Performance in the maritime industry: An analysis of its drivers among Indian officers

Organizations all over the world are struggling in an uncertain and fiercely competitive economic environment. In such an environment, the effective management of available resources is a prime consideration in ensuring profitability and even survival. Even though technology and processes do provide operational benefits, it is ultimately the human resources in the organization that matter most and must be managed effectively to ensure success. It is here that the performance of individuals plays a key role and high levels of performance are essential to provide the competitive edge organizations strive for. However, performance needs to be supported by the necessary work environment and organizations need to ascertain the factors that contribute to higher performance levels, as well as its barriers. The maritime industry is also struggling with rising costs, difficult and uncertain market conditions, shortage of qualified officers and the like. Due to the very nature of the industry, and its international operations, the performance of officers on board ships assumes greater significance in ensuring financial performance. This paper attempts to measure the performance levels of Indian Merchant Naval Officers by using a structured questionnaire, and identify the drivers and barriers to performance in the shipping industry. Analysis showed that top performers were limited to a small segment, and isolated nine factors which accounted for a majority of the variance, providing the drivers of performance amongst seafarers. Attention to these barriers and drivers could lead to increased seafarer performance.