Where Birds Don't Fly

The flying public, stakeholders and the regulator have a perception of an SMS enterprise and their safety management system (SMS). While perception may be real and essential aspect of human experience, it is also complex, subjective, and sometimes fallible, the effect perception has on SMS enterprises and their performance are real.  Perception plays a crucial role in performance across various domains and influences performance. Whether it is airport operations, airline operations, sports, academics, business, or any other area requiring high levels of achievement, perception is an integrated part of their performance system. Perception shapes how individuals perceive their goals and the potential rewards of achieving them. Those who perceive their goals as challenging yet attainable are more likely to be motivated to excel. They perceive success as achievable, driving them to work harder and persist in the face of setbacks. Perception of one's abilities, known as self-efficacy, p...

Conformity refers to the act of adjusting one's thoughts, behaviors, or actions to align with the norms, values, or expectations of a group or society.  It involves yielding to social pressure or influence, often without necessarily agreeing with the group's perspective or beliefs.  Conformity can occur in various contexts, such as social settings, organizations, institutions, cultures and among SMS enterprises compliance with auditors or cloudbased SMS suppliers. There are several reasons why people and aviation executives conform. Normative conformity: This occurs when individuals conform to fit in with the group and avoid rejection or disapproval. It is driven by the desire for acceptance of SMS programs, aviation industry norms, and the fear of being excluded from contracts or business opportunities. Informational conformity: Accountable Executives may conform because they believe that the group possesses more accurate information or knowledge than they do.  In such c...