During the 2024 SAFETY4SEA Manila Forum, Allan Raymund Olano, General Manager, Philippines, Green Jakobsen Inc., focused on the importance of psychological safety for high performance among maritime crews.
Let’s explore what makes a super team onboard, the qualities of super seafarers, the kind of leaders they have, the environment they operate in, and the reasons behind their high performance. A key focus here is psychological safety, an essential element often intertwined with soft skills, power distance, leadership styles, and communication.
What is psychological safety?
A work atmosphere where the crew feel free and confident to:
- Express their ideas and concerns: We can create a culture wherein people are not afraid to speak up regardless of where you come from.
- Speak up with questions: We need leaders who can create a good environment wherein it is okay if you are going to stop the leader.
- Report, admit, and learn from mistakes: Onboard the vessels we experience as seafarers and it is a fact that a lot of us are forced to report right for compliance.
Why is it very important?
On the other hand, research has shown the incredible downsides of not having psychological safety, including negative impacts on employee well-being, including stress, burnout, and turnover, as well as on the overall performance of the origination.
Creating a psychologically safe environment for crew members is crucial for several reasons. When crew members feel safe, they are more engaged and motivated, leading to higher levels of involvement. This engagement stems from the absence of fear, allowing seafarers and ratings to actively participate, make suggestions, share insights, and challenge the status quo without hesitation.
In such an environment, decision-making improves significantly. Crew members feel comfortable speaking up, which leads to better and smarter decisions as diverse perspectives, experiences, and ideas are considered. Enhanced problem-solving skills emerge because more people contribute their unique insights.
Moreover, a psychologically safe crew is a motivated crew. They are more likely to follow their leaders willingly and with enthusiasm. This positive dynamic is fostered by leaders who listen and value their crew’s input, creating a supportive atmosphere where open communication thrives. Consequently, crew members feel valued and respected, enhancing their overall job satisfaction and productivity.
One important concept is the degree of task reflectivity. When the level of task reflectivity is high, it means that the organization or individuals are highly focused on tasks and results. They perform their jobs well and openly discuss their work.
Below task reflectivity is social reflectivity, which we often refer to as psychological safety. This is where the team and organizational perspective comes into play. How well the crew does their job, depends on how well they like each other. If people care very little about their colleagues as well as their jobs, we get a cold dysfunctional team, people will really be ineffective. The goal in human performance is to focus on how well the crew are thriving with each other and how well they do the job as well. We also have another word for the social part—psychological safety and when you have that, performance goes up.
- Low Thinking, Low Empathy (Dysfunctional): People don’t think much about tasks or understand others well. This leads to problems in getting things done and getting along with others.
- Low Thinking, High Empathy (Laid-back): People are socially aware but not focused on tasks. They might get along, but work might not get done effectively.
- High Thinking, Low Empathy (‘Cold’): People are task-focused but lack social skills. They may achieve tasks but have trouble with teamwork and morale.
- High Thinking, High Empathy (High Performing): People are good at tasks and understanding others. This leads to great teamwork and excellent results.
So, to foster continuous improvement, both team members and leaders must consistently review, engage, and discuss their teams. Leaders play a crucial role in cultivating an environment where mutual listening is encouraged.
When discussing control, inclusion, and appreciation, leaders should prioritize trust. Control means empowering rather than micromanaging or imposing strict control. Additionally, effective leaders actively listen and demonstrate care for others.
The views presented are only those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of SAFETY4SEA and are for information sharing and discussion purposes only.
Above article is a transcript from Allan Raymund Olano’s presentation during the 2024 SAFETY4SEA Manila Forum with minor edits for clarification purposes.
Explore more by watching the video presentation here below
