The Meshwork of Relations in Rijeka’s 3. maj Shipyard: Toward an Anthropological Understanding of Complex Organizations

Abstract

This study proposes an anthropological approach to understanding the organization of the 3. maj shipyard in the city of Rijeka, Croatia. The article examines the shipyard through the prism of development attempts and the failed implementation of an effective information system between the 1970s and 2010s. It focuses on analyzing the shipyard’s internal organizational dynamics specifically in relation to the introduction of new technology, as well as its interrelations with external sociopolitical developments and developments in the shipbuilding industry. In order to achieve this, the author presents two kinds of relationships: one serving as an example of the shipyard’s contextual embeddedness in its sociopolitical environment, and the other providing a glimpse into the inner workings of the organization.

Keywords

• shipyard
• relational thinking
• organizational anthropology
• rijeka
• croatia