About
Hosted as part of a cross-disciplinary partnership with the Aeronautics Department and developed in partnership with Air France fleet captains, the Flight Simulator was designed to study specifically the breakdown of coordination under stress and overall decision-making under pressure.
The Flight Simulator encourages individuals to suspend judgment in situ but also to make accurate assessments in retrospect. It is an immersive, interactive session that fits within the “Physicality & Awareness” strand of experiential learning. The approach combines a classroom session using a case method with a team exercise at the simulator’s controls. We use the Flight Simulator to develop strategies for defence against disrupted decision-making, including identifying the key distinctions between a “threat” and an “error” from their divergent downstream consequences.
In addition to the intended enhancements to strategy and decision-making, cohorts led through the simulator also gain deeper understanding of power and interpersonal politics; improved knowledge of the dynamics of praise and blame; and how to develop, to implement, and to defend an exit strategy when under uncertain and complex conditions.