NON-TECHNICAL SKILLS: BUILDING CAPACITY Continued from page 49 have enabled error identification and trapping. Only looking for trouble is an incomplete approach to integrating NTS—as it is for safety in general. As Erik Hollnagel notes, if our general view is that safety lacks when things go wrong, then it must be present when things go well. On that basis, identifying situations where things go extraordinarily well despite imperfect systems, distractions, and miscom- munication can help tease out those non-technical abilities that enable successful daily operations. Immersion in the system is a great way to understand the nuance required to work within an organiza- tion, but it can also create blind spots. Having a trusted partner evaluate your operation can address some of the bias that might unintentionally color internal appraisals. Many orga- nizations seek outside help through service providers or consultants, but it can be just as effective to work with a peer operator, contractor, or client. The crux, of course, is having the tools and expertise to perform an effective evaluation. Once you’ve identified the com- petencies in NTS that enable perfor- mance in your organization, a sound analysis of where to begin should start with a reliable instrument. There are many tools available to organiza- tions, and though many of them are provided at no cost, qualified evalua- tors can make a world of difference in gaining value from the process. Understanding NTS as they exist in the wild is crucial, and though event- based and interview-based methods are effective to a point, observational data is real-time and direct, allow- ing participants to discuss tools and feedback as close to the point of use as possible. For flight operations, Captain Colin Budenberg’s Facilitation Skills Assessment Tool is useful in evaluat- ing NTS as well as the quality of ongo- ing assessments. In addition, FAA, CAA, and ICAO resources provide an excellent introduction to observa- tional evaluation. Line Observation Safety Audit (LOSA) programs and the guidance from FAA and the LOSA Collaborative are also excellent prim- ers to a system that evaluates NTS as a core part of the system. Once we have a sense of our capabilities and opportunities for NTS improvement, we’re faced with the need to build those skills effectively. Building Non-Technical Capacities Non-technical training is no differ- ent than any other in that it relies first on an honest assessment of train- ing needs. If we’ve been thorough in identifying NTS in our organizational systems and evaluating their cur- rent efficacy, then the training needs assessment is essentially complete. A common issue in our industry is once NTS training is finally implemented, it isn’t often critically evaluated to ensure it achieves training goals. Our advice: begin your NTS journey with some clear goals and measures in mind so that the board, front line, and everyone in between can have confidence that the system is per- forming as designed. It can be difficult to design a train- ing syllabus, even after spending considerable time understanding the current state of the system. The FAA provides Advisory Circular 120-51E as guidance for developing, implement- ing, and assessing CRM training— perhaps the most common vehicle for building NTS capability. Patterns for decision-making, communication, and team interac- tion often emerge from narrative— often in the form of storytelling. It follows that perhaps the most effec- tive methods for teaching NTS move away from the information-laden lecture style to include live gamifica- tion, role playing, simulation, and structured debriefing. The well- worn stories from the ready room, shop floor, or employee lounge are informal means of inculcating values and assumptions to new members of a culture, and they are rich with context for decision-making. As NTS training is designed, cre- ating space for structured stories is critical to reaching students. Plenty of training exists that examines how to select from available choices, but for many events where NTS profi- ciency becomes critical, there are no good choices. Instead, operators must learn skills to evaluate how decisions are made, and how to create options under uncertainty. Previously the realm of the military, high-fidelity operational simula- tions now exist as ready options for organizational use. By removing Continued on page 52 Aviation Business Journal | Spring 2019 51
