How to Create a Thriving Company Culture in Aviation

Creating a thriving company culture in aviation is vital. It is the foundation on which safety awareness, effective teamwork, and efficiency become priorities for each member of staff. A strong culture also helps to develop the resilience that staff need in order to perform well in the high-pressure roles the industry offers.  

In this article, we’ll attempt to define what a thriving company culture is in the context of aviation, and examine what can be done to establish such a culture in your organisation.

What Makes a Thriving Company Culture in Aviation?   

In the context of aviation, a thriving company culture is an environment where safety, operational excellence, collaboration, and employee well-being are core priorities. Strong leadership and opportunities for career progression are also vital. 

Safety

A thriving culture is characterised by an unwavering commitment to safety protocols and standards, where every employee, from ground handlers to security personnel, actively participates in maintaining the highest levels of safety in accordance with regulation and the company’s Safety Management System (SMS).  

According to a large-scale survey, more than 50% of European commercial pilots have said their colleagues are often tired at work and that pilot fatigue is not taken seriously by their employers. In fact, almost 38% of pilots had unfavourable responses about the question of whether they have a high degree of trust in management with regard to safety. 

Even if no major incidents have occurred as a result of fatigue, this indicates a widespread cultural issue and brings us to the next point.

Open Communication

Open and transparent communication is key, creating an atmosphere where all team members feel comfortable about reporting issues, sharing insights, and collaborating on solutions without fear of reprisal.

A Focus on Efficiency

A thriving company culture also prioritises efficiency and operational excellence as key drivers of success. This is achieved through implementing data-driven decision-making processes and other efficiency-enhancing technological solutions. And of course, it means encouraging employees to think critically, identify opportunities for improvement, and develop and implement solutions.

Well-Being

As for well-being, the pandemic demonstrated just how much pressure aviation staff could face, with many pilots in particular struggling with anxiety and depression. Programmes to support mental health and general well-being should continue to be available to all employees.

Professional Development

Another vital pillar of a thriving culture is the opportunity for professional development. This is absolutely vital for attracting and retaining the next generation of aviation personnel and overcoming the worker shortages the industry is currently facing.  

How to Develop a Thriving Company Culture

Strengthening Safety Culture

Safety should be deeply embedded into the very fabric of the company culture, where every employee, from cabin grew to security to ground staff feels personally responsible for safety – even when management isn’t watching. This is what prevents people from cutting corners when risks are perceived to be small.

Some organisations may be tempted to rely on their Safety Management System to enforce the above. However, the existence of an SMS does not guarantee that every member of staff will stick to the protocols therein at all times. As such, culture has a vital role to play.

Safety Surveys

The first step in improving safety culture is to understand how things currently stand, which means conducting periodic safety surveys. These surveys are considered best practise and are mandatory for certain types of organisations.  

The ICAO stipulates certain processes for conducting these surveys and acting on their findings but here are a few fundamentals to consider:

• The survey should be conducted by independent personnel selected by the organisation’s Safety Manager.
• The survey should review various operations, specially those with the highest degree of risk, such as maintenance. The SMS itself should also be reviewed.
• The survey will identify corrective actions; anything urgent should be discussed internally before the final report has been compiled, as the process can be lengthy.

Aside from the specific recommendations a safety survey provides, what else can organisations to do improve safety culture?

Open Communication                        

Another vital key is to promote an open environment where employees are encouraged to speak up about safety concerns and report incidents without fear of repercussions.

Data Analytics for Aviation Safety

Organisations can use analytics to improve safety culture by identifying trends, predicting risks, and informing decision-making processes.

Data can be collected from various sources including flight operations, maintenance logs, incident reports, safety audits, and employee feedback.

Some key focus areas include incident and accident analysis, hazard identification, and human and operational factors.

Establishing a Culture of Efficiency and Continuous Improvement

Cultivating a culture of efficiency means integrating efficiency into every aspect of the organisation, from daily operations to strategic planning. Companies can achieve this by:

• Establishing a clear vision for efficiency and communicating these goals throughout the organisation to ensure alignment.
• Standardising processes and procedures to reduce variability and improve consistency.
• Investing in modern technologies that enhance efficiency, such as advanced MRO software, and automation and data analytics tools.
• Encouraging employees to experiment with new ideas and adopt the technologies mentioned above.  
• Establishing KPIs to measure efficiency and raise awareness about these metrics amongst the workforce.
• Continuing to review the data to gain insights into operational performance and implementing continuous improvement programmes.
• Encouraging the sharing of best practices within the organisation. This could involve creating platforms for employees to share successful efficiency initiatives and learn from each other.
• Implementing mobile solutions that enable employees to access important information in the field without having to return to specific workstations. Mobile solutions also improve communication amongst teams, which brings us to the next point.

