The need for & value of Cross- Cultural Training in the shipping industry

1. EU Workshop on “Mourning, death and loneliness in different cultures- Intercultural strategies for overcoming life crises using the example of seafarers” St. Jakobi Kirche zu Lübeck, International Seafaring Memorial February 15- 19, 2010, Lübeck, Germany. The need for & value of Cross- Cultural Trainingin the shipping industry Dr. Maria Progoulaki m.progoulaki@aegean.gr

2. Outline • Introduction • Problems on board mixed crews • Offered training • Suggestions • Cases

3. Comments “These barbarians…what do they know about sea?” “It is common for Filipinos to lie & cover their tiredness …its is part of their culture” “We are the best seafarers in the whole world” “…all these Filipino monkeys…” “Ukrainians, Russian, Polish… all drinkers…alcohol is the only solution for all ex-soviets” “Filipinos are always and only by the book… they work in low speed, they are not smart” “We are smarter, we can solve problems very quickly”

4. Comments from the sea (1) “On some of the tours you have to treat Filipinos worse than you might actually want to. Because that is the custom on board & just the one of you cannot change that (DANE)” “One of the good things about foreigners is that they’re very often willing to learn right from the bottom up. Especially Filipinos obey right to your orders, like a computer, whereas our own people think they have already got further just because they’re Danes… (DANE)” “Now we have all those East-Europeans, Polish, Ukrainians, Russian, they are all drinkers… and very well trained… if they get on the ships, we’ll have problem (GREEK)”

5. Comments from the sea (2) “ I had complaints about a Pakistan AB. I go & ask him what is wrong. His wife took all the money & kids, & left him…He cried… Heis a human, like us…(GREEK)” “Leadership changes when the culture changes. You can’t manage Greeks & Filipinos the same way. You have to adapt to the custom of the nation (SPANISH)” “if we make a mistake we are aware that we may be sent home, get blacklisted (FILIPINO)” “ I am working for a Taiwan company through a crewing agency. As 3rd officer the company pay me $1200 monthly, & I can receive $850. The rest is taken out by the current agency every month. (CHINESE)” “Danish, Greeks … they shout to you, he gets angry to you, but after that, normal! (FILIPINO)”

6. “Now that I have your attention, let’s go down to business” Lenny Bruce (1960)

7. Introduction • “shipping companies are the front-runners of globalisation”(DNV 2004) • 65% world fleet uses mixed crews • 10% more than 5 nationalities (Kahveci et al. 2002) • Criteria to choose nationality of seamen: • Cost, hard & soft skills • Criteria to mix nationalities: adaptability of crews …

8. Multiculturalism in shipping • Koreans: in monoglot, homogeneous crews (ILO 2001, SIRC) • Russians: in homogeneous or two nat.crews (ILO 2001, Loginovski 2002) • Filipinos, Polish, Indian: in co-operation with many nationalities (ILO 2001) • Chinese: employment in foreign, multicultural ships (Wu 2006) • Greeks: in co-operation with Filipinos, East- Europeans (Progoulaki 2003;2008, Theotokas & Progoulaki 2004)

9. Problems • What is your opinion? • Language; • Power relations; • Discrimination & stereotypical behaviour; • Leisure & entertainment of seafarers; • Senior officers’ leadership skills; • Stability of crews. (Kahveci & Sampson 2001)

10. However… • co-operation & integration increased amongst mixednationality crews; • less stereotypes for the nationality groups withwhom they sail regularly(Kahveci et al. 2002) • marine accidents caused by lack & ineffective communication & understanding of behaviour (Horck 2004)

11. Comments > Contradicting … • Show: • False perception regarding culture; • Reproducing stereotypes; • Intense competition; • Insecurity, fear, prejudice; • Changing perception towards profession; • Impersonal relationship between ship-owner & Seafarers; • Limited socialisation onboard among different nationalities.

