A Rose by any other Name Smells just as Sweet: is Efficiency the same as Effectiveness?

The above is a Cyrilic script which means, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."  These words form part of Juliet's sonnet of the 17th century Shakespearean lovers' tragedy. In it, she lamented that Romeo's name did not take away from his seemingly perfect character in the same manner that changing the name of a rose will not make it smell less pleasant. Can we apply the same reasoning to the efficiency and effectiveness of our Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs)? Is an efficient ANSP the same as an effective ANSP? Does it matter  if we use these terms interchangeably to describe our ANSPs?

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The ANSP Alphabet

How will you define an Air Navigation Service Provider or ANSP? On the basis of its legal classification, ANSPs should be familiar with 9 letters, which we will call the ANSP alphabet. Can you guess what each of the following letters of this alphabet stands for? 

O is for O _ _ _ _ _ z _ _ _ _ _

P is for P _ _ _ c y

Q is for Q _ _ l _ t _

R is for R e _ _ _ _ c _ _ _ e

S is for S_ r _ _ _ g _ 

T is for T _ _ _  Management

U is for U _ _ f _ _ m  

V is for V _ _ s _ _ _ _ e 

W is for W _ l l _ _ _ _ _ 

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Annex 19 - Levity

What do you think of the theme of this post? Did it make you smile? 

Did you smile at work yesterday? How many times did you laugh? Last year, 57% of 1400 Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) surveyed, felt that workplace humor was important. Do you think that humor is also important for our ATC offices and workspaces? 

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Mr. Pilkington comes to Tea (with ANSPs)

In George Orwell’s novel, Animal Farm (1945), Mr. Pilkington is a stakeholder who dines with and elicits the cooperation of Napolean, the pig who owns the farm. The novel tells satirically of the progress of a farm that overthrows a human farmer and is run by animals. For us, it raises a poignant issue: What sort of relationship should stakeholders have with Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs)? 

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Wellbeing; IFATCA Conference 2013, Bali

Wellbeing in Air Traffic Control from P Mark

A printable document can be accessed here

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Whose Fault is it?

When a Venetian merchant of the 16^th century demanded “a pound of flesh” as collateral from a nobleman, the latter was spared from an insolent death when a woman justly stated that the contract required flesh and no blood. The practice of “Just Culture” follows a similar parallel whereby an errant employee is treated fairly in an atmosphere of trust and an ecological approach is applied to investigating the situation at hand. But how many Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) are ready to adopt the principles of "Just Culture" to safety and /or error management?

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What is Your Favorite Game?

Are you thinking of a way to enhance your Air Traffic Control (ATC) skills? Investing in an action video game is certainly a good option. 2 studies, almost a decade apart, reveal that action video games enhance our visual skills, our hand-eye coordination skills and our concentration abilities.

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The Fountain of Wellbeing

We can find the name of at least 1 person associated with a quest for the fountain of youth in the annals of history.  Spanish conquistador, Juan Ponce de Leon is the most outstanding example because he was the center of a historical debate about whether the search for a mythical fountain was the motivation for his sailing adventures.  
In our 21^st century, the legendary fountain has a new name – wellbeing.  And the search is now openly embraced by swashbuckling organizations. We wonder if Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) are involved in this quest and the question arises:
What is the extent of wellbeing in Air Traffic Control (ATC)? 
The following are excerpts from an information paper on wellbeing in ATC to be presented at the upcoming IFATCA conference.

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All ANSPs are equal, but some are more equal than others

In the late 1970s, 35 French millers decided to come together to improve the quality of baguettes in the face of declining bread consumption and competition from supermarkets using cheap flour and low prices. Their complex organizational arrangement provides a sterling example of hybridization* for Air Navigation Service Providers. How can hybridization help?

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The Day that a Zouave Soldier becomes an Air Traffic Controller

It is said that a long time ago, carpenters would make marks on their workbenches to indicate measurements and they would then use these measurements as references. Throughout time, benchmarks came to signify reference points for measuring something. As an example, the J32 benchmark that we see in the above picture, is a geodetic benchmark to indicate a reference point that was used in measuring the curvature of a part of Earth's surface.  What are our benchmarks in ATC? Do we have any? Do we need benchmarks?

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Sustainable Development

In November 2010,  at the World Summit of United Cities and Local Governments, culture was added to the mix of economic, social and environmental  dimensions to reflect a new strategic approach to sustainable development. What applications of this can we make in ATC and how can we benefit? 

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Communicating the Spaces between the Words

Paul Bernhardt's painting of Communication Breakdown portrays the view that disaster to the industrial landscape is a result of faulty communication systems. What about the human communication systems in the service industry of ATC? Can communication styles of management threaten the wellbeing of ATCOs and support staff? For example what is the link between the use of memos and the communication process? Further, how does a manager's view of chronemics impact upon her communication style? 

