MOSSEL BAY NEWS - A Mossel Bay aviator believes his aviation education has equipped him to deal better with conflict and that a little effort by South Africans may have some benefit in managing conflict in our aggression-ridden country.
Hartog Blok, a retired South African Air Force officer, is the secretary of the Mossel Bay Aero Club.
Hartog has been in aviation since a young adult and has had an exciting aviation life - one such "excitement" being a South African Air Force accident in Western Sahara in 1994.
He was the crew and mission commander of the ill-fated Shackleton 1716, which crashed with 19 crew in the Sahara desert at night when it had dual engine failure.
All 19 survived. Hartog is quick to emphasise he was also the navigator and that all credit goes to the entire crew, with special emphasis on the two pilots on the flight deck at the time of the crash.
He says that about 10 years prior to this, he was fortunate to have attended a South African Airways CRM course.
Hartog says: "CRM stands for cockpit or crew resource management. It focuses on educating air crew in the use of many skills, of which are decent, respectful communication techniques.
"Each day we face some poorly-communicated message, which upsets us. In the cockpit, if we are not communicating maturely, that atmosphere could well create an environment which could lead to poor human performance, with devastating effect.
"Air safety is non-negotiable and equipping air crew with skills to handle conflict or emergencies so as to ensure the best possible outcome, is paramount.
Hartog Blok (left) with Mossel Bay Aero Club chairman Roger Brink. Photo: John Boucher
"In a two-man crew for example, the crew must interact with level-headedness and expeditiously too, no matter the stress factors they face and to this end, one of the 'tools' used to beneficial effect is one of Transactional Analysis (TA).
"I attempt to apply that behaviour in my life and with my interaction with almost everyone around me. Am I always successful? No. But being equipped with skills to defuse potential impasses is better than not having those skills at all."
Hartog says: "Conflict is a reality. It happens. The way we deal with it (word choice) will dictate a happier outcome versus parties feeling aggrieved.
"Basically, and in elementary speak, in each and every person there are three ego states. They are parent, adult and child (PAC). The parent ego state is pretty well developed but not as well developed as the child ego state. The least developed is the adult ego state.
The Shackleton 1716 at the crash site. It went down on 13 July 1994.
"When we enter into some sort of conflict it's usually the result of poor word choice, for example: 'How dare you talk to me like that?'
"That communication comes from a parent ego state to the second party's child ego state.
"The receiving party despises the admonishment, which provokes the resultant: 'And who on earth are you to speak to me like that? I have two words for you and they're not bon voyage.'
"So the two parties have cross communication, parent to child, then parent to child again. This is a recipe for disaster - one that we can't accept in a cockpit environment."
Hartog emphases: "It is absolutely paramount that if something is bothering either of the parties, they speak to each other in a mature, adult state, for example: 'I have no problem with you being in disagreement with me, but let's communicate and resolve our situation in an adult way.'
The Shackleton 1716 at the crash site. It went down on 13 July 1994.
"Be respectful, be decent. You are allowed to be annoyed with other people, but just do it stylishly."
Hartog says the private sector has become aware of the benefit of CRM and Comair offers the course to corporates, to minimise conflict in the boardroom and the workplace.
The Comair training site states: "CRM training is used primarily for improving air safety. It focuses on interpersonal communication, leadership, and decision making in the cockpit.
"Our CRM team teaches crew members to think creatively and pragmatically. Comair CRM training includes Communication Skills, Situational Awareness training,
"Threat and Error Management, Behaviour Analysis tools, Self-management and more."
ARTICLE: LINDA SPARG, MOSSEL BAY ADVERTISER JOURNALIST
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