Causes, Triggers and Drivers that Led to Grounding and Sinking of Costa Concordia - Case Study Example

Title: Change Management Name Institution Date of submission Introduction Media and professional officials of nautical charts pointed out different errors that accounted to capsizing of Costa Concordia. These errors include failure adherence to ‘touristic navigation’ by the captain, poor drawing routes on nautical charts by the officer responsible and poor emergency response after impact. These errors are rooted from the responsible organizational processes that induces fault in workplace. Therefore, the multidimensional character of Costa Crociere errors requires particular knowledge of human, technical and organizational factors. According to (Cameron and Green, 2004, 45), change is inevitable and it is a processes that incorporates human and organizational processes to be achieved successfully. The report focuses on human errors as a start point to examine deeper the systemic issues connected to organization that led to the accident. The ideology of Reason (1997) on organizational change suits the scope of analysis, and it will guide management of change. Organizational accident is the initiator of organizational change, and it normally occurs within complex institutions/organizations (Cameron and Green, 2004, 67). It can affect demography, assets and environment as well. Guided by the hypothesis-Costs Concordia event is an organizational accident, the model will examine and discuss causes, and drivers of the grounding, change management needed processes induced, impacts of change and the status of functionality of Costa Crociere right after inception. Organizational accident model (causes, triggers and drivers that led to grounding and sinking of Costa Concordia) It is important to use Reason’s model of organizational accident in examining causes, triggers and drivers of grounding and sinking of Costa Concordia because most of these issues resulted from organizational factors, local workplace factors and human-related errors in the organizational system. Below is the chart that represents categorically placed factors associated with Costa Concordia. Reason’s model of organizational accidents Causes One, captain was blamed for the accident since he navigated close to the shore thus hitting a rock. During the trial in court, Schettino testified that the captain said that he was going to pass close to the shore of Island and there happened the accident (Josh, 2012). Two, there was turning off of alarm system. This made the captain to navigate by sight. Unfortunately, wave breaking on the reef affected the ship. This was a judgement error according to the captain that eventually led to the disaster. Three, the map routes were compromised and therefore navigation was on a trial basis, meaning Costa Concordia was sailing in a ‘touristic navigation’ route which was dangerous. Triggers Active failures: These are human related errors in the organisation that led to non-adherence of policies, formal training principles, route practices and divergence from organizational objectives. According to Shirley (2012) inconsistent covering of procedures by individuals in the organization increases the likelihood of making errors, and this led to wrecking of Costa Concordia. Two, non-tolerant error system; Organizational system of Costa Crociere tolerate no error at all therefore in an event of disaster, it is difficult to avoid negative consequences (Carnival Corporation, 2012. The shutting off of alarm system means the captain would work in accordance to the inflexible requirements of his duty. Drivers Bridge Resource Management (BRM) had fault especially with the captain as a team leader. Initially, the best practise offered by BRM was to optimize team work and this particularly depended on leadership skills of the captain. Navigation close to the shore at about 5 miles created a series of BRM which were predisposed (Carnival Corporation, 2012, 15). This therefore implied a shortfall that involved lack of team briefing. The nature of ship-handling: There was poor human expertise especially when newly established safety margins were disregarded. Change management process after the occurrence of Costa Concordia disaster After Costa Concordia disaster, International Maritime Organization (IMO) brought in Manila Amendments to the international convention in order to manage the losses (IMO News, 2012). This brought change to various institutions attached to marine services not only in Italy but also across most parts of the world. This was a universal disaster management framework that that led to change processes in institutions. The framework of change entails the following steps; 1. Mandatory audit scheme by IMO: Areas covered during audit process were, issuance of dispensation by Costa Crociere, Italy port state control and organization emergency reporting evaluations (Costa Crociere) (IMO News, 2012). Change management process of Costa Crociere had to improve its evaluation standards particularly on Seafarers’ Training, certification and Watch keeping. 2. Change of International Safe Management Code for safe operation of ships as well as pollution control in case of accident. All the organs attached to Costa Concordia operations were to adopt these international standards and incorporate them in their strategy. 