Peter F Gallagher
Sep 1, 2023
Korean Airlines Flight 007 - Confirmation Bias
"Articulating a change vision without the provision of competent resources is just a charade"
👏 Happy Friday!
On this day, September 1, 1983, Korean Airlines (KAL) flight 007 jetliner strayed into Soviet airspace, was intercepted, and shot down by Soviet jet fighters, killing 269 passengers and crew members. The majority of those who perished were of Korean and American descent. President Ronald Reagan called the incident a “massacre,” and it further degraded U.S.-Soviet relations. After refuelling at Anchorage International Airport in Anchorage, Alaska, the B747 departed for Seoul, but was an estimated 100 miles from its scheduled path and entered Soviet airspace. If the Soviets’ had applied the international standards for intercepting a passenger airline, their attempts to identify the aircraft were grossly inadequate. However, the crew failed to comply with all the rules and procedures for the performance of the fight prescribed by the airline’s instructions, including those in the event of possible abnormalities in the operation of the equipment. The pilots were either unaware that they were on autopilot or didn’t programme the route in the flight plan, which included ten different waypoints. Either way, their flight path breached Soviet airspace at least twice. They also missed many other abnormalities, which would have highlighted that they were not on the designated flight path.
✅ The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) said pilot error contributed to the disaster, even though they were both experienced. In the case of Flight 007, the pilots’ initial belief that they were on the correct flight path led them to dismiss or overlook numerous crucial indicators that suggested otherwise. Confirmation bias occurs when individuals seek or interpret information in a way that confirms their pre-existing beliefs or hypotheses while disregarding contradictory evidence. Confirmation bias occurs when organisational leaders focus on normal day-to-day operations without sharing quality resources with the change team and ignore slow change progress. Share Resources During Change.
“Articulating a change vision without the provision of competent resources is just a charade”
👉 The leadership team’s role in organisational change management is pivotal, as they set the tone and direction for the entire change process. Their ability to develop change leadership skills and effectively lead change initiatives can determine the success or failure of those initiatives. To avoid these pitfalls, it’s essential for the leadership team to invest in developing change leadership skills and knowledge. This includes learning a suitable change management framework to implement organisational change and their three change leadership responsibilities that must be executed effectively and proactively. With strong change leadership capability, the organisation can implement accelerated change, embrace and leverage technology, and continue to deliver revenue to shareholders. Successful change will ensure an ROI, employee change adoption, and it will be sustainable. More importantly, your organisation will not only survive, but it will stay ahead of the competition.
Have a fantastic weekend with the ones you love and care for, enjoy some fresh air, exercise, eat, drink and be happy.
Further Reading: Change Management Leadership - Leadership of Change Volume 4
Peter consults, speaks, and writes on the Leadership of Change®.
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Peter F Gallagher is a Change Management Global Thought Leader, Guru, Expert, International Speaker, Author and Leadership Alignment Coach.
Listed #1 by leadersHum Top 40 Change Management Gurus You Should Follow in 2022 (Mar 2022).
Ranked #1 Change Management Global Thought Leader: Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Change Management (2023-2022-2021-2020) by Thinkers360.
Ranked #1 Business Strategy Global Thought Leader: Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Business Strategy (2022) by Thinkers360.
Ranked #2 Leadership Global Thought Leader: Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Leadership (Aug 2020) by Thinkers360.
Business Book Ranking
Change Management Behaviour - Leadership of Change® Volume 6, listed among the 50 Books from Thinkers360 Thought Leaders to read in 2022.
Change Management Adoption - Leadership of Change® Volume 5, listed among year-to-date’s (Jul 2021) most popular books on business and technology from Thinkers360 member thought leaders.
Change Management Handbook - Leadership of Change® Volume 3, listed among the 50 Business and Technology Books from Thinkers360 Thought Leaders to read in 2021.
Change Management Pocket Guide - Leadership of Change® Volume 2, ranked within the top 50 Business and Technology Books (Jan 2020) from Thinkers360 Thought Leaders.