More and more I become aware of the importance of the Airport Duty Managers, in particular regarding Collaborative Decision Making (CDM).
As the designated moderator of the
CDM process he/she must be perceived
and accepted by his peers as the informal leader. To achieve this
status, however, behavior and especially communication of the Duty Manager are
essential, as demeanor, appearance and communication triggers and determines human
interaction. This interaction in turn is the key for collaboration. In addition
to distinct management and leadership abilities, Duty Managers should have
excellent communication skills.
I hope that none of the following issues do apply to your Airport Duty Manager(s):
- Work almost exclusively re-actively. They rarely manage (act proactively) and are therefore not perceived as leader.
- Do not prepare sufficiently for possible irregularity scenarios but leave managing (preparation for possible scenarios) to the “responsible functions” without being part of it.
- Lack additional area of responsibility they have to manage (improvements)
- Do not communicate on a structured, regular basis with their partners inside and outside of the organization.
- Are not perceived as leaders or moderators but as mere supervisors controlling the partners.
- Neither possess the necessary skills nor the authority to lead a group of people not subordinated to them.
