Appreciating the Role of Data in Atc: Part III - Highlights of a study on Fatigue

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Appreciating the role of data in Atc: Part I - Methods of Data Anaylsis

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Part I
How do we analyse data in ATC?

Imagine that you want to buy a TV, you think about it for some time. You consult the internet. You consider the type of TV, the size, and your budget. You imagine the best place for it. You discuss the idea with other occupants of your house or apartment. You talk with friends too. You consult the internet again. When you go to the store you ask the sales' clerk for an opinion and then you decide. Data analyses follow the exact methodology.

Did you know that data analysis forms part of your daily activities?

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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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