Like many industries, aviation faced multiple challenges after birth. People have returned to working in the face of new technology, new protocols and new employees, which exacerbates issues within a working and exhausted working force that defies security, operations and leadership. Charlie Kannin, Administrative Director of SOLVD togetherIt is reflected on the variable scene of aviation and makes the issue to be reset by the human being, which depends on development to face these challenges face to face.
Like many of us, I still remember that the strange silence in the sky during the first days of the epidemic. For aviation, it represented more than the Foundation flights – it caused a seismic transformation. One is still moving. The planes may fly again, but the industry continues to adapt under the surface.
In Solvd together, we work with some of the most high pressure sectors, and the flight is undoubtedly one of the most complex sectors. The epidemic did not stop operations only; It has revealed a deeper fragility in how to train the industry, its development and leadership. With the return of employees to work, we saw that technology alone will not be the reform. It will also not pick up the new compliance units of outdated training systems.
To build real flexibility, the aviation industry needs to reset the culture, which begins to develop people differently.
Culture, “reset” and examination of power, opportunities, and motivation (COM-B)
Susan Michi and her colleagues at College London University is an institution to build an effective change. It is, for someone to do something new, he needs the ability, opportunity and motivation to do so. Leave one outside, the system is subject to failure. NHS has successfully incorporations in the framework of infection and control to enhance behaviors among healthcare professionals, especially in the management of difficult infections. Therefore, it is a tried and tested methodology.
In flying after birth, we have seen a lot of delegations for new behaviors, but not enough support to include them.
You can train someone on a new protocol, but if he works in a chaotic environment, under time pressure, without clear leadership or support, you will not abide. On an equal footing, if the training lacks the purpose or personal importance, the motivation suffers.
Impact on the safety of the front lines – why the cultural epidemic is presented and training in aviation security
Often, training is built around content, not context. But the real transformation occurs when people are enabled to understand their roles in the broader system and how their behaviors contribute to important results. The strength of the design centered around man in learning and development (L&D) is that it implants accountability, confidence and flexibility. L&D should not be an exercise in the tick-flying box, and this is more important given the high risks.
But airport environments, especially security, are often sterile. You cannot provide e -learning forms because there are no computers, and you cannot have colleagues who examine their phones regularly to get advice and guidance at the point of need. The challenges have exacerbated by introducing new security technology in the security corridors, while passengers have become less careful, to the extent that the operator, Ryanair, will be paid, travelers.
Therefore, the only way to include behavioral and cultural change is first to understand the context deeply through monitoring or ethnology, and studying the characteristics of different people, their differences, and their relationships.
For example, one of the real challenges facing security teams at airports is the passenger flow balance with the correct procedure. Nobody likes to see long lines in airport security, and the process is something that we all tend to tolerate instead of enjoying it. While most passengers suffer from delay as a necessary part of travel, some passengers are in a state of anxiety or increased stress and get out of security officers.
In our research, we heard how colleagues were pushed, things were thrown to them, and names were called to follow the correct process. Worse than that, in these difficult situations, pressure security managers were less than sympathy and undermining the security officer to preserve the moving lines. This is the place where the human-centered approach and the Com-B model. It helps us to destroy what is happening and how to improve behaviors such as these in complex environments.
First, the ability – does the security personnel have knowledge and skills to deal with the situation in the right way? Then the opportunity-do they have time, space and support to manage these conversations in a high-pressure environment like a crowded security lane?
Finally, the motivation – do they understand the reason for the importance of this? Do they simply interact from the habit (automatic motivation), or do they reflect the importance of obtaining it properly for each passenger (reflective motives)?
The issue is that most airport training is based on organizational compliance. It comes to testing tests, and they often choose high risks that can cost someone his job if they fail. But compliance alone does not always lead to a kind of adaptive, thoughtful and comprehensive behavior required in the real world.
If we really want to improve passenger experience and support security teams, then we should look further than just a mark on the boxes. We need to help people develop the mentality and the environment that allows them to take their functions, trust and care.
