Machiavellianism and Personality Typing as Determinants for Screening Commercial Pilot Candidates

Abstract

The association between personality and effective team leadership in the cockpit environment has been a major focus of research in aviation management. The major air carriers incorporate in their assessment process personality style and decision-making skills by placing pilot candidates through a two or three stage interview process. In an ongoing effort to develop a comprehensive pilot candidate selection model, university researchers have studied the relationship between personality type and skill in small group manipulation. In this study, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator as a construct of personality type and the Mach V scale as a construct of skill in small group manipulation were employed in the survey of 52 commercial flight officers. Eight-five percent of the surveyed pilots fell into one of the sixteen personality types measured by the MBTI scale, which correlated significantly with Machiavellian orientation as measured by the Mach V scale. Research indicates a significant relationship in success in leadership of small groups and the Mach V scores. The results of this study suggest the potential of select dimensions of the MBTI and the Mach V instruments in the screening of commercial pilot candidates for hire.