airline categorically stated that the first officer should not correct errors made by the
captain" (Helmreich & Foushee, 1993, pp. 4-5).
Military values enter commercial airlines when pilots who are military veterans
enter the civilian workforce. These values include "respect for rank, for leaders who
take charge and act decisively, and for subordinates who understand that it is usually
not appropriate to question the decisions of their superiors” (Birnbach & Longridge,
1993, p. 265).
Additionally, the values of a hierarchical corporate culture contribute to strong
authority relationships. For example, in a New York Times article, the strength of the
authority of the CEO of a particular airline was indicated by the CEO's staying power in
conjunction with seemingly extreme incompetence. He would “doze off” in meetings
and call the company officers, and even the airline, by the wrong name (Bryant, 1994, p.
17N).
The captain's authority can be even stronger in other societies. Merritt and
Helmreich (1996) found that the statement, “Senior staff deserves extra benefits and
privileges,” elicited a neutral position to slight disagreement among American captains
and first officers from four airlines, but those of a Brazilian airline agreed with it. The
statement, “Crewmembers should not question the decisions or actions of the captain
except when they threaten the safety of the flight,” elicited variations between 15 and
93% agreement among pilots in different countries, and the statement, “If I perceive a
problem with the flight, I will speak up, regardless of who might be affected,” elicited
variations between 36 and 98 % agreement. Finally, the statement, “The organization’s
rules should not be broken - even when the employee thinks it is in the company’s best