABOUT EFFECTIVE STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT IN ATC

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The Greatest Happiness of the Greater Number

...And hello everyone! The blog is back! I missed it and I missed writing to all my readers. I had been assisting with a project on Turkey. Following that I went roaming around Barcelona! I walked with my laptop everyday with the intentions of going to Pont Neuf to finish this post but I always get sidelined or distracted to wander about Paris.

Pont d'Arcole, Paris 1ère arrondisement at night

Now that I am back in Trinidad, I have less distractions and can give the blog spot the attention that it really needs.  I am happy that I went to Paris and I do not have any regrets. It is because of my studies there that I now see organizational development from a psychological and an economic perspective. I have benefited greatly and now I am sharing what I have learned with the wider aviation community and aficionados of this blog.

Before we continue, I wish to commend all the Atcos who worked the Olympic traffic particularly those of the NATS area. Your vacation will be more wonderful. To the controller who took part in the Cycling Sprint in the Olympics, I felt inspired so I'll be taking my swimming more seriously. 

Now for this week's post. Since this post is rather long, I will separate it into 2 sections.

Part I

The greatest happiness of the greatest number

Preview Questions

What role does management contribute to Atcos well-being? 

19th century legal philosopher and social reformist, Jeremy Bentham made the title of this post famous. He took the words from an 18th century book on criminal law Dei delitti e delle pene (Of crime and    punishment). He postulated that if the legislative arm of government revised the laws on punity for crime, the domestic society will benefit and man's happiness will increase. His simple poetic prose teach us another lesson: that those in power can affect the happiness of their subordinates. What is the comparative lesson here for us?

Writings of Cesare Beccaria which influenced  the  writings of Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill on the ethics of altruistic utility 

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