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
 STCW revisions
Knowledge, understanding
and proficiency
Knowledge of bridge /engine
room resource management
principles including:
1. allocation, assignment, and
prioritization of resources,
2. effective communication
3. assertiveness and
leadership
4. obtaining and maintaining
situational awareness
Criteria for evaluating competence
Resources are allocated and assigned as needed in
correct priority to perform necessary tasks
Communication is clearly and unambiguously given
and received
Questionable decisions and/or actions result in
appropriate challenge and response
Effective leadership behaviours are identified
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.
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 LOW PERFORMANCE YES NO COMMENTS
MARKER MARKER

(12) Behaves in a calm and Visibly nervous and transfers worries to the
considered fashion rest of the team
(13) Manages their own and Acts inappropriately when under pressure
others’ stress and fatigue
levels
(14) Creates a positive Creates a negative working environment where
working environment by personnel are reluctant to participate in, or
encouraging and motivating challenge, planning and decision-making
personnel to contribute to
planning and decision-
making

(15) Balances Fails to take account of others’ opinions and

approachability with takes the approach that only their view is
authority 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
Thank you for your attention

Questions welcomed

Katherine.devitt@solent.ac.uk
Simon.holford @solent.ac.uk