Chapter 6 - CRM (Non-Technical) Skills — Applications for and Beyond the Flight Deck

Abstract

Interest in Crew Resource Management (CRM) training and assessment methods has extended well beyond the pioneering efforts to improve aviation safety. This chapter describes how a behavioral rating system (NOTECHS) designed for the assessment of airline pilots' CRM skills, on a pan-European basis, has been adapted for use for training and assessment of CRM skills in other work settings, such as acute medicine, nuclear power generation, and systems management. The term non-technical skills (NTS) is used by a range of technical professions to describe what they sometimes refer to as “soft” skills. NOTECHS is designed as a professional pragmatic tool for instructors and authorized examiners, rather than researchers. Formal assessment of non-technical skills using behavioral rating systems, such as NOTECHS, is most advanced for civil aviation pilots but more recently a number of other professional groups, including those in healthcare and other safety-critical industries, have begun to adapt a non-technical skills approach as the focus on competence assessment, licensing, and revalidation. Furthermore, the chapter offers some general considerations for the widespread training and assessment of CRM skills.