Enhancing Marine Pilot Team Performance through Competence, Work Environment, and Operational Leadership

Authors

  • Arifin Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Ekonomi Indonesia Surabaya, Indonesia
  • Emeralda Ayu Kusuma Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Ekonomi Indonesia Surabaya, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54518/ebh.5.4.2026.1172

Keywords:

Competence, Marine Pilot, Operational Leadership, Team Performance, Work Environment

Abstract

Marine pilotage is a safety-critical port operation that requires effective coordination among competent personnel, supportive working conditions, and operational leadership to ensure safe, timely, and reliable vessel movements. This study aims to examine the effects of competence and work environment on marine pilot team performance and to investigate the mediating role of operational leadership. A quantitative explanatory design was employed using a census of 55 personnel involved in the marine pilot work system at Semen Indonesia Tuban Port. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling. The results indicate that competence, work environment, and operational leadership each have a positive and significant effect on marine pilot team performance. Furthermore, operational leadership serves as a partial mediator, strengthening the effects of competence and work environment on team performance while maintaining significant direct relationships. These findings demonstrate that reliable pilotage performance depends not only on competent personnel and supportive operational conditions but also on effective operational leadership that translates these resources into coordinated, safe, and efficient operational execution.

References

Ajith, M. M., Lux, A. A., Bentley, T., & Striepe, M. (2025). Adaptive crisis management at the operational level: Responses to COVID-19 in the Australian resources sector. Journal of Management & Organization, 31(4), 1909–1933. https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2024.62.

Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2017). Job demands-resources theory: Taking stock and looking forward. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 22(3), 273–285. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000056.

Barasa, L., Simanjuntak, M., & Syafitra, B. W. (2025). Factors affecting the safety climate of the ship crew: Empirical evidence from shipping companies in Indonesia. The Asian Journal of Shipping and Logistics, 41(2), 75–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajsl.2025.02.001.

Becker, G. S. (1964). Human capital: A theoretical and empirical analysis, with special reference to education. New York: Columbia University Press.

Chauvin, C., Lardjane, S., Morel, G., Clostermann, J. P., & Langard, B. (2013). Human and organisational factors in maritime accidents: Analysis of collisions at sea using HFACS. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 59, 26–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2013.05.006.

Christian, M. S., Bradley, J. C., Wallace, J. C., & Burke, M. J. (2009). Workplace safety: A meta-analysis of the roles of person and situation factors. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(5), 1103–1127. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016172.

Clarke, S. (2012). Safety leadership: A meta-analytic review of transformational and transactional leadership styles as antecedents of safety behaviours. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 86(1), 22–49. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8325.2012.02064.x.

Crook, T. R., Todd, S. Y., Combs, J. G., Woehr, D. J., & Ketchen, D. J. (2011). Does human capital matter? A meta-analysis of the relationship between human capital and firm performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(3), 443–456. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022147.

Cui, L., & Mo, J. (2025). How does supportive leadership impact the safety behaviors of the new generation of construction workers? Behavioral Sciences, 15(2), 110-119. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15020110.

Dwyer, J., Karanikas, N., & Sav, A. (2023). Scoping review of peer-reviewed empirical studies on implementing high reliability organisation theory. Safety Science, 164(1), 106-118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2023.106178.

Fiedler, F. E. (1967). A theory of leadership effectiveness. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Flin, R., O’Connor, P., & Crichton, M. (2008). Safety at the sharp end: A guide to non-technical skills. Aldershot: Ashgate.

Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2022). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

Hetherington, C., Flin, R., & Mearns, K. (2006). Safety in shipping: The human element. Journal of Safety Research, 37(4), 401–411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2006.04.007.

Kelloway, E. K., Nielsen, K., & Dimoff, J. K. (Eds.). (2017). Leading to occupational health and safety: How leadership behaviours impact organizational safety and wellbeing. Hoboken: Wiley.

Latifah, M. (2024). The effect of adaptive leadership on employee performance and organizational sustainability. Economic and Business Horizon, 3(3), 96–101. https://doi.org/10.54518/ebh.3.3.2024.509.

Lee, D. Y., & Jo, Y. (2023). The job demands-resource model and performance: The mediating role of employee engagement. Frontiers in Psychology, 14(1), 11-24. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1194018.

Mahmud, I., Kalsum, U., & Abbas, B. (2023). How work commitment, work discipline, and workload mediate the relationship between organizational culture and employee performance?: empirical evidence in land office of Southeast Sulawesi Province. Economic and Business Horizon, 2(1), 12–23. https://doi.org/10.54518/ebh.2.1.2023.155.

Morgeson, F. P., DeRue, D. S., & Karam, E. P. (2010). Leadership in teams: A functional approach to understanding leadership structures and processes. Journal of Management, 36(1), 5–39. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206309347376.

Nahrgang, J. D., Morgeson, F. P., & Hofmann, D. A. (2011). Safety at work: A meta-analytic investigation of the link between job demands, job resources, burnout, engagement, and safety outcomes. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(1), 71–94. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021484.

Omidi, L., Karimi, H., Pilbeam, C., Mousavi, S., & Moradi, G. (2023). Exploring the relationships among safety leadership, safety climate, psychological contract of safety, risk perception, safety compliance, and safety outcomes. Frontiers in Public Health, 11(2), 123-135. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1235214.

Payne, M., Roache, D., Subero, J., & Zhang, G. P. (2025). How safety leadership styles impact safety performance: A case study. Journal of Safety Research, 93(2), 214–228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2025.02.006.

Qalati, S. A., Zafar, Z., Fan, M., Sánchez Limón, M. L., & Khaskheli, M. B. (2022). Employee performance under transformational leadership and organizational citizenship behavior: A mediated model. Heliyon, 8(11), 110-122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11374.

Salas, E., Shuffler, M. L., Thayer, A. L., Bedwell, W. L., & Lazzara, E. H. (2015). Understanding and improving teamwork in organizations: A scientifically based practical guide. Human Resource Management, 54(4), 599–622. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21628.

UNCTAD. (2024). Review of maritime transport 2024. Retrieved on March 1, 2026, from https://unctad.org/publication/review-maritime-transport-2024.

Weick, K. E., & Sutcliffe, K. M. (2015). Managing the unexpected: Sustained performance in a complex world (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Xi, Y., Wang, Z., Hu, S., Han, B., & Yin, J. (2025). The effect of safety culture on the safety behavior of ship deck officers: Empirical evidence from shipping industry. Frontiers in Marine Science, 12(1), 15-29. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2025.1599455.

Zhao, L., Yang, D., Liu, S., & Nkrumah, E. N. K. (2022). The effect of safety leadership on safety participation of employee: A meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 13(1), 18-27. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.827694.

Zhenjing, G., Chupradit, S., Ku, K. Y., Nassani, A. A., & Haffar, M. (2022). Impact of employees workplace environment on employees performance: A multi-mediation model. Frontiers in Public Health, 10(2), 89-99. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.890400.

Zohar, D. (2010). Thirty years of safety climate research: Reflections and future directions. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 42(5), 1517–1522. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2009.12.019.

Downloads

Published

2026-07-25

How to Cite

Arifin, A., & Kusuma, E. A. (2026). Enhancing Marine Pilot Team Performance through Competence, Work Environment, and Operational Leadership. Economic and Business Horizon, 5(4), 375–388. https://doi.org/10.54518/ebh.5.4.2026.1172

Issue

Section

Articles

Similar Articles

<< < 1 2 3 4 5 6 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.