JUST PLANE CULTURE
work overload, ambiguity (job/role clarity and lack of support), confl ict (both personal and cognitive) and resource inadequacy. These job stressors have one common theme: they are not in your sphere of control. The more you don’t have control over the stressor, the more stressful the situation. If you have ever driven in the north in winter and came across black ice on the road, you know what I mean about the correlation between instant loss of control and high stress.
THE ROLE OF CONTROL You cannot control what you cannot control but you do have control over yourself. This is easy to say when you are not in the heat of the moment, but you need to step back and take another look at the situation. What can you do with the resources you have, including the training and experiences you have acquired? This might be a limited solution but it is at least an objective decision and not a subjective, reactive one. Even if your decision is wrong, you can be content that your decision was based on the facts you had at the moment. Even WAGs (wild-assed guesses) are based on some facts to give you an edge in the decision. Like George S. Patton said, “Take calculated risks; that is quite diff erent from being rash.”
THE MANAGEMENT FUNCTION Will that save you from the wrath of management? The answer will be no unless you have wise management. Man- agement, especially middle management, has largely not progressed to understanding human behavior. The 1920s concept of managing people is still in place in many organi- zations. People are not chattel to be looked at as a commod- ity or asset to be used and discarded. You manage resources and lead people. Don’t get this confused with manpower, which is a resource. I am referring to the people, the person, the personalities, the human side of the organization. There is some progress but it is slower than many researchers would like as witnessed by questions like, “Why doesn’t the workforce follow the procedures?” It might not be the workforce forcing the issue. Using the Pareto Principle, I would say that 80 percent of the problem in not following procedures is situational and 20 percent is the workforce. Management has control of the situation (resources). Management needs to manage the level of work, clarify roles and job functions, provide support and allocate resources where needed. Confl ict resolution is going to be an ongoing factor that must also be controlled and adjudicated fairly. Providing what is
needed is a management function. With that accomplished, the “workforce not following procedures” issue will be minimized, stress will be reduced, engagement will increase and the stage will be set for a leader to emerge.
THE DIRTY DOZEN Stress is one of the Dirty Dozen but if you read between the lines, you will notice that more of the Dirty Dozen are em- bedded into this article. A precursor to job stress is pressure which can come out of ambiguity from poor job or role clarity derived from confl icting social and cognitive norms technically called cognitive dissonance. Stress can be caused by work overload which can lead to fatigue. Resource inadequacy is also on the list of job stressors. Since we are talking of inadequacy here, any of the six Dirty Dozen that refer to scarcity will fi t: lack of parts, lack of communica- tion, lack of knowledge, lack of teamwork, lack of assertive- ness, and lack of awareness. Nine out of the 12 Dirty Dozen symptoms cause stress. If you want to go with the Baker’s Dirty Dozen which includes professional arrogance, you could say it’s 10 out of 13. Arrogance criticizes others and is about proving oneself. Confi dence commends others and is about improving oneself.
IN SUMMARY Leaders pull while managers push. A supportive manage- ment and a strong leadership is a dynamite package that is hard to beat. It’s up to your top managers and leaders to build an atmosphere that promotes engagement and trust. Stress will never be eliminated but it will, for the most part, be controllable. Anyone can duplicate your product and process but they cannot duplicate the organizational culture that produces your product or delivers your service.
Patrick Kinane is an FAA-certifi cated A&P with IA and commercial pilot with instrument rating. He has 50 years of experience in aviation maintenance. He is an ASQ senior member with quality auditor and quality systems/organizational excellence manager certifi cations. He is an RABQSA-certifi ed AS9100 and AS9110 aerospace industry experienced auditor
and ISO9001 business improvement/quality management systems auditor. He earned a bachelor of science degree in aviation maintenance management, a master’s of science degree in education, and a Ph.D. in organizational psychology. Kinane is presently a senior quality management systems auditor for AAR CORP and a professor of organizational behavior at DeVry University.
01.02 2015
24
DOMmagazine
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