Retaining talent in the maritime sector by creating a work-family balance logic: implications from women managers navigating work and family

Abstract

PurposeThis paper contributes to the social pillar of sustainable supply chain management. It does so by investigating how women managers in the maritime sector handle work-family conflict, thereby acting as institutional entrepreneurs to create a work-family balance logic. The maritime sector is a male-dominated supply chain management environment, which suffers from a talent gap of a lack of women executives. One reason for this problem is work-family balance issues that deter women from staying in the workforce.Design/methodology/approachThe authors interviewed 35 women working as port managers in different developing countries. The authors analyzed their strategies in coping with the conflict between family and work to create a work-family balance logic.FindingsThe authors found four different types of strategies to handle work-family conflicts. Responses showed that women executives in this sector can be institutional entrepreneurs. Based on the findings, the authors were able to confirm and contribute to the existing model proposed by Silva and Nunes (2021) on sustainable supply chain logic. The authors also provided recommendations for these women as institutional entrepreneurs and for policymakers to retain women talent in the supply chain management.Research limitations/implicationsThe research focuses on a specific supply chain management sector, which is the maritime sector. It also relies exclusively on interview data.Practical implicationsThe authors propose recommendations to develop a work-family balance logic and retain talented women in the supply chain industry based on monitoring equality and supporting their need for a work-family balance, both in the short and long terms.Originality/valueThe authors interviewed women executives in one of the most male dominated sectors. The authors studied their ability to cope with work-family conflicts and identified four ways to create a work-family balance logic. These findings enabled us to show the contribution and limits of women executives as institutional entrepreneurs for work family balance logics in male dominated sectors.

Guest editorial: The social sustainability of global supply chains – a critical perspective on current practices and its transformative potential

“…To do so, they explored the sector across the African continent to build the idea of work-family balance logic to discuss talent retention. In this research, Vo et al (2023) demonstrated that female managers act as institutional entrepreneurs due to their self-reflective perspective. For instance, as women needed to work harder than their male colleagues, they needed to create multiple strategies to cope with the conflict between work and family.…”

“…To do so, they explored the sector across the African continent to build the idea of work–family balance logic to discuss talent retention. In this research, Vo et al . (2023) demonstrated that female managers act as institutional entrepreneurs due to their self-reflective perspective.…”

The Challenges on Talent Management in Turkish Container Shipping Industry

“…One important aspect is the retention of talent, particularly in the context of work-life balance. Research has shown that creating a work-family balance logic is essential for retaining talent, especially women managers in the shipping sector (Lavissière & Lavissière, 2022). This includes providing support and flexibility to employees to manage their work and personal responsibilities.…”