The human -focused approach focuses on the same as customer service and sympathy as in the process. When people help to see their role in the journey of the wider passengers, they take ownership. When they take ownership, accountability, safety and service, providing a better experience of customers from safety to emergency situations. Without this clarity, people make decisions based on previous experiences, responded to what is in front of them and copy any behaviors that their friends and colleagues offer.
Restructuring to drive in the high risk sector
One of the biggest challenges today is to redefine the form of driving in flying. Traditional models, which are based on the hierarchical sequence, power and process, can always respond to the complexity and emotional demands of the workforce today.
The most effective leaders that we see are not those bark orders; They are those who build confidence, remain calm under pressure, show clarity and care.
We have seen that leaders at all levels can benefit themselves and condense the company’s culture by thinking about their own patterns, blind spots, and influencing others. Using techniques of behavioral science, training and experimental learning, we can all create honest conversations, support, confidence and sympathy.
So, what can airports, operators and organizers do now?
A good place to start is to check your learning culture. Ask yourself: “Does something train for people or something they appreciate?” Second, work to enable leaders. Investing in development that adopts sympathy, self -awareness and the ability to adapt, not only compliance and control.
After that, and most importantly, human design, not robots and the use of behavioral frameworks such as COM-B to ensure your operations with human nature, not against them. Also, involve your people, at every stage. Learning works better when a subscriber is created. Bring the front lines teams in training and systems design. In fact, Gartner “2025 Chro Talent Strategy Guide” stipulates, “Instead of following an approach from top to bottom, human resource leaders must ensure that change occurs with employees, and not for them, in order to reduce attrition and change of fatigue,” said Gartner “2025 Chro Talent Strategy Guide”.
Finally, the hero of psychological safety, especially in high pressure environments. People should feel safe to speak, ask questions and recognize mistakes.
While technology and improvements in operations are still vital, the greatest chance of aviation industry to face its most complex challenges is to invest in its employees, not only in skills but also in culture, behavior and leadership.
We have seen directly the influence of building learning cultures from bottom to bottom to giving priority to diversity, continuous improvement, and collective responsibility, and the approach centered around man helps the difference in creating conditions for real permanent change.
But to really reset, we must also rethink what driving means. It is time to overcome the hierarchical models led by compliance and the sympathetic leadership that depends on the purpose of each level.
Flying is an unparalleled sector. The risks are high, but as well as opportunities. This means caring for cultures in which learning is continuous, leadership is shared, and confidence is obtained. We have seen what is possible when organizations such as Heathrow take this approach, and we think it is only the beginning.
Haitro to develop future leaders through our award-winning program- Case study:
Heathrow has witnessed a 19 % noticeable increase in employee participation and 8 % jumped in driving confidence, thanks to the Solvd Driving Program.
Challenge
After childbirth, Heathrow faced an arduous task: the processes of reviving operations at full capacity with an exhausted workforce. The loss of experienced employees has left a gap, and confidence in the organization needs urgent reform to unify a fragmented team.
The background and context
Heathrow is the most crowded international airports in the world and the Civil Aviation World Center. More than 67 million passengers travel through the airport annually on the services provided by 90 aircraft traveling to more than 180 destinations in more than 90 countries.
After the Covid-19 pandemic with an unprecedented disturbance to the aviation industry, Heathrow wanted to recognize and reset their leadership expectations and behaviors. The “Lead The Way” was a mysterious award -winning development trip, designed to provide practical guidelines for leaders in operational and non -operational roles.
The “Lead The Way” was a restart, update, and a recognition engine of more than 2000 intermediate and modern managers. The targeted scales were participation, confidence in leadership, inclusion and leadership trust. The effect was tracked through the company “Pulse”, as well as the quality feedback after the program. It was necessary that the “conspiracy development” be related to a variety of roles from security officers to luggage treatments, and people who have varying levels of experience, from old warriors for 10 years to those in their first leadership position.
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