Crisis Management in critical situations ...

 At some point in life we come across some crisis and on a daily basis we come across smaller crises. But take the case of an airline pilot, the amount of pressure he has to endure in the event of an accident is unimaginable. Such people in charge of critical equipments need special training.

The Indian billionnaire Yusuf Ali this morning while flying across Kochi, Kerala, had to do an  emergency landing at swampy land near Panangad in Kochi. Yusuf Ali and his wife were the only passengers besides the pilot. When the Augusta Westland A109 helicopter developed problems atop a populated part of Kochi, the timely intervention and application of mind by the pilot helped it to land which saved the life of Yusuf Ali and his wife. Pic courtesy newsminute.com. Inset Yusuf Ali.

I was reading through a Harvard Business Review article on what constitutes effective crisis management actions. Referring to the article by Hagen, Lei and Shahal, HBR Dec 2019, titled "What aircraft crews know about managing high pressure situations (click here), presence of mind and good communication skills are the most necessary. 

What the crew does in the first 20 seconds following a crisis developing  situation is of utmost importance in deciding the fate of the passengers, crew and the plane. In the case of large planes with hundreds of passengers and twenty to thirty crew members along with the large quantity of fuel onboard, this time is even more critical last it develops into a grave situation. 

The above article has done a good study of such crisis situations and ,mentions that communication between the crew members is of vital importance. In the case of this morning Yusuf Ali's small plane it is not clear whether there was a co-pilot to assist and with whom the pilot could have communicated to get some feedback and info on what to do during the golden 20 second interval. Even if alone, he has done an excellent job.

In military situations, the crisis is still more critical. It is to help pilots take decisions peacefully with a calm mind that airforce pilots even during peaceful times are deployed on reconaissnce missions and practice flights. 

The communication of the captain asking his deputy or co-pilot his opinion and feedback, more often than not helps the captain take a very balanced decision than a quick and less thought out decision. The open communication between the pilot and the co-pilot will give confidence to the other crew members too to give their feedback to the pilot to help steer clear the crisis.

Even in business and our daily lives, whenever a crisis erupts, the best strategy is to take advice and support from colleagues. After weighing the feedback, the decision has to be taken which in most likelihood will be correct than when deciding alone. Open communication with people at all hierarchies at all times is an important trait we should develop in good times and bad.

George.