Anglo-Eastern CEO, Bjorn Hojgaard: “So where's the outrage against the ports and nations that are the real culprits in this crisis?"

Speaking at the second World Maritime Merchants Forum in Hong Kong yesterday (15 November) Anglo-Eastern Ship Management chief executive, Bjorn Hojgaard, outlined a radically new approach to safety practice onboard vessels.
 

Where previously the focus was on procedures and control, with the thinking that following procedures in a controlled environment was the way to avoid accidents, Mr Hojgaard insisted they have their uses, but they are not the way to reach new levels of safety in shipping. 
 

Instead, we must think about humans holistically and about how we unleash the full human potential,” he said. 
 

“It’s about moving from a culture of compliance to a culture of commitment. A company safety culture is not a checklist or toolbox or set of procedures; rather a safety culture is the measure of core values, commitment, and collective behaviours of your organization to emphasize prevention over production; to ensure protection of people and the environment.”

As commitment and motivation are essentially internal processes incapable of being imposed externally, Mr Hojgaard suggested it is the role of management to create an environment that will encourage internal motivation, starting with enabling basic health through adequate rest, nutrition, and exercise together with good social relations onboard.

Beyond that, he cited three approaches to unlock motivation and accountability: A sense of purpose, through understanding the impact of the work done and how it improves the outcome for the larger organizational system; A sense of mastery that entails understanding what the job entails and the resources, tools and skills. Thirdly the seafarer must be given a measure of autonomy. The freedom to make autonomous decisions to achieve agreed objectives or outcomes earns respect in the workplace and helps to unleash the full potential in any individual.
 

“If we can ensure that our employees are healthy minds in healthy bodies, that they have good social relations, and that they have purpose, mastery and autonomy, then you will have a culture of commitment,” he said. 
 

“It sounds easy, and it is of course in principle rather easy to see the building blocks but in practice it takes a lot of work to get all the elements right. 
 

“In a culture of compliance, you lift the performance of an organization but there would be a ceiling for how good it can be. You don’t unleash the full potential of your people in a place where compliance is the most important way of working. In a culture of commitment if built on top of a good safety process and appropriate safety tools you put a floor under how bad things can be and most importantly you open the limits of how good your organization can be to the sky.” 

Source: Hong Kong Maritime Hub

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