Outliers ch. 7

In this chapter, Gladwell talks about how ones ethnical origins have a affect on a flight crews ability to fligh a airplane. For example, Korean air had a long list of crashes to its name. One crashed into a hill in Guam, another was shot down in Russian airspace, while many others simply crashed. This is absolutely terrifying. No airlines have this many crashes. If you listen to the flight transcrips, you can see a real lack of communication between the captain and the first officer. The first officer never says anything in a forceful way, he only voices a opinion. This even occures when the captain is dead wrong. Gladwell chalks this up to Korea's culture. In Korea, there is the man in charge and he is right. The man under him is extreamly deferential. This has caused many problems in the cockpit. In the air, the flight crew have to check each other. That can't work togther when one is afraid to make a suggestion. Korean air brought in specialists and the company turned itself around. The biggest change it made was the opinning of conversation between the flight crew.

You can learn many things about the importance of good communication from this chapter. Most of these crashes are caused through one slight technical malfunction followed by several human errors. The humen errors are made in quik succession because the first officer didn't point them out. So, in a work enviroment, you have to be willing to talk to your boss. It's extreamly important because otherwise you could end up in very hot water.

In America, we have no problem with communication. My family has been in America for countless generations. There is accually some question as to were my family originally came from. So, I have a very American approach to communication. We have no problem talking to the boss. This isn't accually much of a good thing. Sometimes it makes us Americans sound beligerent and sarcastic. I suffer terribly from that problem. Other then that though, we tend not to suffer from the "rich are better then poor" feeling you get in other countrys that tend to make people on lower rungs take less forefully. Though this is more of a blessing then a curse. This holds the rich and powerfull accountable. This has kept America the great country it is as it is.