The way I see it, the fact that 1+1 sometimes is considerably less than
2 are one of the main reasons for having CRM at all.
When Ruffell Smith conducted his classic simulator-study in the late
70's, one thing that amazed him and others was the enormous variety in
the performance of the crews. Thomas R. Chidester writes about the
results of this study in the book "Cockpit Resource Management" (page
315): "The results questioned a very basic assumption - that any crew
within an airline would handle a problem in essentially the same way
and, if the problem were soluble, any crew would bring the flight to a
safe conclusion". Ruffell Smiths study, together with a string of
accidents related to breakdown in crew processes (Tenerife, Portland,
Ketchikan) lead to the development of CRM.
So Larry, you have a very good point. Sometimes 1+1 is 1 or even 0, and
that's why CRM is so important - a flight crew that lacks necessary
knowledge and skills related to working with others, can sometimes lead
themselves into doing things no one would dream of doing as an
individual. If you look to general literature and research about groups,
you will discover terms like "process-loss", "group-think" and "risky
shift" - all related to processes going on in groups that do not
function well.
On the other hand - we know that synergy is a fact in groups that do
work well together. CRM is a tool to get them there.
Best regards,
Jens R.
Jens Rolfsen
Human Factors Advisor / Psychologist
Braathens
Training Department
PO BOX 55
1330 FORNEBU
NORWAY
Jens.rolfsen_at_Braathens.no