3. Appropriate procedure of transferring a staff to sea: Several incidences including Costa Concordia disaster occurred due to poor transfer procedure. Transfer procedures adopted from International Maritime Convention consider comprehensive training of individuals when transferred from small ship transport to large ship transport. 4. Gap analysis in e-navigation training: This is the final stage where institutions assess the appropriateness of navigation tools as well as incorporating advanced systems for the safety of maritime and environment as well. How change could have been managed to evade Concordia disaster 1. Captain and his crew should have thought about their work etiquette. This depends on the regulations within waters the ship is in (Escape of captain plus his crew) (Mario and Gubian 2013, 47). 2. Follow direction especially on ‘touristic navigation.’ For example, the captain should have head to inner levels not coming close to the shore. 3. Well, if escape was an option, then the captain should have consider going for immediate emergency stations that could respond within the shortest time possible not waiting for up to five hours. 4. Find the lifeboats and supply them to the individuals who manage to escape too from the sinking ship. Unintended consequences that resulted from Costa Concordia grounding Coordination of navigation equipment: This was an immediate response IMO initiated to the stakeholders of maritime operators not only within Costa Crociere but also politicians and policy makers (IMO News, 2012). For instance, invitation of e-navigation that promotes effective usability in terms of evaluation of navigating equipment-Electronic Chart Display Information System built integrated to Costa Croceire. Track systems installation: This was referred as ‘Track Pilot’ where it operates in thee modes; heading, the course and tracking under Navigation and Command System. It was not used before by Carnival Corporations but initiated by IMO as an emergency response to reduce impact of disasters. Move from ‘clumsy automation’ to digital literacy: This needs organization modification through training and digital integration (Benji, 2013, 7). For instance, from the case captain’s workload seemed perplexing and attention-demanding since the manual system lacked ease methodology. Emergence of diverse cultures: The integration of information monitoring systems created a reporting culture, clarity of unexpected behaviours through the court promoted just culture and degree of reforms on safety standards enhanced learning culture. These were unintended but it emerged as a readily available options. The impact of change on Costa Crociere and the stakeholders Financial contributors: Analysis by Numis Security in United Kingdom shows that the total loss from Costa Concordia disaster was approximately $ 800 million. These are the un-repairable damages, and the owners especially the contributors would record the largest loss (Balls, 2012). Insurance companies: From the information in Carnival Corporation report, the compensation package released was too ‘huge’ thus causing backlash to the insurance companies. Environmental Agencies: Costa Concordia was filled with about 500,000 gallons of fuel (oil= 2,500 tons and diesel=200 tons) (Fountain, 2012, 23). This means all the fuel was exposed to the sea waters thus causing pollution. Perception evaluation of Residents of Genoa as key stakeholders: The change as a result of Costa Concordia disaster was sensitive to the residence. After the occurrence of the disaster, the demand of the residence increased particularly on the important components of disaster management sustainability (Brida, Chiappa, McCabe, and Pulina, 2012, 32). Policy makers: As a result of change, policy makers ensured that there is development of sustainable model that guide voyage destination for ships. For example, after Costa Crosiere, Marpol Convention was set down to prevent dumping close to the shore (within three nautical miles). Pattern of change observed focusing on the functionality of Costa Crociere There were several faults realized from Costa Concordia Accident related to organizational processes. They include insufficient bridge equipment, unworkable procedures, deficiency in training and language barriers (Mario, and Gubian, 2013, 72). These conditions identify change in organizational processes like incorporation of Human Resource Management Planning (HRMP) and technology acquisition (Rohrback, 2013). Apparently, this reflect change pattern in Costa Crociere in terms of procuring safety culture. It is important to know that latent conditions over time in Carnival Corporation may not be used to present the frequency of disaster occurrence in the industry but rather, it defines the ineffective implementation of standards both at the workplace and organizational level. The occurrence of Costa Concordia Accident was looked with greater scrutiny and this echoed a greater frequency of cruise ship accidents, which is in real sense accurate. Media has played a big part in bringing the matter into attention. Conclusion This paper may not provide all answers to events of change brought by Costa Concordia disaster. However, having analysed available information of Costa Concordia grounding, it does appear to be an organizational accident. Change management processes occurred after the disaster and all were intended to inform the stakeholders of the serious events happening within Carnival Corporations. 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