Harris D, Li W-C. Cockpit design and cross-cultural issues underlying failures in crew resource management. Aviat Space Environ Med 2008; 79:537–8. High power-distance has been implicated in many aircraft accidents involving Southeast Asian carriers where crew resource management (CRM) has been identified as a root cause. However, this commentary argues that the design of modern flight decks and their standard operating procedures have an inherent Western (low power-distance) bias within them which exacerbates these CRM issues.