OGL 481 Pro-Seminar I:

PCA-Structural Frame Worksheet

1) Briefly restate your situation from Module 1 and your role.
(Insert Restatement Here)

I was the service manager on a short, routine flight from New York to

Washington, D.C., flying with the minimum required crew. One of my first class

passengers requested alcoholic miniatures that he could take with him off the airplane

when we landed. I politely explained to the passenger that we were not allowed to offer

alcohol to be taken off the aircraft for safety reasons. The passenger became angry,

getting up from his seat and threatening to go to the cockpit to speak to the pilot. I

calmed him down and said I would speak to the pilot later in the flight. While serving the

other passengers, the man threw his glass with ice, mix, and miniatures from his tray

table at me but luckily missed me. I immediately informed the captain of the incident,

and when we arrived in D.C., the passenger was removed from the flight and taken away

by police. The cockpit crew and I filed a police report and continued on our trip. Several

years later, the airline contacted me to testify in a lawsuit that the passenger filed in court

against them resulting from the incident.

2) Describe how the structure of the organization influenced the situation.

(Insert 2 Long Paragraph Description Here to Earn Excellent)

The airline has a chain of command which is not complex. The cockpit crew,

namely the captain, is in charge of the plane and what happens there at all times. There is

an interdependency between service manager who communicates directly with the

captain and the cockpit crew to make sure things go as planned. Changes to the flight
 OGL 481 – Pro-Seminar I
PCA – Structural Framework Worksheet

plan, time, or issues on the aircraft are brought to his attention. He has the final say in

what happens on the plane. As the service manager on the flight, it is my responsibility

to make sure that the flights run smoothly, including boarding, announcements, luggage

issues, beverage service, informal crew briefings, and pre-flight equipment inspections. I

work directly with the cockpit crew to keep everything running smoothly and handle all

problems during the flight. I am also in charge of the other flight attendants to ensure the

airline standards are being followed and met during the flight. I do not have direct

supervisory or management authority over them regularly. In flight school, we are

trained for these types of situations, and are required to report any incidents to the pilot.

He then decides on how the situation should be handled.

When the passenger became belligerent during the flight, it was determined that

he was putting myself and the other passengers on the flight at risk with his behavior.

This situation not only stripped other passengers of the same service he enjoyed, but his

erratic behavior was concerning when his temper flared so quickly, his actions were

aggressive, and he moved to go towards the cockpit door to speak to the pilot.

Additionally, an unruly passenger distracting the pilot is also putting the rest of the

passengers on the plane at risk, especially in the hectic air traffic space in which we were

flying. These things contributed to the captain's decision to have the aircraft met by the

police, who then removed this man from the airplane.

3) Recommend how you would use structure for an alternative course of action
regarding your case.
(Insert 2 Long Paragraph Recomendation Here to Earn Excellent)

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PCA – Structural Framework Worksheet

Airlines are very divisional in that there are airports and hubs around the country

and the world. Flight crews are assigned to a base or headquarters where they fly all of

their flights to/from that base, although other parts of their crew could be based at another

location. I would not structure this any differently because it allows for flexibility and

increased responsiveness when a crew member calls out ill or can't get to the flight in

time due to weather, etc. In addition, it allows another flight crew member to either be

called in or taken from another flight to complete the minimum number of flight

attendants required to fly. This also helps flights and airline's schedules remain on time

which is vital for the connecting flights down the line. In this profession, a divisional

structure enhances the airline's ability to remain efficient and effective.

The flight crews run much like a professional bureaucracy where authority is

given to the pilot of each flight crew to oversee the flight as he sees appropriate, much

like the Harvard instructors who work autonomously within their departments (Bolman &

Deal, 2017). In a professional bureaucracy, "Control relies heavily on professional

training and indoctrination" (Bolman & Deal, 2017). For this reason, I would not change

the structure of the flight crews because this structure states the roles and responsibilities

of each person on the flight crew, which removes confusion and relies heavily on our

specialized professional training. Another thing to consider is that although change can

be slow in this type of organizational structure, the rigorous training of the crew is also

regulated by FAA standards, knowledge from past experiences in the airline industry, and

influenced by the airline and flight crew unions to some extent. It is set up for the safety

of the passengers first, and the comfort and enjoyment second.

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PCA – Structural Framework Worksheet

4) Reflect on what you would do or not do differently given what you have learned
about this frame.
(Insert 2 Long Paragraph Reflection Here to Earn Excellent)

The change I would put in place would be to not fly each flight at minimum

staffing. In this situation, another airline employee riding on the flight was able to assist

when the problem occurred; however, this is not always the case. Had she not been on

the flight, the service to the other passengers and the safety of the other crew and

passengers would have been at greater risk. In addition, because this was several years

ago, prior to the addition of sky marshals, I would consider adding in some layer of

protection for the crew members when passengers get unruly. We have seen much of this

on recent flights and in the news. I feel that protecting the flight crew from out of control

passengers is important and essential in mitigating situations where the crew member is

physically assaulted or hurt on a flight.

Concerning the flight crew structure, I feel that what is in place continues to work

effectively as long as all crew members are engaged in the process. This is another

situation where this structure wanes if you have a weak link, and others have to pick up

the slack or step outside of their duties. In situations that may become serious or even

dire, the chain of command, indoctrinated training, and trust in your flying partners is

essential. Much like the military SEAL team from our book examples, you have to be

able to trust your team members to do what they have been trained to do in emergency

situations. As this example shows, that over time, the airlines and FAA have now

reasoned, based on recurring experiences, that sky marshalls are an important and needed

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PCA – Structural Framework Worksheet

part of the airline's defense in mitigating situations that get out of hand and put others in

danger.

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PCA – Structural Framework Worksheet

References

Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2017). Reframing  organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership
(6th  ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass