MANAGING EXPECTANCY VIOLATIONS IN PILOT–AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER COMMUNICATION: A THEORY-DRIVEN ANALYSIS OF SAFETY, TRUST, AND WORKPLACE WELLBEING

Abstract

Communication between pilots and air traffic controllers (ATCs) operates within one of the most highly standardized and safety-critical environments in contemporary organizations. While prior research has predominantly examined communication failures through technical, linguistic, or procedural lenses, limited attention has been given to how communicative expectations are constructed, violated, and evaluated during routine and non-routine aviation operations. Grounded in Expectancy Violations Theory (EVT), this study examines how pilots and ATCs interpret deviations from expected communication behaviors and how these interpretations shape safety outcomes and workplace wellbeing. Using a qualitative research design, the study draws on semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with experienced pilots, air traffic controllers, and aviation subject-matter experts in Indonesia. The findings indicate that standardized phraseology, readback–hearback loops, and role asymmetry function as institutionalized expectancy structures guiding operational interaction. However, operational pressures such as traffic density, weather volatility, linguistic diversity, fatigue, and emotional regulation demands frequently generate expectancy violations. These deviations are not inherently detrimental; rather, their valence is shaped by perceived communicator competence, trust, and situational legitimacy. The study extends EVT into high-reliability organizational contexts and contributes to communication scholarship by demonstrating how expectancy management operates as a communicative mechanism linking operational safety and psychological wellbeing in aviation work settings.