35th Conference of the European Association of Aviation Psychology, EAAP 2024, Athens, Yunanistan, 23 - 26 Eylül 2024, cilt.88, ss.278-288, (Tam Metin Bildiri)
Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize, understand, and manage emotions while understanding others' feelings, while conflict management involves resolving differences in opinions, needs, or goals. Emotional intelligence enhances empathy, stress control, and communication skills, enabling more constructive conflict resolution. Understanding the relationship between emotional intelligence and conflict management is crucial for areas like security, personal growth, work efficiency, leadership, relationships, and education. This connection is especially significant in the aviation sector, where dynamic, high-stakes environments demand effective interpersonal and problem-solving skills. Despite its importance, studies on this subject within the aviation industry are limited. This study seeks to evaluate the emotional intelligence and conflict management skills of cabin and cockpit crew to develop tailored training programs. These professionals face diverse and challenging situations, requiring them to manage passengers' emotions, make rapid decisions, and communicate under stress. Situations such as customer interactions, teamwork, operational challenges, and emergencies increase the likelihood of conflict. Understanding the interplay between emotional intelligence and conflict management in this sector can provide insights to improve safety and operational efficiency. A questionnaire will be used to collect data from 163 participants, including both the cabin and cockpit crew. It includes 45 questions, with 28 on the Thomas Conflict Management Styles Model and 17 on the Emotional Intelligence Scale, both using a 5-point Likert scale. The Conflict Management Scale assesses styles such as compliance, conciliation, avoidance, cooperation, and competition. The Emotional Intelligence Scale examines emotional awareness, expression, understanding, management, social skills, empathy, and stress coping. This research aims to bridge a gap in aviation studies, offering actionable insights to improve conflict management practices and enhance the role of emotional intelligence. By identifying key factors influencing interpersonal interactions and decision-making, this study hopes to support safety, efficiency, and workforce development in the aviation sector.