Across the Asia-Pacific region and the UK, heavy rail, metro, and light rail operators are facing rapid growth, rising passenger demand, and increasing public expectations for safety and service. Alongside new technologies, climate pressures and the need for more resilient, sustainable operations, there is a growing focus on strengthening safety leadership, and enhanced organisational culture to drive meaningful improvements in safety performance.
The OPC recently partnered with a leading UK rail operator on a pioneering project to apply Non-Technical Skills (NTS) to leadership roles, profiling the critical NTS for effective Station Manager performance. Traditionally focused on frontline roles, NTS learning was extended to the station leadership team to model best safety behaviours, enhance performance, and strengthen oversight of higher-risk passenger train interface operations amid rising post-COVID UK passenger volumes and leisure travel.
“Stations present a range of safety risks for managers, from frontline issues to broader oversight responsibilities,” explains Iffath Ahmed, Business Psychologist at the OPC, who worked on the project. “Whether at the sharp end of dispatch or in a leadership role, safety is central to every aspect of station management.”
Why Station Managers?
While NTS programmes have traditionally focused on frontline safety-critical roles, Station Managers also oversee complex, safety-critical activities. The station directorate provided an opportunity to trial a new approach and explore ways to enhance safety and performance. From coordinating train dispatch to managing disruption and passenger flows, managers play a central role in both safety and service delivery. Focusing on managers first allowed the operator to identify the critical NTS and then cascade learnings to team leaders and frontline staff.
A Senior Safety Manager said: “Our employees are our greatest asset and central to keeping customers safe. This new training approach supports our Station Managers to build their leadership expertise, perform more effectively, and gives them practical tools for safer operations.”
Project Overview
- Initial profiling sessions identified key NTS through group discussions, job analysis questionnaires, and a critical incident technique capturing examples of good and poor performance.
- An online survey asked managers to rank the critical NTS and highlight their strengths and development priorities.
- A one-day workshop introduced the top five NTS, demonstrated their application through real scenarios, and guided managers in creating personal action plans with practical techniques.
Station Managers responded extremely positively. Over 85% of delegates rated the workshop as ‘Very Good’ or ‘Excellent’, with more than 90% agreeing it would enhance their professional performance.
Research Insights
Resilience and emotional control emerged as particularly important NTS. Managers often lead during disruption, managing passenger flow, customer dissatisfaction, and staff under pressure, all while maintaining safety. People-management behaviours such as approachability, fairness, and open communication were also highlighted as crucial to leadership effectiveness.
Why is this important work?
Dr Stephen Fletcher, Occupational Psychologist and Joint CEO at the OPC, said: “Insights from frontline safety-critical roles are transferable to leadership teams, with real potential to enhance safety, performance, and staff engagement. By defining NTS for Station Managers, operators have a framework to strengthen recruitment, development and performance management. Rail organisations can extend the use of NTS to equip managers with safety-focused skills, helping to improve operations, leadership, and passenger outcomes.”
A Senior Leader, responsible for Innovation and Engagement said: “We’re always exploring new ways to drive performance and make stations safe and welcoming for customers. By focusing on our station leadership, the benefits of NTS can cascade throughout all station staff, helping provide consistent, safe journeys to, from, and through our stations.”
Interested in applying NTS beyond the frontline? Discover what’s possible for your leadership teams. Get in touch with the friendly OPC team to get started.
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