Introduction
The video by Vox entitled “The Real Reason Boeing’s New Plane Crashed Twice” covers the 2019 crashes of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 and Lion Air Flight 610. These airplane disasters happened with Boeing planes that had impairments in the functionality of the new engine and the software systems assisting them, leading to significant casualties. This paper is designed to discuss the reasons, both technical and psychological, of the disasters and propose possible organizational culture changes to avoid similar issues in the future.
Causes of Crashes
The engineering cause of the airplane disasters was based on the integration of a new engine, the functioning of which caused the elevation of the nose of the plane. This issue necessitated the implementation of a special software solution that lowered the nose automatically (“The Real Reason Boeing’s New Plane Crashed Twice” 00:03:30-00:03:32). However, apart from this technical element, the real cause of the crashes of the planes was the lack of pilots’ awareness of and training in using the software.
The psychological issue behind the absence of such knowledge is the intention of Boeing to overcome its competitors in an attempt to sell its aircraft, which led to the company’s simplification of training needs and differences with the previous version of the plane (“The Real Reason Boeing’s New Plane Crashed Twice” 00:02:46-00:02:52). Thus, the psychology of winning the competition at all costs jeopardized the safety of the passengers and the crews.
Conclusion
Based on the identified issues, a recommendation might be made to transform Boeing’s organizational culture from a company that prioritizes income to one that offers exclusive safety. In other words, the company’s competitive advantage should not be based on proper training, transparency, and values of safety and professional integrity (Spielman et al. 474-475). In such a manner, the organization will be able to prioritize quality and performance excellence and ensure that each employee aligns with this vision.
Works Cited
“The Real Reason Boeing’s New Plane Crashed Twice.” YouTube, uploaded by Vox. 2019. Web.
Spielman, Rose M., et al. Psychology. 2 ed., Openstax, 2020.