Debriefing- Mount Everest 1996

Why Climb Mt. Everest? When is dissent appropriate?

30,000 feet
26,000 feet is death zone
7% death rate

What personal qualities does it take to reach the summit of Everest?

money, physical and mental strength, training, willingness to take risks/persevere, deal with uncertainty,

Do you see any similarities between climbers and UT students pursuing business?

the same

What grade would you give Hall and Fischer?

F because people died obviously; better grade as a climber than a leader

Three Components to Consider

failure at the individual, group and organizational level

Overconfidence Bias

hall and fischer were very accomplished; had tremendous record with successful ascents; overconfidence

Overconfidence with regard to their judgements and choices

they believed that they could do it

Sunk Cost Effect

In organizational behavior it is called escalation of commitment. tendency for people to escalate commitment in which they have made substantial prior investments

SCE

adhering to the 2' o clock rule; if they weren't at the top by then, they needed to turn around. it was ignored. climbers could not ignore the substantial prior investments they made (time, training, money, equipment)

Team Effectiveness

A. team members demonstrate a high level of trust and mutual respect
B. Team members do not believe that the group will penalize individuals for speaking up

Team psychological safety

-its ok to ask for help, admit an error, or express a different point of view
-risk of looking ignorant, risk of looking
incompetent, risk of being seen as intrusive,
risk of being seen as negative
-psychological safety is a function of interpersonal trust and mutual respect
-people feel safe and tend to be more vulnerable with someone they are close to. They would feel less judgement and know that that person meant wellS

Several conditions undermined the psychological safety on Everest

status, leadership, and prior interactions (lack of familiarity)

Conditions affecting safety on everest

- lack on candid discussion among team members about Fischer's health
-each impacted decision-making effectiveness

Complex Systems

complex interactions (different elements of a system interact in ways that are unexpected and difficult to perceive or comprehend), tight coupling (time dependent process for sequence of activities); both occurring at the same time on Everest

Fischer's logistical problems were burdensome and exhausting

prior to final summit push: customs problem, poor weather in Nepal, labor unrest among porters

During final summit push:

assumption that rope lines in place, lead sherpa not at front of pack, fischer was supposed to serve as the sweep but lost contact with team; individually not a big deal but combined it is bad

Tight coupling

time dependent processes, fairly rigid sequence of activities, one dominant path to achieving the goal, and very little slack

Tight coupling + complex interactions

diaster

Examining catastrophic failures

when organizations fail, we often search for the key factor. our natural tendency is to blame one person or one specific event.

Stifling Constructive Dissent

In a climate of psychological safety, individuals are more likely to express dissenting views. Several conditions serve to diminish psychological safety and dissent

This case highlights the impact

a lack of prior interaction decreases likelihood that team members will dissent; deferring solving problems through experts

Learning from Failures

managers should try to learn from others' failures. individuals often attribute their own failures to external factors, but personal characteristics and mistakes cause others' failures

Individual Performers vs Team Leaders

-Technical and or functional expertise enables individuals to earn promotions
-Leading a team requires a distinctive set of skills