Compass for the future

A good team can avoid many future accidents by intensively dealing with mistakes. Crew resource management therefore plays an important role in the training of prospective submarine commanders.

People are not infallible. Looking at accidents ex post still leads to frowns and the realisation that something like this should never have happened. However, we know that 75 to 90 per cent of errors are human in nature, which is why qualitative error management gives us the opportunity to break out of the classic "error phobia" and replace fear, shame and the fear of punishment with an objective and open approach.
The Crew Resource Management module therefore has a fixed place in the syllabus during training as a submarine commander. The pandemic meant that international participation was not possible this year. The lively exchange about acting as a commander in complex, dynamic and critical situations as well as the demands on the commander and his future submarine crew is always perceived as refreshing and beneficial. Reflecting on near misses, accidents and looking beyond one's own organisation is also helpful in order to critically scrutinise standards and procedures and, if necessary, develop them further.