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Reimagining airport security: Organisational culture trumps cultivating a ‘security culture’
Journal of Airport Management,
12
(3),
230-235
(2018)
Abstract
It is no exaggeration to say that the safety and security of employees and the travelling public is the industry’s highest priority. Much has been written and discussed at industry conferences on cultivating a ‘security culture’, but airports must start by developing an overarching organisational culture with one set of values — a shared playbook, so to speak — which can inform actions across a variety of endeavours, including those related to safety and security. To get consistent results, values must be seen to be pervasive, permeating every corner of the organisation. As such, senior leadership is responsible not only for setting the example for these values, but also for facilitating their propagation throughout the airport. Cultivating a strong organisational culture, in combination with the latest in safety and security training, guards against apathy and helps experts and lay people alike do the right thing in essentially any foreseeable scenario.
Keywords: security; safety; organisational culture; training; values; customer service
The full article is available to subscribers to the journal.
Author's Biography
Howard Eng has been president and CEO of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) since 2012. The GTAA manages and operates Toronto Pearson International Airport, which ranked fifth on aviation data leader, Official Aviation Guide’s (OAG) list of the Top 50 International Megahubs in 2017. Under Howard’s leadership, Toronto Pearson is pursuing its vision of becoming the best airport in the world. Prior to joining the GTAA, Howard served as Executive Director, Airport Operations at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA). During his 17-year tenure as a member of the senior management team, HKIA became one of the world’s largest international hubs and won more than 40 Best Airport awards. Having graduated from the University of Alberta, Howard began his career with Transport Canada and later worked as Vice President of Operations at Edmonton International Airport.
Jennifer Sullivan was the director of corporate safety and security at the Greater Toronto Airports Authority from 2010 to 2017. She led a team of aviation professionals responsible for the safety and security of the over 47 million people who travelled through Toronto Pearson, Canada’s busiest airport, in 2017. Before this, she spent five years at the Vancouver Airport Authority in a variety of roles, including manager, emergency planning; manager, airside operations; and director, security and operations. Prior to embarking on her career in airports, Jennifer spent 15 years in the Canadian Air Force, primarily as a navigator on the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. Jennifer has a BA in political science from the University of Toronto and in 2002 she left the military behind her and attended Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario to get her MBA. Jennifer is the former vice-chair of the Airports Council International (ACI) World Security Standing Committee, the immediate past chair of the Canadian Airports Council Security Committee and a former member of both the ACI World Safety & Technical Standing Committee and the Smart Security Management Group.
