This study develops recommendations for improving aviation safety and performance through the management of multi organizational teams. The term multi organizational team was defined for purposes of this study as a group of individuals exercising responsibility and authority as an entity wherein the group is composed of individuals drawn from multiple independent organizations. Application of the multi organizational team concept to the promotion of aviation safety implies that individuals comprising such groups will be drawn from independent airlines, aircraft manufacturers, support equipment manufacturers, airport management organizations, governmental support organizations, and governmental regulatory organizations. Governmental support for civil aviation in the form of air traffic control, and governmental regulation of civil aviation in the United States are both functions of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Proposals have been made, however, that would place these responsibilities with separate organizations. The preceding definition of the term multi organizational team, however, encompasses both the existing structure of governmental support for and regulation of civil aviation in the United States, as well as any future structure of these activities.
The definition of the problem investigated through the conduct of this study, the significance of both that problem and this study, and the methodology employed in the conduct of this study are developed, described, and explained in the remainder of
this chapter. An overview of the remainder of the study is also included in this chapter.
Subsequent to the beginning of deregulation in the American airline industry in 1979, many critics charged that the standards of maintenance and crew training in the industry deteriorated significantly over the next several years (McKinnon 194 99). Both maintenance and crew training are directly related to the level of ...