Leadership and Interpersonal Relations: A Sociometric Study of the 1982 Canadian Mount Everest Expedition

Abstract

This paper is a case study report on the 1982 Canadian Mount Everest Expe dition. The climbers were asked to evaluate each other on the basis of three statements reflecting (a) personal friendship, (b) mountaineering expertise, and (c) responsibility and reliability at pre, mid and post expedition dates. Following two tragic accidents six of the fifteen climbers left the expedition. There were significant differences in interpersonal evaluations between some members of the group who stayed and some members of the group who left. The group who left lowered their evaluations of the leader in particular. The leader's autocratic style was not perceived by some climbers to always be appropriate to the situation prior to the accidents. Once the group was reduced in size and personality conflicts between some who stayed and some who left were eliminated, along with several other situational factors, the leader's style changed and was seen as more appropriate to the situation and the life cycle of the group. Emotional reactions to the directives of the leader were seen as a major factor in evaluating his decisions.

Subcultural Production, Reproduction and Transformation in Climbing

“…It is enough that one's expectancies are structured sufficiently, that through the shared experience of what it is to be a climber one knows that other climbers will in fact behave according to the expectations engendered in the framework. Thus it is possible, as the recent Canadian Everest Expedition indicated so plainly, for a climbing party to fragment and collapse and yet members can still climb together (Bratton, 1983). This can be accomplished despite a lack of friendship only because of the more important, second contribution made by experience.…”

The psychology of mountaineering: a systematic review

“…Furthermore, leadership influenced interpersonal perceptions. For instance, members of a Mount Everest expedition team who experienced a democratic leadership style evaluated their leader more favourably versus those who experienced an autocratic style (Bratton et al, 1983).…”

Group Problem Solving and Anxiety During a Simulated Mountaineering Ascent

“…According to Thomas, Missoum, and Rivolier (1987), any climber experiencing a real-life situation has to deal with complex decision making and problem solving, taking into account not only mapping and technical issues but also available time, weather, and food supplies. Some studies assume that group phenomenon such as cohesiveness, leadership, and group composition can yield crucial outcomes during an expedition (Allison, Duda, & Beuter, 1991;Bratton, March, & Baillie, 1983).…”