Learning Among Military Helicopter Crew Members: The Hidden Potential of Emotions

How can we learn from critical incidents? We argue that emotions have a hidden potential to construct complete experiences and learning. This study aims to develop knowledge about emotions' role when military aircrews debrief to learn from experience. Holistic debriefing was developed to foster learning (individual and unit) and improve performance (efficiency) in future missions. It holistically addresses behavior, cognition, and emotions. However, based on recent theoretical developments and holistic debriefing's application in operations, we developed the following research question: How are emotions included as a source of learning in debriefing? To explore how military aircrews use debriefing to learn from their actions, we adopted a case study approach. Empirical data was collected from a Royal Norwegian Air Force helicopter unit. Seven crewmembers participated. The cross-case analysis resulted in three cases: (1) Troops in Contact, (2) High-voltage power line, and (3) Close call within a four-ship. Data analysis was followed by within-case data analysis of the interview transcriptions, which developed three categories: (1) emotions in action, (2) emotions in debriefing, and (3) emotional gaps and potentials. Based on these findings, we discuss emotions considering a culture of tough men, learning from experience, and losing versus gaining control. The study has two main implications: emotions should be included in debriefing as they provide valuable information for learning, and performance-focused crew members may more easily incorporate emotions by looking at the learning practices of the Royal Norwegian Air Force Academy.