Strengthening Communication and Teamwork

Communication

Another vital pillar of the ideal aviation company culture – effective communication – which is crucial in ensuring the close collaboration that aviation operations require.

Strategies to enhance communication include the following:

• Identify barriers: Regularly assess barriers to effective communication, such as language differences, technical jargon, or hierarchical constraints, and develop and implement solutions to overcome them. 
• Diverse communication tools: Provide multiple communication channels including instant messaging apps, email, and internal platforms to ensure all employees can easily access information.
• Standardised communication protocols: Develop and enforce clear communication protocols, especially for critical operations such as maintenance, safety checks, and flight operations.
• Documentation: Ensure all procedures, guidelines, and important information are well-documented and easily accessible to all employees.
• Communication skills training: Offer training programs to enhance employees’ communication skills, focusing on clarity, conciseness, and effective listening.
• Cultural sensitivity training: Provide cultural sensitivity training to improve communication amongst a diverse workforce and foster mutual respect and understanding.
• Seek feedback: Regularly solicit feedback from employees on communication practices and make improvements based on their input.

Teamwork

Improving communication is a vital ingredient for strengthening collaboration. Here are some more steps for making teamwork more effective:

• Team building: Team building activities can range from professional development workshops to informal social events, helping to strengthen relationships amongst team members.  
• Building trust: Trust is vital in any team, especially those working in environments where safety is critical. Within training, simulating high-pressure situations helps develop trust among team members, which will translate into real-world scenarios. Trust is also developed through having consistent policies and ensuring leaders demonstrate trustworthy and transparent behaviours.
• Cross-functional projects: Encouraging staff from different areas of the business to work together on projects can lead to a stronger sense of community (and innovative solutions).
• Cloud-based software: As opposed to on-premise software, this makes it easy for teams to collaborate regardless of their location or remote/hybrid working arrangements.

Investing in Employee Well-Being and Professional Development

Organisations can support employee well-being by prioritising physical and mental health, work-life balance, and creating a healthy work environment.

Regular health screenings, fitness and wellness programs, and access to counselling services help maintain physical and mental well-being, while flexible working hours, generous leave policies, and family support programmes enable employees to manage personal responsibilities alongside their professional duties, reducing stress and improving job satisfaction.

Maintaining a non-punitive culture of open communication is also a vital key to a healthy workplace.

In terms of professional development, it’s important to offer continuous learning opportunities, structured career path planning, and mentorship programs. Job rotation and special project assignments also provide employees with diverse experience which may inspire advancement.

Regular performance reviews and incentive programs recognise and reward employees’ achievements, motivating them to contribute their best. 

Finally, all the approaches we’ve discussed are only as effective as the leaders that implement them, so cultivating strong leaders is vital. Leadership development programmes such as those provided by IATA focus on attributes including general management skills, critical thinking, cultivating a global mindset and effective peer network, and skills for establishing operational excellence. 

How Technology Supports a Strong Company Culture

Technology such as MRO software plays a crucial role in creating a culture founded on safety, efficiency, and collaboration. It does so through the functionality itself and the fact that it improves the cohesion and effectiveness of teams.

For example, our MRO solution, OASES, has a module dedicated to Continuing Airworthiness which ensures compliance with safety regulations, and it has a whole host of tools for improving efficiency across the spectrum of MRO activities and making data-driven decisions.

It provides a single source of truth across our customers’ operations, which facilitates effective collaboration, and ensures all staff are on the same page at all times.

Since the solution is cloud-based, it provides access to real-time maintenance data so that personnel can make the most well-informed decisions; it also enables teams to collaborate regardless of their location.

Conclusion

In essence, a thriving company culture in aviation is one where safety, collaboration, and continuous improvement are deeply embedded in every operational area, leading to enhanced performance, employee satisfaction, and overall success.

Technology is the glue that holds all of these elements together. To see the role OASES can play in enhancing culture, contact us today to request a demo.