Over the last three years my
organization has undergone a change in aircraft, from the HC-130P models to the
brand-new HC-130J model. The new aircraft has brought a change in crew
compliment and a change in mission and crew responsibilities. Some of the older
experienced rescue crews had to reevaluate how we were going to shift focus and
reframe our concept of operations. Leadership has had multiple meetings how to
shift our operational frame of reference to support other capabilities the new
plane can support.
With the loss of two crew
positions, the flight engineer and radio operator, came increased need for
loadmasters to absorb responsibilities they were unaware of. Through analysis
of the mission we realized loadmasters were unaware of the role they could play
in rescue efforts. This was a frame blindness, we have only recently identified
how the loadmasters could help with radio communications and pilot support
functions. We have been able to effectively surface our frames during mission
overviews with the pilots. The pilots have played a critical role in visually
displaying how we could facilitate the “front enders”.
The second way we have
avoided framing traps is by understanding the frames of the other crew
positions. The loadmasters, combat system officers, and pilots had meetings to
step outside of our typical responsibilities and critically evaluate how
everyone is working together. With this, the loadmasters have been able to get
more involved with important aspects of the mission that weren’t needed
previously. For example, the new plane has improved communications capabilities
that allow the crews to act as a central point of contact between multiple
aircraft, basically a central coordinator. The loadmasters are learning how to
run these programs when not involved with other duties. This is an area that
gets us more involved with the mission and lets us understand what is going on
throughout the flight in more depth than the previous aircraft.
The third way we are avoiding
framing traps is by testing if our new frame is effective. Connor (2011)
discusses two ways reframing affects the mindsets of individuals involved: 1.
It is essential to understand both the desired future and to gain a clear
picture of the magnitude and nature of the gap that must be closed. 2. It is
critical to articulate what should become more important or less important than
it was in the past. As our implementation of new responsibilities is new to our
community we have some loadmasters who understand the responsibilities better
than others. With this said, there is definitely room to adapt to the changes.
In the near future, the crews will be challenged more in depth on how they see
their roles evolving in search and rescue operations.
The biggest takeaway from this
exercise is identifying the need for systematically reframing mindsets in my
organization. We seem to be victim of framing traps as described by Hoch &
Kunreuther (2001, pg. 139): Frame blindness, illusion of completeness, and
overconfidence about our view. By recognizing the changing future of
operations, leadership needs to effectively state a frame of mind and implement
written guidance how to adopt the new changes.
References:
Connor, D. (2011). Changing
someone’s mind – the basics of reframing. Conner Partners. Retrieved from: http://www.connerpartners.com/frameworks-and-processes/the-basics- of-reframing
Hoch, S.J., & Kunreuther,
H.C. (2001). Wharton on making decisions (1st ed.). Hoboken,
NJ: John Wiley & Sons Inc.
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