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Marker Buoys
Validating Effective Resource Management Behavioural Markers in
Merchant Navy Officers
Dr Katherine Devitt PhD Warsash Maritime Academy
Research carried out jointly with Simon Holford MSc MNI
In this presentation:
Why carry out research on behavioural markers? Research design Validating the research Utilisation of the research findings
Behavioural markers
“Behavioural markers are observable non-technical behaviours of teams or individuals, which contribute to superior or substandard performance within a work environment.” Group Interaction in High Risk Environments (GIHRE), July 1991
Significance of maritime resource management behavioural markers
Importance of safe effective shipping industry Accident investigations increasingly highlight importance of human
element
Little focus on maritime specific behavioural markers which represent the uniqueness of our industry
Prior research on non-technical skills focused on aviation
STCW statements very broad
Non-technical deficiencies in accident investigations (1) “Analysis of shipping disasters in recent years has produced an increasing awareness of the central importance of the human element … everyone involved (in the shipping industry) needs to understand that they, themselves, are the human element. Their continued business success depends on how far they are able to manage their own behaviour along with the behaviour of those around them.” The Human Element: a guide to human behaviour in the shipping industry (2010) The Stationery Office
Non-technical deficiencies in accident investigations (2)
Severe shortcomings in the competence of some MN officers who were unable to manage both resources and crises (MAIB reports: 1999, 2007, 2011; ATSB 2005; NTSB 2005) Human factors are root cause in 70% of all shipping incidents Human error directly accounted for in more than 58% of all major insurance claims (UK P&I Club, 2010)
Need for specific maritime behavioural markers 1. Development and maintenance of situational awareness over a sea
passage. Traffic regulation and control very different in aviation. 2. Bridge/engine room teams ‘hand over’ to each other at regular
intervals and are augmented as required 3. Organisational, professional, departmental and national cross-cultural
issues associated with the globalisation of the maritime industry 4. Working relationships are measured in weeks onboard a vessel 5. Transitory nature of ships’ crew. Teams are constantly changing due to
leave rotations 6. Dynamic workload issues onboard a vessel operating routinely are
influenced by external environmental factors, duration of voyage, cargo operation requirements, administration requirements and support mechanisms available
In the UK…
Implementation of the Manila amendments will be carried out through dedicated courses, known in the UK as HELM (Human Element, Leadership and Management) Two levels:
Deck, Engineering and Electro-Technical Officers’ Certification at Operational Level (OOW)
Deck and Engineering Officers’ Certification at Management Level
Implementation July 2013 for all new CoCs and progression to higher levels of certification
Knowledge, understanding and proficiency
Criteria for evaluating competence
Knowledge of bridge /engine room resource management principles including:
1. allocation, assignment, and prioritization of resources,
Resources are allocated and assigned as needed in correct priority to perform necessary tasks
2. effective communication Communication is clearly and unambiguously given and received
3. assertiveness and leadership
Questionable decisions and/or actions result in appropriate challenge and response Effective leadership behaviours are identified
4. obtaining and maintaining situational awareness
Team members share accurate understanding of current and predicted vessel state, navigation path and external environment / engine room and associated systems state and external environment.
STCW revisions
How WMA approached the research
Interviewed a range of UK maritime industry stakeholders Proposed behavioural markers designed to assess effective and ineffective behaviours underpinning non-technical skills identified in Manila amendments Carried out observations of simulation exercises run for experienced seafarers of different nationalities at WMA Criteria – relevance; easily evaluated as a demonstration of good or poor behaviour; easily observed; reasonable frequency
Extract from Observation Log Leadership Behavioural Markers
HIGH PERFORMANCE
MARKER
LOW PERFORMANCE
MARKER
YES
NO
COMMENTS
(12) Behaves in a calm and considered fashion
Visibly nervous and transfers worries to the rest of the team
(13) Manages their own and others’ stress and fatigue levels
Acts inappropriately when under pressure
(14) Creates a positive working environment by encouraging and motivating personnel to contribute to planning and decision-making
Creates a negative working environment where personnel are reluctant to participate in, or challenge, planning and decision-making
(15) Balances approachability with authority
Fails to take account of others’ opinions and takes the approach that only their view is important
Validating the markers
Observations carried out on simexes currently being run for experienced seafarers from oil majors at WMA 60 simexes observed (including both deck and engine room) Officers rotated through various roles (e.g. Master/Navigator/ARPA and engine room equivalents) Positive and negative behaviours were noted Distinction made between non-observable behaviours (could never be observed) and behaviours which were not observed (that is, they were not demonstrated)
What we found
Overwhelming majority of the proposed markers appear to be both relevant and observable
Limit on the numbers of markers any observer can reasonably be expected to observe, even after training In depth behaviours could be assessed using individual categories Over a period of a week, some behaviours showed significant improvement Some positive behaviours were observed very frequently e.g. “Communication acknowledges cultural diversity” Some negative behaviours were observed very frequently e.g. rare to observe contingency plans being considered or implemented. Lack of a Plan B
Utilising the research findings
Application to Training curricula Course design Industry selection, training and promotion Ongoing industry research Can be carried out at sea and shoreside, after
suitable assessor training
Areas to consider
Different standards of effectiveness are applied in selection, training and promotion
STCW has a wide range of interpretations There may be a link between STCW broad statements and differing standards of effectiveness in the UK and internationally Interpretation of STCW may be also be affected by age of
respondents, time since last at sea, seniority, size of company Criteria will vary outside those identified by Western
culture
Implementation considerations
Cultural implications Face validity, consistency and congruence Needs to be supported by other organisational processes and procedures Behaviours cannot be seen in isolation – extenuating circumstances might need to be explored Training of behavioural marker assessors – who assess the assessors?
Relevant paper
Devitt, K., and Holford, S. (2010). Development of resource management and leadership behavioural markers for the merchant navy. In: Maritime Human Resource Solutions Conference, 28-30 September, 2010, St John’s, Newfoundland. Canada
