Cultural differences in emotional intelligence among top officers on board merchant ships

Abstract

The current research investigated cultural differences in emotional intelligence among top officers on board vessels of multicultural maritime companies. We found that Southeast Asian officers scored higher than European officers on the total Emotional Intelligence scale. When separating the EQ scale in its facets, higher scores for Asian officers were found on “Utilization of emotions”, “Handling relationships”, and on “Self-control”. Another finding was that Chief officers/ Second engineers scored higher than Masters/Chief Officers on “Self-control”. Finally, we found a negative correlation between age and scores on the facet of “Self-control”. These crosscultural differences may have implications for interpersonal relations and ship management.