Human Factors Affecting the Productivity o f Fast Attack Craft squadron in Electrical & Mechanical Engineering Departments - Sri Lanka Navy

Abstract

This paper will re-examine the concept of productivity, from a perspective of human factor stresses, affecting to the deferment of productivity in Electrical & Mechanical Engineering departments of the Sri Lanka Navy adversely. Naval bases located at Jaffna peninsula namely ‘Elara’ at Karainager and ‘Uttara’ at Kankasanthurai were selected as the scope for this study. In terms of complexity (lowering simplicity) analysed in this paper, which could be viewed under two main aspects, defined as structural and operational complexity. Further those factors which enterprise management could control (internal factors) and which management cannot control or influence in the short run (external factors) were also explored in order to understand the key factors contributing to deferment of productivity. Human factor angle further derived which mostly affect towards the productivity to discuss the stresses they have when up keeping and maintenance the process of machineries and equipment belongs to the Electrical and Mechanical Engineering department point of view. Triangular process followed by qualitative research methodology was applied for the research. Structured and non-structured schedules were distributed among officers and sailors to diagnose the human factors which affect to deferment of productivity. This methodology was specially applied with the intention of identifying the respondent’s actual feeling and approximately twenty five officers / sailors were randomly selected initially to identify the purpose and subsequently the study was extended to other departments to re-validate the data collected and certain clarification considered to be mandatory for the research. In order to establish a firm conceptual framework of human stresses, which are mainly contributed from the side human factor angle, was surveyed with available resources. Relationship between performance and deferment of productivity was critically analysed by focusing aspects of ‘efficacy’ influencing within the individual behaviour of internal environment of the organisation and aspects of ‘effectiveness’ influencing activities within the organisation boundary were also further derived to obtain data. This study realized that the root cause to deferment of the productivity in FAC squadron in Electrical & Mechanical engineering departments were, that misappropriation and malpractices were adopted by inefficient governors that caused the stressful work environment which made achievement of the Naval objectives far behind. Due to these structural and operational complexities within the Navy behaviors of individuals have offset role efficacy and effectiveness. Since this research applied qualitative method and when the study was extended, a different picture emerged from the discussions with interviewers and the author realized that, complexities and organization stresses were not the only causes to deferment of the productivity. The reasons for that are, when implication of restructuring processes, acceptance or rejections totally depend on values, attitude and behaviour of individuals. Hence the author was compelled to study the root and modify the conceptual framewark describe in chapter three. A research finding implied that individuals have values and attitudes and that both have an effect op behaviour. Values are strongly held beliefs that are fundamental to the person. Values do change over time, but it is by no means a simple and quick task for an organization to set about changing the fundamental values of its employees. Attitude which is more transient, derives from the values based on perception, knowledge etc. and behaviour is shaped by values and attitudes. Hence it is imperative to a constructive leader that all these aspects should be analyses before restructuring process is implemented. This research shackled to explore the need of comprehensive study of why sailors get absent and further, how one could improve the moral of the sailors in a more elaborated manner. This dissertation suggest that naval governors could be termed ‘productivity’ if they duly consider the angle of human factors and provide immediate remedial actions to enhance the moral of the men and reduce the ‘complexities’ and restructure the organisation to avoid operational and structural complexities which would in turn serve the nation tremendously increasing the productivity. On the other hand of the spectrum until such time these complexities which exist in these departments, would not achieve their organizational objectives in line with national interest, subsequently productivity will fail with their mission.