Definition
In crew and resource management, advocacy is the act of clearly stating a concern, observation, or recommended course of action when a pilot believes the current plan or decision needs to be reconsidered. It is paired with assertiveness and is expected to continue until the issue is acknowledged and resolved.
Plain English
Speaking up for what you think is the right or safer course of action, and not letting it drop until someone hears you and addresses it.
Context Anchor
Seen in resource management discussions about cockpit communication, decision-making, and speaking up when something does not seem right.
Derivation
From the Latin advocare, meaning 'to call to' or 'call for help.' An advocate is someone who 'calls out' on behalf of a position. In the cockpit, the pilot is calling out on behalf of safety.
Why Pilots Care
Failure to advocate can allow hazards or poor decisions to go unchallenged, increasing the chance of accidents; practiced advocacy helps ensure critical information reaches the decision maker.
Intuition Check
Advocacy does not mean arguing stubbornly for your own opinion. In this context, it means speaking up clearly so a safety concern or recommendation can be considered.
Example Sentence 1
When the first officer noticed the fuel imbalance, her advocacy ensured the captain rechecked the tanks before takeoff.
Example Sentence 2
During preflight planning the copilot used advocacy to suggest an alternate route that avoided known turbulence.