Feature: The power of interaction
Read Seaways online at http://www.nautinst.org/seaways May 2019 | Seaways | 25
longer the definite attribute of successful organizations. Emotionally
and socially intelligent teams are the hallmark of the world’s most
innovative, most profitable and most sustainable organisations.
That means that technical knowledge itself is not enough. We need
behaviour which will support our technical knowledge. We can define
behaviour as our relation to material or social realities. On the bridge,
in the engine room and on the deck we should be observant, attentive,
assertive, effective, sensitive to safety and the environment, aware of
risk, dedicated, patient, polite, etc.
- Passion (emotional)
Emotional responses may be experienced as love, passion, anger,
empathy, frustration, fear, hate, dislike, comfort/discomfort, etc. It is
easy to assume that we must suppress our emotions and think strictly
rationally, particularly when it comes to our response to jobs, tasks
or colleagues. On the contrary, emotional responses should not be
ignored. They have their purpose and logic, although these may not
always be obvious. They reflect our preferences/dislikes and they can
serve as a warning that we are in a threatening position. That means
that our emotional state – and that of others – could be considered as
important information.
Emotions affect us and influence our performance. Steve Jobs
considered having a passion to solve problems to be a primary
requirement when he was recruiting. On the other side, someone
who is afraid of another person cannot efficiently communicate
and collaborate with them. This fear also impedes creativity and
spontaneity (reaction in the moment). We know how we can affect
others and others can affect us on an emotional level. Emotions are
highly contagious. We may think that we have only limited influence
over our own emotions, let alone those of others. However, we can
interact successfully with the ship’s team on the emotional level by:
O Promoting empathy and respect within the team;
O Being inclusive;
O Understanding living circumstances of others;
O Taking a less authoritarian approach; being relaxed but still
constructive.
We can achieve a productive partnership and trust i.e. comradeship.
We can reduce negative emotions such as envy, fear and hate and
reinforce compassion and empathy. To some extent we can control our
emotions and the effects of other people’s emotions on us. We know
that uncontrolled emotions such as anger could provoke reciprocal
anger and conflict. Under such circumstances the performance of the
team can be derailed.
The effect of emotions can be stimulating, but also distracting. - Vision (Psychological)
The third aspect of how we respond to life and work onboard ship is the
psychological (which Zohar refers to as the spiritual). In the positive
context, it offers meaning, values, hopes, vision, and inspirations. On
the negative side, we can be burdened with boredom, apathy, loss of
spirit, loss of hope etc. When we are working under pressure or faced
with operational hardship, it is important to maintain a positive attitude
in the form of positive behaviour regardless of temporary difficulties.
There is, however, a question about how we can interact on this level
as psychological values are very individual.
We can communicate with the ship’s team on this level by:
O Maintaining high standards;
O Finding pride in our work;
O Projecting positive outcome of our efforts;
O Enjoying the thrill and excitement of learning;
O Having positive expectations from our work and knowledge.
In this way, we can increase the value of our work and maintain the
team’s working self confidence.
It is on this level that we respond to other important questions: Why
are we working? Can we complete the job successfully?
The big questions
Our responses to our work and to each other occur on all three levels.
Knowledge and rational understanding help us deal with the facts of
the matter, while on the emotional and psychological levels we deal
with the immediate behaviour suited for adaptation and survival. All
three levels are interconnected, and a change on one level will affect
the others. For example:
O An intense emotional response can impair rational thinking and
cognition;
O A lack of knowledge can create uncertainty, leading to emotional
responses such as anxiety or fear;
O Without knowledge, there is no stable foundation for our vision of a
positive outcome.
People do not usually operate on all three levels equally. Some
people are inclined more to the rational side, and we call them
thinkers. Others are more emotional and we call them feelers.
Good interaction which will deliver good teamwork requires us to be
competent on all three levels.Connected
The rational and material workplace is intertwined with the
unquantifiable, demonstrating how complex humans are. Those
elements have always been present, but it is only recently that they
have been fully appreciated and have received the attention and
consideration which they deserve. Imagination, persistence and
resilience are important in any project. Unfortunately, the same
qualities which produce these also contain our weaknesses and
limitations, of which we must be aware.
Members of a ship’s team communicate on all levels. The more
connections we make, the bigger our web of understanding. If we can
understand the different levels on which crew members connect and
react with each other, we can imagine how they connect and react
to the vessel’s complex operational and natural environments. Many
things could go wrong if the right connections are not considered or if
they are not attended to with due care.
We must make sure to pay attention to all three levels of
understanding in the workplace. Knowledge, passion and vision are key
to inspire us and to inspire others with whom we interact. After all, our
work is very personal to us.
As time goes on, there are more and more constants and variables
to be taken into account when operating a vessel. Our ship-view
is expanding rapidly in all directions. We explore our ‘maritime
universe’ in closer and closer detail, and yet we find all of these details
relevant. As our observations and knowledge about our work and our
environment at sea mount up, more connections open up to us –
and consequently, we ask more questions. With all these inputs, we
evolve all the time – on all levels. We must accept that intensifying
complexity because anything less leads to insufficiency, degradation
and ignorance. Ignorance does not ask questions, but exploration
invites growth.