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8. Canadian Aviation Safety Seminar (CASS 2008)

Canadian Aviation Safety Seminar (CASS 2008)

Plenary

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Tuesday, April 29, 2008

07:00	Registration Desk Open - Coffee & muffins
08:30	Opening Remarks Sylvain Giguère, Regional Director General, Prairie and Northern Region, Transport Canada
09:00	* Keynote Address: Managing Change and Complexity Wilfred Zerbe, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Human Resources and Organization Dynamics, Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary

Some business environments are highly predictable–we know what the right answers are and we understand what causes what. In such environments it is appropriate to institute "best practices" that result in efficient, stable operations. Yet other environments are more complicated, requiring the application of expertise in order to understand cause and effect, and so determine the right answer. These two domains–the simple and the complicated–dominate management thinking. Our strategic and tactical models assume  that order exists and can be predicted. But sometimes (indeed, more often than we admit) cause and effect are only related in retrospect. Rather than being ordered, simple or complicated, some situations and environments are characterized by complexity and what feels like chaos. Here, the elements of systems interact in ways that make prediction almost, or truly, impossible.

In this presentation, Dr. Zerbe will address questions such as: what are the risks of using management approaches that assume simplicity and order in environments that are actually complex? How should change be led when situations are simple, complicated, complex, or chaotic? How is leadership possible in complex environments? What are the implications of understanding organizations through the lens of complexity?

09:45 * Impact of Change—How Assessment is Critical to Progress
Matthew Collins, Helicopter Pilot, Alpine Helicopters

From a commercial helicopter pilot’s perspective, safety management systems (SMS) are being implemented at the corporate level, where the ultimate goal is fewer accidents. But how can we genuinely measure success when there are too few accidents at the outset? Borrowing from experiences from education and business, Mr. Collins will attempt to show how to measure the impact of new programs, such as SMS, in an environment with little in the way of data.

10:30 Refreshment Break 11:00 * Just a Piece in a Jigsaw Puzzle—Systems Dynamics and Safety in Canadian Aviation
Norman MacLeod, Consultant, Kitty Hawk Training Technology

The presentation explores the application of systems thinking to cast light on the dynamic nature of line operations. Using Canadian examples, Mr. McLeod will develop a hierarchical model which explains the relationship between individuals, teams, companies and aviation authorities. The role of crew as real-time problem solvers is established before looking at distributed action across team members. Companies are examined as facilitators of activity, interpreting the demands of regulators while creating the context for crews. The model is then used to demonstrate how systems drift to an unsafe state and to clarify the behaviours necessary for personnel to function in a safe manner.

11:45Question & Answers

12:00Lunch buffet (provided)13:30Message from the Director General, Civil Aviation
Merlin Preuss, Director General, Civil Aviation, Safety and Security, Transport Canada

14:15Leading Change with the Brain in Mind
Bob Aitken, Vancouver Community College

Brain researchers tell us that 90 percent of what we know about the human brain has been discovered in the last five years. Recent brain research has important implications for all of us involved in leading and training others. Mr. Aitkin will examine and demonstrate practical ways in which we can apply the information from brain research to our work and our lives outside of work to become better leaders, trainers and learners.

15:00Refreshment Break

15:30The Impact of TSB Recommendations on the Aviation Industry, its Personnel and Processes

Jonathan Seymour, Board Member, Transportation Safety Board of Canada

As the independent agency that investigates marine, pipeline, railway and aviation transportation occurrences, the TSB identifies safety deficiencies and makes recommendations to ensure aircraft always touch down safely.

In response to TSB recommendations, regulators and the industry make significant changes to air transportation standards which have an effect on their personnel and organizational processes.

The TSB will use its 2 September 1998 Swissair 111 accident investigation as a case study to demonstrate the impact of TSB recommendations on the aviation industry and the Board's activities.

16:15 Questions & Answers

16:30 Handover for CASS 2010
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Date modified:

2011-04-05

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