Human Resources Management Commons^™

Professionalism And Performance Expectations In The Modern Aviation Industry, Anayah Smith, Spencer Baldock Spencer Baldock

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

The aviation industry operates as a highly regulated, safety-critical environment in which professionalism and consistent performance are essential to maintaining operational safety and reliability. However, emerging shifts in workforce composition, communication styles, and technology integration have created misalignment between traditional professional standards and evolving employee expectations. Established aviation cultures emphasize structured procedures, formal feedback mechanisms, and communication hierarchy, while newer entrants, shaped by digital communication norms and contemporary academic environments, often expect continuous feedback, collaborative leadership, and adaptive performance evaluation. Prior research on crew resource management, human error frameworks, and generational work values highlights how inconsistencies in communication, feedback expectations, …

How Does Earning A 4-Year Degree Affect Promotion Rates Among Municipal Police Officers?, Anna Brumfield

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

How does earning a 4-year degree affect promotion rates among municipal police officers?   The importance of a 4-year degree for law enforcement officers has been a topic of interest in a number of studies throughout the recent decades; however, significantly less research has been conducted to understand the relationship between earning a degree and the possibility of career advancement in municipal police officers. In the past, the need for higher education in this field was considered negligible; but studies have been conducted that point to the possible value of college experience and more specifically a 4-year degree. This value has …

Meeting The Moment With Ai-Employer Informed Education, Brent Terwilliger, John Faraca

Publications

As artificial intelligence transforms aviation, aerospace, and autonomy-related sectors, higher education must adapt to meet evolving workforce demands. This session shares emerging findings from a nationwide study led by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, focused on employer perceptions of AI adoption, responsible use, and workforce preparedness in domains including uncrewed systems, space systems, robotics, and advanced air mobility. Based on a structured survey and follow-up interviews, the presentation explores how organizations are using AI tools, from generative platforms to enterprise systems, and defining effective and inappropriate use in operational contexts. Participants will gain insight into critical concerns (e.g., data privacy, compliance, security, …

Barriers And Best Practices In Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion (Dei) Initiatives: A Case Study From The United States Aerospace And Defense Industry, Jeremy A. Bailey

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The main objective of this study was to unpack the barriers around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and then provide best practices to improve DEI efforts in the aerospace and defense (A&D) industry. There has been a multitude of research conducted on DEI in the past few years. However, very little research has focused on DEI practices in the A&D industry. This case study focused on one large company in this industry to explore and understand various aspects of DEI initiative implementation. As organizations strive to meet industry and client objectives, as well as address employee needs, two research …

Balancing The Workload In Executive Protection: Is It Time To Outsource The Advance?, Alan Saquella, Tim Sharpe

Publications

In the evolving world of executive protection (EP), the days of focusing solely on physical security are over. Today’s EP professionals are responsible for an ever-expanding array of duties, from travel logistics and site assessments to digital threat monitoring and cyber hygiene education. This growing workload is pushing teams to rethink traditional approaches, and one question now stands at the forefront of that discussion: Should executive protection teams begin outsourcing advance operations to specialized agencies or companies?

High-Flying Results: A Case Study In A Pilot Development Mentor Program, Catherine G. Cordova, Barron Parsons-Daisley, Emma Fox Captain

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

Consistently considered one of the world’s most stressful occupations, the job of an airline pilot requires increasingly specific skills and responsibilities, especially amidst the global pandemic (Cullen, et al., 2020; Sew, et al., 2022). Given the severity and implications of their decisions and actions, airline pilots must continuously undergo training and practices to ensure proper procedure. In 2020, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) augmented qualifications by enacting Pilot Professional Development requirements (85 FR 10923), including mentoring for newly hired pilots in command (PIC’s). In complement with 85 FR 10923, CFR 121-N ensures “techniques for reinforcing the highest standards of technical …

Career Choice Motivation For Professional Pilots, Brett Watts, Tamilla Curtis, Scott Ambrose

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

This study identified key motivational factors of current flight training students to better understand how individuals are motivated to pursue a career in aviation. The theoretical framework used in this study was based upon self-determination theory, as originally introduced by Deci and Ryan (2000).The research approach for this study was a semi-structured interview process where students were asked eight foundational career motivation source questions and their responses were organized into career choice motivation categories. Results showed most participants became motivated to pursue a piloting career at a very young age. This early motivation was largely due to influence from third …

Career Choice Motivation For Commercial Pilots, Brett Watts

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Career choice motivation research studies the factors involved during a person’s decision-making process regarding which career to pursue (Skatova & Ferguson, 2014). These factors are often studied in individuals who have not yet entered the workforce, such as students. Although there is a significant amount of research on career choice motivations for doctors, dentists, and other related fields, research on career choice motivations for pilots is sparse. As air traffic is expected to grow at approximately 4.7% per year for the next 20 years (Federal Aviation Administration, 2022), a key factor in the aviation industry’s growth is the availability of …

Rethink Your Commute: Good For The Planet & You, Courtney Reynolds

Sustainability Conference

Transportation choices have a big impact on the environment, as well as individual health and wellness. Many times, people may feel like they don't have any other choice than to drive to get to school, work, and other places. But exploring other options can lead to more sustainable choices and save individuals a lot of money.

