Review and evaluation of a theoretical model of organizational safety effectiveness applied to naval aviation

This research evaluated the applicability of high-reliability organization (HRO) theory in a specialized setting---Naval Aviation. HROs operate safely and effectively in high-risk environments. Currently, a gap exists between HRO theory and empirical data because HRO theory has been tested in relatively limited settings.The completeness and adequacy of HRO theory in a large-scale application was tested. An HRO model was used as the framework to develop the command safety assessment (CSA) questionnaire, which was used to survey 63 Naval Aviation squadrons.Two content analyses were conducted on written responses generated from open-ended CSA survey questions. First, coders sorted survey responses into the HRO model's categories. Responses not fitting the model represented "residual" responses indicating potential model shortcomings. Next, a panel of judges reviewed the residual responses and revised the model by clarifying wording and adding a new HRO attribute and HRO category. A second set of coders repeated the content analysis process using the original data with the revised HRO model.Results suggest the HRO model successfully captured HRO attributes found in Naval Aviation. Refining the model allowed more survey responses to "fit" the revised model categories. Improvements to the HRO model could be used to improve the CSA questionnaire. This, in turn, should make the CSA questionnaire a more effective instrument to help Naval Aviation commands assess flight risks and, in turn, reduce their mishap rates. Additionally, a major contribution of this study was refinement of the research process used.