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The 3D View

What does pavement art and the electron microscope have in common? Both show visual effects in 3D. Thanks to the work of Nobel Prize Physicist Dénes Gabor et al, the prismatic effect of light and paint can be used to create illlusions, enlarged images and even rainbow holograms on our credit cards (Toal, 2012). When Professor Andy Neely* was describing the prismatic effect however, he was not at a seminar in physics, or art. He was describing innovative methods of performance measurement in organizations.

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Bridging the Generation Gap, Part II

Will you cross this bridge? Will you look down, hold your breath, feel the urge to go to the bathroom, take forever to cross or stop halfway because your feet do not seem to move  further? If you will pass up on the opportunity to cross any of the bridges shown throughout this post, do not be disconcerted. You probably have a fear of crossing bridges.  It is called gephyrophobia. We are going to look at gephyrophobia in ATC, fear of crossing the bridges that link the generation gaps in the workplace. 

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Bridging the Generation Gap, Part I

"Encontro das Aguas" - The Meeting of the Waters - a spectacular phenomenon just off Manaus, the capital city of Amazonas, a state in the northwest of Brazil. For at least 3 miles, there is a clear demarcation as the dark waters of the Rio Negro flow alongside the sandy colored waters of the Rio Solimoes swirling around at the center in some slow dance but never mixing.   In ATC too, there is a similar dance called intergenerational conflict.

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English - the Crosswind* Perspective

"Milord, gentlemen, facing you in the witness box is a citizen of substance and stance; a man of unimpeachable honesty." 

Thus begins the defense speech of J. Thaddeus Toad - the notorious hero of Kenneth Grahame's 1908 children's novel about the adventures of an outlandish, talking toad. His charm and proficient use of the English language helps him to escape from prison disguised as a washerwoman. 

English is a requirement for Air Traffic Controllers, pilots and anyone who wishes to join the aviation community. Many of us may have never given much thought about the selection of English as the language of ATC. Also, for some of us, learning English or any other foreign language is a challenge. What can be done to make this experience more enjoyable?

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Hybridized - to be or not to be

The Ebb Tide rose: to get it, you start by taking a seedling from the parentage of an orange rose bush and a yellow rose bush and cross pollinate it with pollen from a red rose bush. Then you cross breed for three more generations with 2 varieties of lilac and another type of orange rose and voila! Or, you can go to the nearest florist and place an order for some seedlings. You also have the easiest option of simply buying a bunch of these lovely, purple blooms. Whatever the choice of floriculture, hybrid roses and genetically engineered 'blue' roses like the Applause rose are among the world's best flowers. Hybridization has indeed proven to be beneficial for the floral industry. The burning question is -  can hybrization of Air Traffic Control and related services bring betterment to the aviation community? Let us see.

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Challenges to Implementing Wellbeing

When a controller from Bulgaria asked about the elements of a realistic complexity score, all of the respondents touched on various aspects of wellbeing. One entrepreneur of a South African Air Traffic Management (ATM) advisory service spoke about the culture and structure of management. A controller from Pakistan candidly described the conditions under which they worked and the points in their airspace that were frequently congested.  An FAA representative described the value of a suitable work environment with support systems. The message that wellbeing is and will be a daunting issue in ATC was very clear. But what are some challenges to implementing wellbeing and how can we overcome these challenges?

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Wellbeing Sensory Perception - WSP

"Heaped -up earth becomes a mountain; accumulated water becomes a river." - Chinese Proverb

Wellbeing in the ATC environment will contribute to increased safety performance and a more fulfilling work atmosphere. ATCOs and their assistants can use their Wellbeing Sensory Perception (WSP) to identify several ways in which they can contribute to a happier work culture. What are some ways in which ATCOs can use their WSP? 

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Creating a Happy Work Culture

Wellbeing Labyrinth 

How can managers and executives create a happy work culture? By developing a style of transactional leadership. Let us examine some of the practical ways in which this can be applied to promote wellbeing in ATC.

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Sublime Wellbeing begins with ME

Managers and Executives can follow the ABC plan in promoting wellbeing: addressing the issues that pertain to stress, health and work-life balance, being exemplary and creating a happy work culture. In this post we will focus on the B aspect - being exemplary. In the last post, we focused on the A aspect - addressing the issues.

How can managers and executives be exemplary in promoting wellbeing? "[They should] be more gracious", writes Kevin Daum a columnist for Inc.com and Smart Business Magazine. How much do you agree with that statement? Popular opinion is that they should be assertive and agressive. But more and more focus is placed on organizational ethics and innovating the hiring process for leaders because of the increase in narcissism and hectormania or bullying in the workplace. Let us see how we can apply these modern concepts of exemplary leadership in the ATC environment.

