Case Review Mount Everest Factors That May Have Influenced The Outcome Transition From Sport To Profit Influenced Selection Of Climbers Influenced Commitment to Individuals By Leaders and Sunk Costs Decision Making Under Extremely Stressful Situations Fatigue and Oxygen Deprivation Rules Followed and Not Followed Each Contributed to Disaster Following Rule Created Bottleneck-Not Following 1-2 O’clock Faulty Decision Making Overconfidence Bias— Hall and Fisher overestimated the likelihood of their success. Reached top 4 time and had taken 39 clients to the top. Fisher: Got it totally figured out. A yellow brick road to the top. Hall: Worked 39 time before with blokes that were as nearly pathetic as you Fisher: I believe 100% that I will be coming back. I will make all of the right choices. Clients: Krakauer believed that the client were delusional when evaluating their own abilities and skills.

Sunk Cost Effect-People escalate their commitment to a course of action when they have made prior investments of time, money or other resources. –The climbers could ignored the Two O'clock rule. If you are not there by then it is time to turn around, darkness is not your friend. Hanson: I put too much of myself in the mountain to give up now. Krakhauer: People spent up to 70,000 dollars and endured weeks of agony to give up now Cotter: Is difficult to turn some one around when they see the top when they are dead set on going. Breashears: So many hours on the mountain we get past the point here we do not know how to turn around

Regency Effect: People tend to overemphasize information that is most recent (most readily available in memory when making decisions). Take a incomplete sample of past events to predict whether something will occur in the future. –Breashears: several seasons of good weather may have led people to think that weather on Everest benevolent. Weather was so bad for a number of years that no body could climb. –Ron always had great weather and never been caught in a storm.

Lack of Team Psychological Safety.—In teams with high psychological safety team members feel comfortable and feel that they will not be rebuked, marginalized or penalized for challenging the prevailing opinions, they can admit mistakes, express constructive dissent and work more more effectively as a team. –Psychological safety is related to trust and mutual respect. No one questioned Fisher about his own heath and ignoring own rule. –Kraksuer: Clear client guide protocol. Specifically told not to question the guide’s judgment. –Beidleman-I was the third guide. So I did not speak up. –Differential pay to the guides also re-established the pecking order. –Bourkreev: I didn't know the people and as a result tried to play down dissenting views and not be too argumentative.

Complex Systems- Interactions of the attributes of the people, the environment, and the technology were closely linked, problems in one subsystem causes problems in other subsystems resulting in a catastrophic failure. Before Arriving at Base camp a series of problems: Custom problem at border, problems with charter flight plan, labor unrest, difficult negotiations to recruit a journalist. These problems burdened Fisher and disrupted his acclimatization routine creating problems of leadership and decision making later.

Series of small problems compounded themselves –The climbers became sick when arriving at the case camp-cough and intestinal ailments –Some use of spare oxygen at base camp and on assent to the top –A Sherpa became ill and had to be helped down the mountain –Fisher looked ill and could not acclimatization successfully –Assuming that ropes would be attached for the climb-safety procedures required they wait for other before doing this. –Safety procedures created a bottleneck where people had to wait for others to catch up. –Problem in communications due to phone problems –Pittman needing extra help of the Sherpa –Misreading of the gauges on the oxygen due to ice forming on the canisters –Reaching the summit at 3:45 –Failure to reach the summit at the appointed time and not turn around. –Weather began to deteriorate

Critical Issues In The Case –Decision Making Under Stressful Situations –Leadership and Questioning Authority