Deck department leadership through bridge team management

Abstract

When talking about leadership on a merchant ship we have to take into consideration the fact that the ship represents a particular work environment. In this paper we shall be discussing the concept of leadership represented by the Captain, the main authority onboard a ship over the Deck Department and Engine Department. Further on, when talking about the Deck Department we shall take into consideration the fact that there is a Bridge Team that assures the safety of navigation, meaning also the safety of crew onboard and in the same time, the safety of the ship and cargo onboard. We shall also discuss how this particular Bridge Team decides on its own whether some actions should be taken or not but these decisions are taken under the close supervision of the Captain through its Standing Orders. The main purpose of this paper is to show how a ship's leader, the Captain, must ensure that the ship reaches its destination safely according to the given voyage. In this paper we are trying to show what leadership really means inside a special team, such as crew members onboard a merchant ship and what kind of leader a Captain should be.