Creating stability in constant uncertainty : dealing with crisis in the Chilean aquaculture industry

Abstract

This thesis is the result of a fieldwork conducted in Fish Inc., a Chilean branch of a Norwegian-owned company dealing with equipment for fish farming. The Chilean aquaculture industry has since the sanitary and financial crisis of 2007 experienced a constant unpredictability, with extreme fluctuation between incredible upswings and crashing downturns. The instability and uncertainty of the industry has generated the necessity of creating a sense of continuity for employees in dealing with the constant uncertainty. This thesis discusses several initiatives instigated by the management team of Fish Inc. Chile with the intent of encouraging perseverance among the employees during tough financial times.

These initiatives have been grouped together into three overarching strategies: 1) the launching of new projects to strengthen the branch financially and give them a competitive edge in the global industry; 2) creating a unifying company culture to give employees a feeling of affiliation to their workplace; and 3) creating a sense of community within the company across genders, departments and hierarchical levels. I look at the motivations and reasoning behind the strategies, how they were put into practice, and the employees’ reactions, seeing this in connection with the external pressure the management was experiencing from the Norwegian headquarters to improve their results. These strategies and their effects will be seen in light of globalization theory on dealing with uncertainty and the challenges of being a local branch in a global industry. Conclusively, I will demonstrate the role and significance of trust, boundary negotiation and flexibility in these strategies.