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Chapter 13. The Mechanic Certificate Final Observation The underlying company culture was apparently lacking concern for ethical decisions and regulatory compliance. An effective organizational culture should always encourage ethical behavior and discourage unethical behavior. This means that not only does the upper management of an organization say that they conduct themselves ethically, they must do it consistently; employees, customers, vendors, and even competitors should know this company has “high ethical standards." This latter issue may sometimes have painful consequences, if the businesses are competing for a customer’s business. The ethical company may estimate the maintenance activities to take 8 weeks and quotes that time frame to the customer. The unethical company may also know the work will take 8 weeks, but tells the customer only 6 weeks, hoping to get the job. Once the plane is “captured" and maintenance has begun, explanations and excuses extend the original time estimate of 6 weeks to the actual 8 weeks or longer. Although the customer would be disappointed in this situation, few customers would be able to remove an aircraft undergoing maintenance. This “bait and switch" tactic is often used by unscrupulous companies to get an aircraft into their shop no matter what it takes. Although the shop’s retention of clients is frequently very low, there always seem to be new ones willing to accept a shorter-than-normal turnaround time quote. Often these same shops will underbid the job, and then continually add extra costs as the work progresses. The technician is encouraged to avoid employment at maintenance facilities that do not think twice about trying to deceive the customer. Since companies are usually in business to make money, the “bottom line" mentality frequently drives management, and ultimately technician decisions. But short-term, quick-fix solutions that focus only on immediate financial success promote the idea that everything boils down to monetary gain. Ethical behavior is not about monetary gain. In addition to monetary gain, there are other common ways that unethical behavior is rationalized:
This latter point often leads to a significant surprise for the individual technician if he or she compromised his or her standards at the encouragement of management to get the job done. Should there be a problem with maintenance and subsequent airworthiness of the aircraft, the very same managers or superiors who directed that technician to shortcut proper maintenance procedures would testify in court that they always encouraged their employees to work “by the book" and never encouraged unauthorized shortcuts. Ultimately, every organization establishes a climate, or culture regarding honesty, integrity, and ethical behavior. This corporate climate sets the tone for decision making at all levels and in all circumstances. This leads to the second business example, the Aircraft Brake Scandal. It is a classic case of both personal ethics and “whistle blowing." A brief review of the pertinent facts in the incident is as follows. A young engineering technician is in charge of conducting the required qualification testing for a newly designed brake and rotor system. An aggressive time schedule and an upper management mindset of not wanting to hear bad news (i.e., the brakes are failing tests), a senior engineer who is not willing to have his computations challenged, and a project manager who states the brake will be qualified “no matter what," ultimately lead to a congressional oversight hearing in 1969. Along the way, the brake system is tested (and fails 14 times), no one wants to write the required test report, low level employees seek legal advice, and the aircraft suffers serious damage during landing while conducting initial flight testing, due to unsatisfactory braking. Some of the ethical conflicts that are evident in this situation are:
Most of these conflicts could have easily occurred in the maintenance realm also, if the specifics are broadened, even a little.
For a company to nurture a healthy ethical climate and long-term success, the element of trust is fundamental both inside and outside the organization. This trust will boost employee morale, and usually boosts productivity and, therefore, profitability. It will also aid and enhance long-term business relationship with customers and vendors. When differences of opinion do exist, ethical organizations pay close attention to those who are dissenting. Those companies that are committed to promoting an ethical climate will encourage rather than punish dialogue and debate about policies and practices. It is encouraging to note that more and more institutions of learning, whether business schools or technical colleges, are adding ethics courses into their required curriculum. More and more organizations are developing a corporate “code of ethics." Some are using the following seven-step checklist to help employees deal with an ethical decision: 1. Recognize and clarify the dilemma. 2. Get all the possible facts. 3. List options—all of them. 4. Test each option by asking such questions as: —Is it legal? —Is it right? —Is it beneficial? 5. Make your decision. 6. Double check your decision by asking: — How would I feel if my family found out about this? —How would I feel if my decision is printed in the local newspaper? 7. Take action (Schermerhorn 1989). Finally, the technician is encouraged to read the following code of ethics developed by Professional Aviation Maintenance Association (PAMA), Inc., and consider adopting it as their own. “As a certified technician, my performance is a public service and, as such, I have a responsibility to the United States Government and its citizens. I must ensure that all citizens have confidence in my integrity, and that I will perform my work according to the highest principles of ethical conduct. Therefore, I swear that I shall hold in sacred trust the rights and privileges conferred upon me as a certified technician. The safety and lives of others are dependent on my skill and judgment; therefore, I shall never knowingly subject others to risks which I would not be willing to assume for myself, or those who are dear to me. “As a certified technician, I am aware that it is not possible to have knowledge and skill in every aspect of aviation maintenance for every airplane, so I pledge that I will never undertake work or approve work which I believe to be beyond the limits of my knowledge. I shall not allow any superior to persuade me to approve aircraft or equipment as airworthy when there is doubt in my mind as to the validity of my action. Under no circumstances will I permit the offer of money or other personal favors to influence me to act contrary to my best judgment, nor to pass as airworthy aircraft or equipment about which I am in doubt. “The responsibility that I have accepted as a certified technician demands that I exercise my judgment on the airworthiness of aircraft and equipment; therefore, I pledge unyielding adherence to these precepts for the advancement of aviation and for the dignity of my vocation." |
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