Learning to Fly the Plane Together- What Compliance Can Learn from Crew Resource Management

High‑risk industries such as aviation, nuclear power, healthcare, and offshore energy operate in environments where errors can have catastrophic consequences. Yet these sectors consistently outperform others in managing human error, decision‑making under pressure, and team communication. One of the most influential approaches behind this success is Crew Resource Management (CRM).

In this session, Steve Brett from E3 Compliance training will talk about the core principles of CRM and demonstrates how lessons learned from high‑reliability industries can significantly strengthen compliance effectiveness, judgement, and risk management. Moving beyond rules, checklists, and policies, CRM focuses on human factors: how people actually behave under stress, how teams communicate, and how authority, culture, and cognitive bias influence outcomes.

Participants will explore how CRM concepts—such as shared situational awareness, assertive communication, challenge‑and‑response, and just culture—translate directly into compliance monitoring, investigations, regulatory decision‑making, and advisory work. Through practical examples, the session highlights how many major compliance failures are rooted not in lack of knowledge, but in breakdowns of communication, leadership, or decision‑making dynamics.

Steve will build on his experience in mountain rescue and working with a wide range of compliance teams to highligh how we can reframe compliance as a team‑based risk discipline rather than an individual rule‑checking exercise. Expect practical insights you can apply to strengthen compliance culture, reduce silent risk, and support better decisions—especially when stakes are high and information is incomplete.