Reference no: EM132890892
Leadership in Crisis: Ernest Shackleton and the Epic Voyage of the Endurance
Case Study Questions
When the British declared war on Germany in 1914, Shackleton, who had not yet departed from Great Britain, offered to turn his ships and crew over to the cause of the war in lieu of his planned Antarctic crossing. Churchill responded "Proceed," but given the 20/20 vision of hindsight, would Shackleton's expedition been better dedicated to the war effort?
Due to its relatively flat keel, intended to help The Endurance rise over Antarctic ice floes, the ship's crossing of the Atlantic from the British Isles to Buenos Aires was an extremely rough one, the captain that Shackleton had appointed had failed to institute proper discipline among the crew, and the cook and two seamen had to be replaced at the last minute for drunken desertion while the ship was in Buenos Aires. In addition, while the 69 Canadian sled dogs had arrived, their trainer had not. Given these last-minute glitches, should Shackleton have continued the expedition and sailed for S. Georgia Island?
When The Endurance reached S. Georgia Island, the Norwegian whalers who made the island their base advised Shackleton (but not his crew members) that the ice floes in the Weddell Sea were the farthest north they had seen in living memory. Shackleton delayed a month into the Austral summer on S. Georgia Island, and then, in spite of no improvement in the ice conditions, sailed for Vahsel Bay in the Antarctic Continent. Why was this a rushed leadership decision on Shackleton's part that endangered the expedition from the outset?
Once at sea, Shackleton proved to be quite amiable with the crew of seamen and scientists, who gave him the good-natured nickname of "Boss." At the same time, Shackleton avoided direct arguments or negotiations with the crew, deferring them to Wild, whom Shackleton had designated the Captain of The Endurance, while Shackleton was the Expedition Leader. Why was this an appropriate leadership role?
When The Endurance became trapped in the Weddell Sea ice, Shackleton implemented practices for maintaining the morale of the crew. What were they, and why were they appropriate and effective for the situation?