Reference no: EM132890423

Leadership in Crisis: Ernest Shackleton and the Epic Voyage of the Endurance

Case Study Questions

A brief paragraph that answers the question:

1. The crew of The Endurance included both experienced seamen required to sail the ship, scientists, who were aboard to do scientific studies during the trans-Antarctic trek, as well as a cook, carpenter, photographer, and even a stowaway. How did Shackleton diminish the distinctions among the social and professional disparities among all of those aboard so that they would function as a team?
2. Once The Endurance was abandoned due to fear of its sinking under the increasing pressure of the sea ice in which it was entrapped, how did Shackleton attempt to raise the spirits of the crew as they abandoned the ship that they had been living in for 150 days for an uncertain future exposed to the elements on the ice pack of the Weddell Sea?
3. Once The Endurance was abandoned and life began on the sea ice, how did Shackleton handle potentially controversial members of the crew who could cause problems with the morale of the crew?
4. On December 27, 1915, after four days of a march Shackleton had ordered which required the crew to painstakingly drag the ship's lifeboats and some sledges filled with tons of the expedition's supplies salvaged from The Endurance across the uneven and slushy sea ice of the Weddell Sea, McNeish, the ship's carpenter, basically committed mutiny by challenging Shackleton's authority following the sinking of The Endurance. How did Shackleton deal with this potentially contagious behavior?
5. As the expedition proceeded, Shackleton's objectives changed again and again, based upon the weather and sea conditions he faced - first the Weddell Sea port of Vahsel Bay, then Paulet Island, Deception Island, and eventually Elephant Island, where the majority of the crew was eventually stranded while Shackleton and five other expedition members set sail in the tiny whaleboat James Caird to seek their rescue. In spite of these frequent and dramatic changes in objective, what one leadership objective did Shackleton bear in mind throughout the entire two-year ordeal of the failed Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition (no specific page[s] reference[s] is/are required)?