The Ship Council is a meeting organized by a leader to solve a problem under conditions of limited information and time. It is frequently used across different areas of activity when quick decision-making is necessary. This method was first introduced in 1970 by sociologists W. Hilde and K. Starke from the former GDR. It is also known by its alternate name — Pirate Council.
The primary goal of this method is to fully tap into the experience, knowledge, and creative potential of all team members to solve a specific problem.
The Essence of the Ship Council Method
For this method to be effective, it’s essential that each participant strictly follows a set of predefined rules. One of the core rules is the strict speaking order — from the “cabin boy” to the “captain,” meaning from junior to senior members.
The success of the Ship Council method largely depends on the leader’s (the captain’s) ability to foster a trusting and creative environment that encourages active participation and idea generation from everyone involved.
Step-by-Step Plan
To run a Ship Council session effectively, the following plan is recommended:
- Announce the speaking order to all participants.
- Clearly define the problem to be solved.
- Listen to each participant’s ideas on possible solutions, in the set order.
- Select the top 2–3 ideas for further exploration.
- Hold a critique session to analyze the selected ideas.
- Conduct a defense and development session to refine the criticized ideas.
- Choose the proposals that offer the best potential for solving the problem.
- Outline actionable steps for implementing the selected solutions.
Rules of the Ship Council
- Everyone must speak on the problem, regardless of role.
- Speaking order is strictly from junior to senior — “from cabin boy to captain.”
- Only the captain may ask questions.
- Criticism and defense of ideas are allowed only when prompted by the captain.
- All participants must take part in both critiquing and defending the shortlisted ideas.
- The final summary is delivered by the captain.
Why Use the Ship Council Method?
This method helps uncover new perspectives and fresh ideas that might otherwise remain unspoken, especially from junior team members who may hesitate in traditional meetings. The Ship Council is:
- Easy to learn and implement
- Time-efficient
- Ideal for solving straightforward problems quickly
- Most effective for organizational issues and low-complexity technical challenges
By ensuring structured dialogue and active participation from all, the Ship Council method facilitates better decision-making even in high-pressure scenarios with limited data.