12. Managing Cultural Diversity > Offered Training (1) • 79% GR companies do not have formal procedures; • 81% do not offer Cross-cultural training; • 15 Greek companies do train: • GR officers • Informal & Wrong way ! • Education in Greek Marine Academies: 5 pages ! • In China • Marine Academies & Universities: begin to offer courses • Shipping companies: private training for their people. (Progoulaki 2008)

13. Managing Cultural Diversity > Offered Training (2) • 79% of Greek seafarers are willing to be trained; • 51% of Greek shipping companies acknowledge the value of Cross-cultural training • Size of fleet • Manning strategies • The rest of seafarers & companies believe experience is adequate. (Progoulaki 2008)

14. Suggestions: Cross Cultural Training (1) • Training Needs Analysis: • Define training objectives; • Content of course; • Type of training. • Apply in: • Marine Academies & • Shipping Companies.

15. Suggestions: Cross Cultural Training (2) • Develop skills in: • Self Cultural awareness; • Cultural understanding; • Cultural diversity awareness; • Dealing with multicultural crews; • Case studies & workshops. • Focus on: • Seafarers; • Companies’ shore-based personnel; • Seafarers’ families; • Third parties (Mission, chapmen, etc).

16. Cases • Loneliness… • Fatal marine accident • Death & problems in return of body • Death of a seafarer’s relative, while onboard • Suicide onboard • … … …

17. #1 Loneliness: Personal space

18. #1 Loneliness: Recreation space

19. #2: Fatal accident • 29-2-2004 ‘Bow Mariner’

20. 25-12-2009 ‘Aegean Wind’ #3 Death & religion matters

21. #4 Death of a relative • ”I guess faith plays a huge role in crisis times. • My experience – mostly dating from the tour where my mother-in-law died, is that in a way sharing such experience ties people together across cultural borders. • I got closer to the Filipinos when they heard of my situation, which they could recognize all of them. • We were literally more than ever in the same boat. • The Danish part reacted more with non verbal forms of consolation such as giving wine at lunch. ” #5 Suicide on board • Imagine.

22. Conclusions (1) • Dealing with cultural diversity is based on experience: • Formation of stereotypical concepts; • Transferred from older seafarers to new generation; • Established on board; • Transferred & establish at shore. • Training can change the way seafarers think & behave towards their foreign colleagues.

23. Conclusions (2) “Culture doesn’t matter…anyone can understand kindness.” • Can help: • Seafarers • During routine & crises • Families • When seafarer is away or suffers • Shipping companies • Increase team cohesion, effectiveness, safety on board; • Increase employees’ job satisfaction, productivity & loyalty- retention.

24. Vielen Dank für Ihre Aufmerksmakeit.Ευχαριστώ για την προσοχή σας.Thank you for your attention. Any questions?

25. References • DNV (2004), Corporate Social Responsibility in Shipping- Guidance for Shipping Companies, Det Norske Veritas, Technical Report No. 2001- 1536, Revision No. 1. • Horck, J. (2004), An analysis of decision-making processes in multicultural maritime scenarios, Maritime Policy and Management, 31(1): 15-29. • Kahveci, E. and Sampson, H. (2001), Findings from the Shipboard Based Study of Mixed Nationality Crews, Proceedings of SIRC’s Second Symposium, Cardiff University, 29 June: 39-60. • Kahveci, M., Lane, T., and Sampson, H. (2002),Transnational Seafarer Communities, SIRC: Cardiff University, March. • ILO (2001),The Impact on Seafarers’ Living and Working Conditions of Changes in the Structure of the Shipping Industry, Geneva: International Labour Office. • Loginovsky, V. A. (2002),Verbal communication failures and safety at sea, Admiral Makarov State Maritime Academy. • Theotokas, J., and Progoulaki, M. (2004), Managing multicultural teams: the case of Greek-owned shipping, Proceedings of Conference of International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME), Izmir, Turkey, June.