At reThink Your Commute, we help people make informed decisions on how, when, and where they travel. We do this by promoting sustainable choices, connecting people to local resources, and supporting equitable access to transportation options. This 10-minute presentation will provide an overview of …

Using Cliftonstrengthstm For Professional Development: Recommendations For Practice, Nancy A. Watkins, Cynthia Gautreau, Daryl V. Watkins

Publications

This article explores how a culture of strengths-based leadership can positively impact professional development for school site administrators. The strengths of school district administrators were measured through the administration of CliftonStrengths™ assessment. Themes that emerged were determined through the assessment and qualitative analysis of responses. A sample of convenience 50 principals and assistant principals from a public school district in Southern California participated in this research. The findings revealed that the common talent themes among school site administrators were relationship building, executing, influencer, and learner. This study supports future practices to enable human resources personnel to design targeted professional development …

An Analysis Of Air Traffic Controllers’ Job Satisfaction, Sohel M. Imroz, Farhan Sadique, Nidhi Trambadia

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

The air traffic controllers' job is one of the most hectic in today’s world, predominantly due to its safety-critical operations and altering expectations. The primary purpose of this paper is to provide a holistic directory of determinants and synthesized reinforcements for air traffic controllers' job satisfaction. Researchers in the past have put the spotlight on individual air traffic controller’s technical job satisfaction factors, such as impacts from remote tower operation, airplane trajectory changes, and dynamic air traffic situations. However, none described the connection among those factors and how adjusting those factors can enhance the cognitive components related to their job …

“You’Ll Never Really Be One Of Us”: Women’S Underrepresentation In The Aviation Workforce, Rebecca K. Lutte, Shannon M. Morrison

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

Women are underrepresented in many aviation occupations despite outreach and recruitment efforts from multiple organizations. Attracting women into aviation is a necessity not only to address workforce demand but also to achieve the benefits of a more diverse workforce to include enhanced profitability, safety, and innovation. To address the gender gap, the research presented here attempts to inform recruitment/retention strategies by identifying both the positive and negative factors that influence a woman’s decision to pursue a career in aviation and the decision to persist. Additionally, factors such as participation in youth outreach programs, role of mentors, influencers who support or …

Effectiveness Of A Four-Days/Eight Hour Work Week, Mayer Sng, Wei Jian Khor, Toshiaki Oide, Shaen Chatrawit Suchar, Brian Chin Kiat Tan

Introduction to Research Methods RSCH 202

This research paper explores the benefits of a four-day workweek that may affect productivity, self-satisfaction, and life expectancy. We will be using data on a country-wide scale from 25 first world countries over four continents. We will perform regression analysis to investigate the impact of a four-day workweek. The data will be collected using free and public sources published online like Our World In Data and Statista, which include GDP per capita, life satisfaction rate, human development index, and annual working hours. The results of our research and analysis will show how each independent variable will affect the dependent variable …

The Effects Of At-Home Remote Work Environments On Human Cognitive Performance And Work Task Performance Based On Current Societal Conditions, Angela Arias

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Home-based remote work systems present a unique set of cognitive performance and work task performance challenges to employees without remote work experience. The COVID-19 pandemic forced companies into transforming their work system structures, and their employee roles, without the preparation or education of the dynamics that surround home-based remote work systems. This thesis benefits the Human Factors community by investigating the effects of at-home remote-based work environments on cognitive performance, and work task performance, of employees who currently work remotely from home. A multimethod approach was employed to carry out this research. A survey was administered to home-based remote employees, …

Building Organizational Resilience Through Human Capital Management Strategy, Stephanie Douglas

Publications

Purpose

This paper examines the role of human capital management strategy in shaping organizational resilience. Resilient organizations thrive in uncertain and adverse conditions. The organization’s capacity for resilience can be developed through human capital management strategies that are focused on employee capabilities, training, and development. When individual capabilities and resilience are developed, those can be aggregated at an organizational level to develop the capacity in an organization for resilience.

Design/methodology/approach

A review of relevant studies and literature was conducted to develop strategies and insight into developing the human capital of an organization to support organizational resilience.

