Stop Working in Silos: The Cost of Shoreside Initiatives that Fail Shipboard Teams

In the cruise industry, the disconnect between shore-based leadership and shipboard teams remains a glaring problem. Shoreside operational leaders frequently implement grandiose initiatives designed in silos, with little understanding of how these projects will impact the people who actually execute them—shipboard teams. These initiatives often cost a fortune, consume valuable time, increase workloads, and contribute to administrative bloat, all while failing to provide meaningful return on investment.

Worse still, when these initiatives fail to deliver, they are rarely reevaluated or improved upon. Instead, they continue to be pushed forward to "save face" because significant resources have already been spent. Meanwhile, shipboard teams - who had no input in the early stages of planning - are left burdened by yet another impractical 'shoreside decision'.

This siloed approach reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of roles: the ship is the business, the office is the support function. Support being the operative word.

The Reality of Shoreside Missteps

The cycle of poorly thought-out initiatives often looks something like this:

1. A Grand Vision
   Shoreside leaders develop a high-cost, high-visibility initiative - such as a new scheduling system, crew training program, or guest engagement concept - without involving shipboard teams. The idea may sound innovative and exciting in a boardroom but lacks grounding in the day-to-day realities of shipboard operations.
2. A One-Size-Fits-All Rollout
   The initiative is implemented fleetwide with little consideration for variations in ship size, itineraries, crew workloads, or onboard resource constraints. Shipboard teams are expected to adapt without additional support or resources.
3. Increased Workload and Frustration
   The new initiative adds layers of administrative tasks, demands more training, or disrupts established workflows. Rather than solving problems, it creates new ones, frustrating crew members and diverting their attention from core duties like guest service and safety.
4. Failure to Evaluate
   When the initiative doesn’t deliver the promised ROI, leaders avoid admitting it was a poorly thought out idea. Instead, they double down, forcing shipboard teams to continue using the system or process to justify the sunk costs.
5. Shipboard Cynicism
   Shipboard team members - who were excluded from the project’s exploratory phase - feel further disconnected from shoreside leadership, leading to frustration, disengagement, and an “us versus them” mentality.

The Disconnect: A Failure to Collaborate

At the heart of this issue is a siloed approach to decision-making. Shoreside leaders often forget that their role is to support shipboard operations, not dictate how they should function. By excluding shipboard teams from the exploratory and planning stages of new initiatives, they fail to account for:

• Operational Realities
• Crew Workload
• Feasibility and Adaptation

Shipboard teams operate in unique environments with very limited time, space, and resources. What works in an office or a hotel doesn't necessarily work on a ship. Adding more administrative tasks or complex processes to already stretched teams creates stress and disengagement. Additionally, without shipboard input. initiatives are rarely tailored to fit the realities of life and work at sea.

The Solution: Support, Don’t Dictate

To avoid these pitfalls, shoreside leaders must embrace a collaborative, support-oriented mindset that puts shipboard operations at the center of decision-making.

1. Involve Shipboard Teams Early
   Engage shipboard leaders and their team members during the exploratory phase of any project. Their insights can identify potential challenges, uncover opportunities for improvement, and ensure the initiative is practical and relevant.
2. Pilot Before Scaling
   Test new initiatives on a single ship or a small subset of the fleet. Use the feedback to refine the approach before rolling it out more broadly.
3. Evaluate ROI Honestly
   After implementation, assess the initiative’s success against clear, measurable objectives. If it’s not delivering the expected value, have the courage to pivot or scrap it entirely.
4. Tailor to Shipboard Realities
   Design initiatives with the unique constraints and needs of shipboard operations in mind. Keep things simple, scalable, and adaptable to different environments.
5. Adopt a Support Mentality
   Remember that the ship is the business, and the office is the support function. Every decision made shoreside should ultimately serve to make shipboard operations more efficient, effective, and sustainable.

Shoreside leaders must break free from the siloed mindset that undermines shipboard operations and damages trust. The ship is the heart of the business - where the revenue is generated, where the guests are served, and where the magic happens. The office exists to support that mission, not to impose impractical, costly, and time-wasting initiatives that add to the burden of shipboard teams.

Collaboration, communication, and humility are the keys to bridging the gap between ship and shore. By involving shipboard teams in the planning process and designing initiatives that genuinely support their work, shoreside leaders can create meaningful change, strengthen trust, and ensure that every dollar spent delivers real value to the business and its people. 

Stop working in silos. Start working as a team. That’s how great cruise lines succeed!