The Effects of Leadership Style and Workload on Team Alarm Reaction Performance and Team Satisfaction

Abstract

Previous research has indicated that flight crew communication problems cause the majority of human errors in aircraft cockpits. Such problems may further degrade reaction decisions to unreliable alarm signals. In this research we examine how leadership style and workload affect collective reactions to unreliable alarms. Seventeen psychology student dyads from Old Dominion University were randomly assigned to act as pilots or copilots while performing complex psychomotor and alarm response tasks. Dyad leaders (pilots) were assigned to exhibit autocratic or participative leadership behaviors. Dyads reacted to ten alarms in each condition and were randomly assigned to a low or high psychomotor task workload group. Results indicated that dyads in the low workload group reacted to alarms significantly faster than dyads in the high workload group. Also, copilots indicated higher leadership satisfaction in the participative style. These findings suggest that alarm designers consider workload when implementing alarm systems, and that pilots should be trained to exhibit participative leadership qualities.