Overview
Management and leadership skills must be fully appreciated and deliberately indoctrinated into a flight department’s culture and organizational structure. It is the group of people who bring their professional experiences and management skills to the flight department that determine the safe, effective, and on-budget performance of that flight department. Through this assignment, you will explore topics related to: 1) the basic functions of flight department management, 2) theories of management, 3) key management skills, and 4) warning signs for trouble within a flight department. You will utilize references from a variety of sources that are listed within the reading assignment. These include the following reference sources you will use to complete the requirements of this assignment:
Reference Sources
Business and Corporate Aviation Management
Chapter 5, “Flight Department Management”
NBAA Management Guide
Sect. 1.6 Aviation Department Personnel
Sect. 1.16 Career Development Training
Sect. 1.38 Leadership
NBAA Flight Department Administration – Leadership page https://nbaa.org/flight-department-administration/leadership/
NBAA Professional Development page https://nbaa.org/professional-development/
NBAA Professional Development – Certified Aviation Manager (CAM) Program page https://nbaa.org/professional-development/cam/
NBAA Professional Development – Professional Development Program (PDP)
Time to apply what you have learned to the scenario given below.
Scenario
Pet Paws Inc. has finally purchased an aircraft and officially appointed you the Flight Manager for the corporate aviation department. One of the reasons you were selected was because of your prior managerial skills and expertise.
As the new flight department manager for Pet Paws, you have decided to incorporate the NBAA Management Guide (https://nbaa.org/flight-department-administration/management-guide/) as the “how to” manual within your department. (Smart choice you tell yourself, and your colleagues and industry advisors agree). The textbook is also a foundational reference source that is used for inspiration and a good summation of key topics that are often detailed within the NBAA Management Guide.
You have been tasked to create a professional, efficient, and effective, flight department that acts as a team and are problem solvers and not problem seekers. You decide it’s best to research some fundamentals related to flight department management so that you can socialize and rationalize how you will develop both the team and the individuals within in. You are amazed at the resources that are available to you to help you develop this team including Leadership, Certified Aviation Manager Program, and Professional Development.
Now is the time to explore and take notes.
Instructions
Complete a report of your research using the scenario above as context.
Use the variety of references sources above to source your answers. When indicated, use outside sources if appropriate to provide the best answer. All other questions will be sourced from the reference sources above.
Explore and answer the following questions or topics.
Functions of flight department management
Identify and briefly describe the basic functions of management in the context of a corporate flight department.
Identify the reference source(s).
Theories of management
Using any available resource, identify a theory of management that best fits your leadership style, describe its characteristics, and explain why you feel this would be most effective in your flight department.
Identify at least one resource within the NBAA.org Leadership page (see link above) that you would likely use and explain why you selected that leadership resource. Identify the reference source(s)
Key management skills
Identify and describe two (2) key management skills necessary to manage a corporate flight department.
Using either the NBAA CAM or PDP programs, identify at least one resource (course, certification, etc.) within that program that you would use to professionally develop a person who is in a role that requires that skill. Identify the specific course.
Identify utilized reference sources.
Warning signs for trouble within a flight department
Ref. textbook Business and Corporate Aviation Management, pg. 210, Flight Departments in Trouble.
Identify two (2) key warning signs that you feel would be the greatest risk to the operation of your flight department. Describe individually how these two warning signs (risks) would negatively impact the flight department.
How do you plan to mitigate each risk?
Based upon the research completed, which topic above will you prioritize of primary import as you develop the roles within the flight department organization? Explain your selection. Submission
Submit your assignment in either Word or PDF file format according to the required format for this course. Essay formats will not be accepted.
The assignment must be submitted by the due date.
There is no minimum length for this assignment. Length is not a determinant of quality, only content demonstrating mastery of the topic.
Grading
This is a graded assignment.
Your assignment will be graded according to the rubric given below. See rubric for criteria detail.