The Social Construction of Knowledge in Mission-Critical Environments

This volume analyzes real in-flight communications to explain the dynamics of knowledge construction. With the use of a grounded theory approach, real-life scenarios for in-depth interviews with aviation informants were developed and analyzed using discourse analysis.  The study revealed aspects of tacit knowledge and expertise behavior that develop in mission-critical environments.  Among the findings, the author discovered:

•         The aviation sub-cultures contain several distinct micro-cultures which affect professional responsibility and decision making in micro-environments

•         Human errors should be acknowledged, discussed and repaired  by all actors of the flight model

•         Non-verbal communication in institutional settings and mediated environments is instrumental to safe and efficient operations 

The results suggest fruitful applications of theory to explore how knowledge is generated in highly structured, high-risk organizational environments, such as hospitals, nuclear plants, battlefields and crisis and disaster locations. 

Katerinakis explains the emergent knowledge elements in communication command with messages “spoken-heard-understood-applied," from multiple stakeholders... The interplay of theory and real-flight examples, with key interlocutors, creates a valuable narrative both for the expert reader and the lay-person interested in the insights of hospitals, nuclear plants, battlefields, safety and rescue systems, and crisis and disaster locations.

Ilias Panagopoulos, PhD

Command Fighter Pilot, Col (Ret)

Senior Trainer, Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) Training Organisation

Safety Manager, NATO Airlift Management Programme

In this path-breaking work, Theodore Katerinakis brings the study of human communication to the airplane cockpit as a knowledge environment. Toward that end, drawing on his own experience with the Air Force and Aviation Authorities and interviews with flight controllers and scores of pilots, Katerinakis both builds on moves beyond human factors research and ecological psychology… It is a work of theoretical value across disciplines and organizational settings and of practical importance as well. His lively narrative adds to translational research by translating knowledge or evidence into action in mission-critical systems.

Douglas V. Porpora, PhD

Professor of Sociology & Director

Communication, Culture and Media

Drexel University

• Knowledge Construction
• Mission-Critical Environments
• Situational Awareness Communication
• Aviation and Silence
• Communication Phenomena in Aviation
• Human Factors in Aviation-Related Issues
• Scenario of Hesitation
• Verbal Communication in Aviation
• Non-Verbal Communication in Aviation
• Paralanguage in Aviation
• High-Risk Organizational Environments

• Drexel On-Line Council, Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA

  Theodoros Katerinakis

Theodoros Katerinakis combines industrial with academic experience in information theory, banking, organizational culture, and critical environments. He holds a PhD in Organizational Behavior from Drexel College of Arts and Science, with emphasis on mission critical environments, organizational culture and communities of practice. His Drexel MSc in Communication Science focused on cooperative networks and ethics, negotiation management and decision-making. His military service in Hellenic Air Force (HAF) and U.S. Navy covers COC/OPS and crisis management, as well as language security in HCAA. His early career included bank auditing, document management, and internal organization. His Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB) degree in Applied Informatics concentrated on decision support systems and business informatics, with additional education on EU Jean Monnet Programme, Financial Engineering, and Scientific Research - R&D. Dr. Katerinakis has spent years as an Adjunct Faculty in Communication, Sociology, Language and International Business at Drexel University in Philadelphia, USA. His research is published by Sage, Palgrave-McMillan, Routledge, LIT Verlag, and has edited/prepared master classes DVDs on business resilience, as well as authored three other books. His research covers knowledge intelligence, information theory, network theory, grounded theory, banking, and e-learning didactics. As a member of Drexel On-line Council, he is preparing new courses and research proposals.

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