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Promoting Wellbeing - Addressing the Issues

"An individual's happiness at work will create happiness throughout all areas of their life...likewise a company with a happy, motivated workforce will see exceptional results in its products and services." - Matt Miller, Chief Technology Officer, CareerBliss

How can we promote wellbeing in the ATC environment? Over the next few weeks,we will consider what the managers of ATC units can do and what ATCOs and other supportive staff can do. We will also consider some of the challenges to implementing wellbeing in the workplace.

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Identifying the Drivers of Happiness

A Chief Executive of a factory complex that manufactures brand name software components is being interviewed about his efforts to improve working conditions for his 1,000,000 employees.

"No one in our industry is doing more to improve  the life of our employees...We are constantly auditing facilities, going deep into the supply chain, looking for problems, finding problems,...fixing problems and we report everything because we believe that transparency is...very important in this area."*

However, his impressive answer could not hide the fact that within a 4 year period, 18 fatal employee incidents were linked to suicide. How can we apply this situation to the ATC environment? 

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Finding Happiness at Work

A Controller from Israel once wrote that he loves his job but there is too much focus on the technical aspect. Do you feel the same way? If you had the power, what is one thing that you will do to increase the level of happiness in the ATC unit? Do you think that happiness at work is important?  Let us consider the evidence from 2 studies and an investigation.

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The Art of being Satisfied

Wellbeing is important in ATC. How much do you agree with that statement? What ideas do the word wellbeing bring to your mind? In 1946, the World Health Organization (WHO) used the word in the preamble to its constitution; "health is a state of complete physical, social and mental wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity".  The simplest notion of wellbeing is that it is a holistic state of being well. It is a state that is dependent upon several aspects of wellness. What is the link between wellbeing and work? How can we define wellbeing in the context of ATC?  How important is it to understand the concept of the satisfied contoller? What contribution can ATCOs and their assistants make?

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Recognizing our Psychological Resources

In 2003, an organizational psychologist and her team investigated the high level of employee turnover at an Australian Call Center (Lewig et al, 2003).  The workers presented with absenteeism, exhaustion and job dissatisfaction. Emotional Dissonance (EMDI) was at the root of the problems.  EMDI increased the emotional labour of the employees which in turn, increased the amount of emotional and mental effort required to carry out the job. 

In the presence of job stressors, EMDI is felt more acutely. It negatively impacts upon wellbeing and in the case of the ATCO,  safety performance is reduced. It is thus an important feature in industries that manufacture services. Since it is a psychologically derived issue, emotional dissonance and its coping response of indifference can be counteracted by the presence of psychological resources in the ATC unit. What then are our psychological resources in ATC? Please read on...

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Evidence on Emotional Dissonance among Controllers

What do you think of Zerbato's depiction of apathy or indifference in the illustration above? Indifference is an item that was used as part of a preliminary study to test for emotional dissonance (EMDI) among controllers. Last April, 139 random controllers from around the world answered an online survey on wellbeing. What did the survey reveal about EMDI?

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Emotional Dissonance as part of an ATCO's Production Function

Y = F(K,L)

If you never did microeconomics, you will find this post particularly interesting. Those of you who did will enjoy the unusual twist. The equation above shows how outputs are related to inputs in production. It is our classic production function that tells us that production or output (Y) is a function (F) of the inputs, capital (K) and labor (L).  How can we apply that function to the ATCO?  We can start by identifying  the products of ATC or the goods of demand and supply.  What do you think these goods are? And where can we place Emotional Dissonance (EMDI) in the production function? 

An artistic impression of  dissonance

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Emotional Dissonance in Air Traffic Control

  "The fox who longed for grapes, beholds with pain

The tempting clusters were too high to gain;

Greived in his heart he forced a careless smile,

And cried,"They're sharp and hardly worth my while."  

- Aphra Behn c.1687

Remember that fable? Well that is a classic example of cognitive dissonance. We know the essence of the fable. He wanted the grapes but he could not reach them so he left. Then he justified leaving the grapes behind by the reasoning that the grapes were not good. This belief conflicted with his initial belief and that is what my psychological counterparts call cognitive dissonance. 

Today, we are going to look at an application of this dissonance in ATC. It is called Emotional Dissonance or EMDI. 

EMDI is the conflict that an ATCO feels between her emotions while at work.  For an ATCO must remain calm at all times. EMDI is also fuelled by stressors in ATC. What are some stressors in Air Traffic Control? How can an ATCO experience EMDI? What are the implications for safety in ATC performance?

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Performance Based Navigation through Psychoeconomic Lens: Part IV - Avoiding the White Elephant Trap

 White elephants or albino elephants were treasures of Asian royalty as can be seen from this 19th century Thai mural. Legend says that they were given as presents to obnoxious persons or persons who did not find favor with the royal regime. The elephants were very costly to maintain and were merely decorative. They now symbolise ventures that incur excessive liability or projects where the costs outweigh the benefits. How can we avoid having white elephants in the ATC units?

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Summary of Posts & Highlights for 2012

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