Cultural Diversity Onboard: A Study About Crew Characteristics

Authors : Refik CANIMOĞLU, Umut YILDIRIM

Pages : 14-19

Doi:10.58771/joinmet.1295372

View : 26 | Download : 30

Publication Date : 2023-06-30

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Cultural diversity became a significant factor in seafarers’ operational performance onboard. Since ships are operated by multinational crew members, socializing, and understanding foreign cultures became crucial for seafarers working onboard multicultural ships. Diversity management is essential for achieving an effective workforce, as well as making these benefits visible and allowing the organization to leverage them as a competitive advantage. However, apart from its advantages, diversity brought some challenges such as communication errors and cultural misunderstandings. Considering the human element is the primary factor among the maritime accident causations, challenges caused by cultural diversity has the potential to cause a raise in maritime accidents. Crew management onboard multicultural ships should be rigorously carried out to limit unwanted impacts. Our study aims to have a better view on optimal seafarer profile suitable to work onboard ships having multicultural crew members. The prepared questionnaire was administered to interns and officers worked aboard multicultural ships for this purpose, and the findings were evaluated using independent t-test analysis.
Keywords : Kültürel çeşitlilik, Denizde emniyet, Takım çalışması, Çok kültürlü gemiler