Definition
In aviation human factors and crew resource management, the degree to which members of a flight crew or work group are drawn together, share common goals, and function as a unified team rather than as individuals. High group cohesiveness improves communication, coordination, and shared decision-making, but excessive cohesiveness can lead to groupthink, where dissenting opinions are suppressed in favor of group consensus.
Plain English
How well a flight crew or team sticks together and works as one unit. A cohesive crew communicates openly and supports each other, but too much agreement can stop people from speaking up when something is wrong.
Context Anchor
Seen in aviation human factors, crew resource management, and instructor discussions about how pilots, students, and ground personnel work together.
Derivation
From Latin cohaerere, meaning 'to stick together' (co- 'together' + haerere 'to cling'). The term describes how strongly the members of a group cling to each other and to shared purpose.
Why Pilots Care
Strong group cohesiveness improves communication, decision-making, and error prevention during flight.
Intuition Check
Group cohesiveness does not just mean that everyone likes each other. In aviation, it means the group works together effectively toward the safe completion of the task.
Example Sentence 1
The CRM instructor explained that group cohesiveness helps a crew coordinate during an emergency, but warned that it can also discourage a first officer from questioning the captain's decision.
Example Sentence 2
Low group cohesiveness on the flight deck led to delayed responses when the weather changed suddenly.