Safety listening in high-risk situations: a qualitative analysis of responses to safety voice in aviation

Safety listening—responses to voice acts aimed at preventing harm—can avert organizational failures like airplane crashes. Research often focuses on attitudes and perceptions of listening using self‐report measures; consequently, little is known about how safety listening occurs behaviorally and influences safety outcomes in high‐risk situations. Using directed and summative content analysis, we analyzed 45 transcripts of flightdeck communication before crashes and near misses to develop a framework of safety listening behavior in risky contexts. We also used abductive top‐down theorizing to identify the processes through which such behaviors prevent harm. We propose that effective safety listening behaviors engage with voice through action and sensemaking, whereas ineffective listening behaviors dismiss or exhibit token engagement with speaking‐up. Our analysis illustrates that engaging with voice enables teams to develop shared and accurate situation awareness of emerging risks, thus potentially averting accidents. Our findings demonstrate the importance of a behavioral approach to safety listening, illustrating that assessing listener engagement with safety voice—rather than attitudes—can provide an accurate and practical explanation for how safety listening influences organizational safety outcomes.