Your interior team is a South African second, a Filipino stew, a Ukrainian laundress and a French junior. You ask the group whether the turndown standard makes sense. Three of them say yes. That evening you find the standard has not been followed, and you realise that "yes" did not mean agreement — it meant "I heard you, and I will not contradict you in front of others."
Why culture is a safety issue, not a courtesy issue
Multinational crews are the norm, and cultural difference shapes exactly the behaviours leadership depends on: whether a junior will challenge a senior, whether "yes" means agreement, and how much of a message is carried by words rather than context.
| Dimension | One end | Other end | Onboard consequence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power distance | Hierarchy is questionable | Hierarchy is respected absolutely | Junior may not speak up even when they see the error |
| Communication | Direct — the message is in the words | Indirect — the message is in the context | "That may be difficult" can mean "no" |
| Feedback norms | Public correction is normal | Public correction is humiliating | Same words, very different damage |
| Time and planning | Sequential, schedule-led | Flexible, relationship-led | Different reading of "ready by 1400" |
These are tendencies, not rules. Treating them as fixed national characteristics is stereotyping and is a leadership error in itself.
Language
The working language of the vessel is stated in the SMS and drills are run in it. Remember that under stress, a crew member operates in a second language with reduced fluency. Therefore:
- Use short, plain sentences for anything safety-critical. Avoid idiom, sarcasm and yacht slang in briefings.
- Use closed-loop communication: the receiver repeats the instruction back in their own words. "Yes chef" is not a read-back.
- Check understanding by asking the person to explain what they will do, not by asking "do you understand?"
Gender dynamics and respect
Interior teams are frequently mixed and often young, living in shared cabins with almost no privacy. As HOD you set the standard on harassment, bullying and the line between banter and abuse, and you are usually the first person a complaint reaches. Know the reporting route in your SMS, record what you are told, and do not investigate a serious allegation informally.
Practical adjustments
- Ask individuals privately for dissent as well as asking the group publicly.
- Give correction privately, praise publicly, and explain the reason — an unexplained order in a high power-distance culture is simply obeyed, including when it is wrong.
- Learn how each crew member prefers to receive feedback and say so openly in a one-to-one.
Onboard Notes
- Harassment and bullying complaints have a defined route under MLC and your SMS. Follow it; do not improvise.
- Do not use culture as an excuse for a standard being missed. Adapt how you lead; do not lower what you require.
- If a crew member cannot follow safety briefings in the working language, that is a real risk and the Master needs to know.