Findings

Supporting individual capability …

Job Demands And Job Resources Among Western Airline Cabin Crews: A Comparative Study Of Canadian, German, And French Flight Attendants, Sarah Nogues, Diane-Gabrielle Tremblay, Sari Mansour

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

Flight attendants are frontline workers in charge of onboard security, safety and customer service. They are required to perform a number of tasks requiring physical and psychological efforts associated with numerous health costs for this group of workers. In the aftermath of Covid-19, flight attendants employed at major airlines will likely be faced with increased job demands. However, little is known about how widespread job resources are among Western cabin crews. Based on recent findings in flight attendant job-demands literature along with the ability-motivation-opportunity (AMO) framework in strategic HRM, this paper questions airline leeway and choices in resource allocation to …

Employee Age And The Impact On Work Engagement, Robin Roberts

Publications

Purpose – Employee engagement studies are popular in contemporary research because of the complexity organizations face in nurturing the performance and productivity of multigenerations of workers. The purpose of the current study is to assess association of age and dimensions of work engagement.

Design/methodology/approach - In total 181 participants completed the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) to measure work engagement including the dimensions of absorption, vigor and dedication as well as demographics. One way ANOVA and post hoc tests were conducted to examine the relationship between age and work engagement.

Findings: Employees 50 years of age and older were …

Employability Skills For 21st Century Stem Students: The Employers’ Perspective, Doreen Mcgunagle, Laura Zizka

Publications

Purpose

One of the goals of educational institutions is to prepare their graduates to be workplace-ready. The purpose of this paper is to identify the employability skills lacking in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) industry from employers' perspectives to assist STEM educational institutions in creating more relevant programs inclusive of employability skills.

Design/methodology/approach

This study addresses 16 job-specific skills based on data deriving from the responses of 250 Human Resource Managers (HRMs) who represent five manufacturing industries (Aerospace and Defense, Automotive, Consumer Products, Electronics and Industrial Manufacturing) located in five regions (Northeast, Midwest, Southeast, West-Mountain and Pacific) of …

Under Pressure: Decision Making In Aircraft Maintenance And The Role Of Gender, Stephanie Douglas Ph.D., Bettina M. Mrusek Ph.D.

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

In aircraft maintenance, leaders are under near-constant pressure to maintain airworthiness. Every minute an aircraft cannot fly due to maintenance represents financial waste. Decisions are therefore made in a relatively quick fashion. A leader evaluates the situation, identifies a course of action and then communicates this message to a team of technicians. However, gender influences regarding leaders’ decisions can influence team members’ perceptions of those decisions.

The study will measure decision making methods of leaders in aircraft maintenance and the perceptions of the technicians. It informs how gender influences decision making from both the leader and follower perspective. The expected …

Outsourcing Aircraft Maintenance And Related Safety Implications, Rajee Olaganathan Ph.D., Mark Miller Ed.D., Bettina M. Mrusek Ph.D.

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

The U.S aviation industry faced severe financial losses after the 9/11 incident. The financial loss that occurred between 2000 and 2009 in the U.S. alone was $54 billion dollars. One of the operational strategies adopted by air carriers to overcome this hurdle was to outsource aircraft maintenance. Initially, this was accomplished in both home and off-shore locations. Unionized labor relations in the US ultimately forced these organizations to outsource to non-unionized labor sources in foreign countries. However, due to the upsurge in accidents and incidents that resulting from maintenance failures, the concept of outsourcing maintenance became a subject of debate …

Integrating Aviation Technology, Emergency Services, And Human Resilience: Considerations From Social Scientists, Chelsea A. Lenoble Ph.D., Joel M. Billings Ph.D., Allison A. Kwesell Ph.D., Ray H. Chang Ph.D.

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) have a range of applications within the field of disaster response. This presentation offers a novel framework of psychosocial considerations designed to advance UAS and disaster management integration. Social scientists highlight important challenges to the effective integration of three primary entities: UAS, the team of teams that responds to disasters, and populations affected by disasters.

The presentation adopts an emerging theoretical perspective on the intersection between UAS capabilities and disaster phases and extends it by bringing necessary attention to social science issues. Specifically, the framework outlines psychosocial considerations and areas of improvement for preparation (training), response …

The Impact Of An International Aviation Leadership Development Program On Organizational Effectiveness, Stephanie Douglas Ph.D., Daisha M. Merritt Ph.D., Robin Roberts D.Mgt.

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

Leadership development is critical for organizational progress. Leaders who are strong in operations and talent management maximization are a strength to organizational effectiveness (Andenoro et al., 2015). An organization's leadership performance can be a differentiator in competitive advantages for the firm and used to leverage employee productivity (Gentry et al., 2014; Kark, 2011, Van Velsor et al., 2010). There is an urge for more of an emphasis on developing systemic leadership, observing the importance of looking at not only development of the individual leader but also the collective leadership capacity among all employees to address the increasing complexities and needs …

Adversity: Its Affect On The Resilience Of Female Pilots, Linda M. Pittenger D.Mgt., Stephanie Douglas Ph.D.

