Adaptive Thinking about Zombie Leadership and Culture

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More than a century after explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton rescued his stranded men from a remote Antarctic island, he remains a leadership icon. His reputation is well-deserved due to his extraordinary courage, devotion to saving the lives of his entire crew, and fierce determination through a 19-month battle to survive during the historic Endurance expedition (1914-1917) to the South Pole.

Those takeaways from Shackleton’s saga are valid, but they exemplify the antiquated and simplistic “great man” theory of leadership. Thankfully, the story still offers other valuable lessons for modern business leaders.

Zombie Leadership and Corporate Culture

The great man leadership theory, including and beyond the sexism, is an example of “zombie leadership,” outdated leadership ideas that refuse to die even though we should know better. The zombie perspective oversimplifies leadership as a small set of idealized leader attributes, such as charisma, while neglecting the roles of followers and situational factors. 

 Renowned MIT professor Edgar Schein said that the most important thing leaders do is create and manage culture. Specifically, he told leaders to move out of rigid cultures and encourage adaptive change processes. Decades later, adaptability is a highly valued cultural attribute, the one most predictive of firm performance. Shackleton’s story is a testament to the necessity of adaptive thinking.

Leadership and Decision-Making

The quality of leaders’ decisions — and the processes used in making them — will determine the degree to which a company is adaptable and its leaders are effective. Processes include the input and choices of people at all hierarchical levels, whose constructive engagement is vital for sustained organizational performance.

Like other good leaders, Shackleton’s good decisions far outnumbered bad ones. But a single bad one can spell disaster, and one disastrous choice is well worth remembering. At the southernmost whaling station, local whalers warned Shackleton that winter ice arrived earlier than usual and urged him to postpone the expedition. He continued forward as planned.

Shackleton, the crew, and the Endurance could have avoided a brutal, torturous ordeal if he had heeded locals’ advice, or if crew members knew of the warning and spoke up.

Development Solution: Purposeful Leadership

Connecting to Today

Highlighting that single decision feels like cherry-picking. But the moment illustrates a common leadership mistake: staying the course despite new developments and choosing a personal preference over other perspectives, even when others truly know best.

Early 20th century polar expeditions faced an external environment that is far different from that of 21st century business, of course. But they did have to deal with volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA). Shackleton and the Endurance crew faced unmapped territory, fast-changing weather, progress and setbacks, and a tricky human element. The existential threats differ, but the challenges and psychological demands are similar. Adaptability was a requirement even for Shackleton and his men.

Vigilant Leaders and Cultures

Managing those circumstances calls for vigilance: thinking about the future (our defaults are to emphasize the present and past), seeking information and clues about problems and threats, and preventing or reducing their negative consequences. In a vigilant culture, employees speak up about problems, feel responsible for taking initiative and preventive actions, and make proactive changes as individuals and in teams. That’s adaptability.

The whalers who warned Shackleton about the treacherous early sea ice were more vigilant than he was, at least in the region he was heading into, where the whalers knew best.

Balance and Breadth

Cultures should be multifaceted — more than one facet but not too many. Vigilance covers essential territory, but its scope is limited, and its focus is negative and preventive. A complementary facet could be promoting positive, ambitious goals. This creates a culture that successfully seeks and captures opportunities to innovate, pursues competitive advantages, increases customer value, and sustains excellence.

Combining a focus on both prevention and promotion provides breadth and balance by reducing adverse outcomes and increasing positive ones. The two perspectives are essential to leading future-focused, proactive, and adaptive organizations.

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Tom Bateman is the Bank of America Professor Emeritus of Commerce at the University of Virginia.