Why are intercultural communication and understanding important in a maritime world?
As the world is one big working place for seafarers, it is important to understand your co-workers to prevent misunderstandings that could lead to accidents.
A vessel at sea is a small community made up of many nationalities. As English is the common language, which for many on board is not their native language, many misunderstandings can occur, which could compromise the safety on board and lead to potential accidents. Not only is the language a factor in communication, but the different cultural backgrounds of the seafarers can interfere and create noise in the communication. This can occur on all levels in the organization on board, from the captain and chief engineer to the chef and the able seafarers.
Simply put, we all come from societies where the culture is either monochrome or polychrome, with either a high-context culture or a low-context culture. This is simply put, cultures that are opposite in the way the culture function. The monochrome culture is very organized, plan everything, and value logic, whereas the polychrome culture prefers to be more unstructured and is not hung up on time. The high-context culture uses body language, uses the tone of voice to get a point across, and leaves it up to the other part of the communication to decipher the meaning of what is being communicated. For low-context cultures, it’s the opposite. Here the communication is very clear and to the point, with no body language.
Why is this important at sea?
Looking at the culture at sea, where many nationalities have to work together and build a culture on board, it is important that everyone understand how their co-workers communicate. This communication is often based on their national culture, as well as their previous work culture. A captain could give a message, which is very short, and not quite to the point because he or she comes from a high-context culture. Where the person who receives this message, doesn't feel there has been given enough information to carry out the task. And in a stressful situation, this could lead to accidents.
Can this be solved?
As leaders, it is very important to be able to communicate clearly and have an understanding of the people working for you. It is a leader’s job to make sure that everyone onboard the vessel understands what is being communicated. At the same time, it is just as important that co-worker puts in an effort to adjust to the culture and the language onboard the vessel.