Maritime Risk and Organizational Learning

Bridging an identified gap between research and practice in the domain of risk and organizational learning with respect to human/organizational factors and organizational behaviour, this book highlights the common and recurring threads in contributory factors to accident causation. Based on an extensive research project, it investigates how shipping companies as organizations learn from, filter and give credence/acceptability to differing risk perceptions and how this influences the work culture with special regard to group/team dynamics and individual motivation. The work is presented in the context of the literature regarding conceptual links between risk and the theoretical and operational themes of organizational learning, and in light of interviewees' comments. The themes include processes and structures of knowledge acquisition, information interpretation and distribution, organizational memory and change/adaptation and also levels of learning. The book concludes by discussing some practical implications of the research carried out in various maritime contexts and gives recommendations for the industry and other stakeholders.

Michael Ekow Manuel is a professional ship officer: Master Mariner, unlimited tonnage and foreign-going. He served as a ship's officer for 11 years, culminating in an appointment as Captain. In 2005 he completed an MSc degree in Maritime Affairs, specialising in education and training, at the World Maritime University in MalmA?, Sweden. For this work he was awarded the Chancellor Medal for Academic Excellence and subsequently the Sheldon Kinney Fellowship for PhD studies. In 2009 Michael completed his PhD in Maritime Administration, again at the World Maritime University. He currently works at the Regional Maritime University in Ghana and maintains close ties with the World Maritime University and international colleagues within his areas of expertise.