In early May 1996, two teams of commercial expeditions led by highly experiences climbers attempted to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Out of the 23 mountaineers that attempted the summit, only 18 survived. Of the five that perished, two men, Rob Hall and Scott Fischer, extremely skilled climbing leaders with previous experience reaching the summit, did not make the decent.
Since that deadly expedition in 1996, many, including the survivors of that climb, have attempted to explain why the tragedy occurred. Some emphasized that tragedies like the May 1996 climb were inevitable on the dangerous slopes of Everest. As described in the case, survivor Jon Krakauer recognized that mistakes were made by Hall and Fischer but that analyzing those …show more content…
As expressed in the case, leaders have the power to shape their team members’ perception of themselves and how they interact with other team members in critical situations. Ultimately, these perceptions created constrained relationships between Hall and Fischer’s team mates. This is especially true when considering junior guide Anatoli Boukreev’s input in the case. For example, Anatoli Boukreev, in particular, saw a number of red flags but never raised concern due to his perception that his level of experience proved to be inferior to the other guides (Roberto, 2003). This belief came from his compensation differential between himself and the other guides. Hall and Fischer’s compensation decisions impacted Boukreev’s perception of status, limiting any constructive dissent within the expedition teams. In business, it is important to recognize the power of perception, especially when building teams. In management, if there is limited trust or bonds between subordinates due to misguided perceptions, they are more likely to engage in withdrawn behavior because they are not engaged in the outcome of the decisions (Mulvey, Veiga, & Elsass,
Since that deadly expedition in 1996, many, including the survivors of that climb, have attempted to explain why the tragedy occurred. Some emphasized that tragedies like the May 1996 climb were inevitable on the dangerous slopes of Everest. As described in the case, survivor Jon Krakauer recognized that mistakes were made by Hall and Fischer but that analyzing those …show more content…
As expressed in the case, leaders have the power to shape their team members’ perception of themselves and how they interact with other team members in critical situations. Ultimately, these perceptions created constrained relationships between Hall and Fischer’s team mates. This is especially true when considering junior guide Anatoli Boukreev’s input in the case. For example, Anatoli Boukreev, in particular, saw a number of red flags but never raised concern due to his perception that his level of experience proved to be inferior to the other guides (Roberto, 2003). This belief came from his compensation differential between himself and the other guides. Hall and Fischer’s compensation decisions impacted Boukreev’s perception of status, limiting any constructive dissent within the expedition teams. In business, it is important to recognize the power of perception, especially when building teams. In management, if there is limited trust or bonds between subordinates due to misguided perceptions, they are more likely to engage in withdrawn behavior because they are not engaged in the outcome of the decisions (Mulvey, Veiga, & Elsass,