Basic cultural elements affecting the team function on the flight deck

I administered an extensive questionnaire to pilots (N = 440) in three Norwegian commercial airline companies examining culture, communication, and cockpit performance. The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between the professional culture (pilots) and team function and further, to compare the professional cultures between the three airline companies within one nation. The results indicate significant variation between the three airline companies. Both professional culture and social relations in the total sample of pilots influenced information transfer. Crew members who perceived higher restrictions on communication reported more operational mistakes.