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

Women are one of the solutions to alleviating the pending pilot shortage. Becoming a pilot needs to appeal to women. Resilience plays an important role in determining whether women in male-dominated career fields will pursue or abandon their careers. The pilot profession is dominated by masculine beliefs, values and perceptions creating an organizational culture adverse and challenging to women.

The study objective was to explore the influence of adversity on female pilots and its effect on resiliency. In our sample of 1,499 female pilots, we found lower resiliency levels as compared to a general U.S. sample. Additionally, statistically significant differences …

Examining Uas Employment Expectations And Requirements, Brent A. Terwilliger Ph.D., Ryan J. Wallace Ed.D., Matthew P. Earnhardt Ph.D.

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

Unmanned aircraft system (UAS) technology is radically changing how organizations, such as government agencies, non-profit corporations, and companies, apply aviation resources. Unmanned aviation is supporting improved efficiency, expanded capability, and heightened reliability through an increasing number of uses relating to: a) research and development and training-education, b) event filming, c) industrial, utility, and environmental projects, d) real estate, e) construction activities, f) agricultural, g) press and media, and h) state/local emergency services. The increasing application, and subsequent operational growth, is occurring in response to maturing technology, refined operational management and permissibility, innovative concept development, demonstrated capability, enhanced supportability, and the …

A Looming Pilot Shortage: It Is Time To Revisit Regulations, Christopher L. Caraway

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Forecasts predict we will need 790,000 pilots by 2037. This prediction means airlines will need to increase pilot levels by 267%. Finding a solution to this pilot shortage requires the aviation community to address limiting regulatory and other core factors. Many have claimed that 1,500-hour rule and mandatory retirements are critical issues contributing to the pilot shortage. However, the data does not support these claims. Instead, trends in pilot population levels and safety records indicate these regulations are only effecting the demographics of the current pilot population. The shift in the pilot population will harm future airline operations if the …

Diversity And The Future Of Work: Examining The Future Workplace Through A Generational Lens, Gordon Haley, Thomas G. Henkel

Publications

• Talent management is a critical consideration for organizations in the increasingly uncertain and competitive business environment
• Human Resource Management is critical to the success of any organization operating in the current service and knowledge economies
• Ignoring generational differences can lead to an ineffective organization

An Insight To Project Manager Personality Traits Improving Team Project Outcomes, Thomas G. Henkel, Gordon Haley, Debra T. Bourdeau, James Marion

Publications

Individual personality assessments tools have a strong following among Fortune 100 companies.[1] Besides being used for hiring purposes, individual personality assessment tools give project managers insight into personality and aspirations, as well as how they process and organize information, make decisions, and interact with team members and other stakeholders. The aim of this research study was to explore what personality traits project managers need to lead a project team effectively. To accomplish this, we employed the Big Five Personality® and the 1/11 Myers-Briggs (MBTI®) personality assessments to identify favorable personality traits and characteristics when managing projects.

Global Aviation System: Towards Sustainable Development, Marina P. Bonser Dr.

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Aviation around the world has integrated into a global system. As the integration process continues, more aspects and levels of it need to be lead towards the sustainable development of the whole system via advancing strategic management, global communication proficiency, and technological expertise. It becomes essential to enrich global language (English) proficiency with cross-cultural communication competence not only for communication in the air but also for airport security, passenger and cargo services, aircraft and equipage engineering, building, and maintenance. Nowadays lower levels of management need more advanced strategic thinking and problem solving skills, and higher levels of management need global …

Mindspace And Development Of Organizational Culture In Aviation Safety Management, Wilson Gilliam Jr

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Abstract

The organization’s role in establishing a culture fertile for safety development, risk management and mitigation is paramount. Barriers to the effectiveness of aviation safety systems may emerge when human biases interfere with the basic processes of safety management systems. Biases come in many forms and can serve as unconscious discriminatory behaviors against a person’s race, gender, sexual orientation, profession, skill level or other characteristic. Biases can also result from instinctive reactions and habitual patterns serving to protect one’s status, sense of belonging, desire to be viewed as normal and other characteristics. Minimizing biases within an organization is a key …

Optimization Of Organizational Design, Dyin Ogawa, Guilherme Esmael, Manoel Burg, Patricia Soares

Graduate Student Works

This study aims to present new techniques that airlines can use in order to gain efficiency through human resources allocation, to keep up on track with the challenging and constant-moving environment of aviation industry. As the classical hierarquical structure that dominates most of the airlines today is not a prone environment for the changes proposed, researchers will explore human resources optimization using the optimization software Lindo, mixed with concepts and techniques of Agile Methodology, such as evaluation score and talent mapping to develop a model for the best match between employees’ and tasks of Avianca Brasil Project Department, considering productivity …