Leadership and Supervision Issues in Nathaniel Philbrick’s In the Heart of the Sea Essay Example for Free

Leadership and Supervision Issues in Nathaniel Philbrick’s In the Heart of the Sea Essay Nathaniel Philbrick’s In the Heart of the Sea describes the tragic final voyage of the Nantucket-based whaler Essex in 1820. The Essex was a floating factory, a comparatively small but sturdy vessel designed to travel great distances to find, kill, and process whales, thus yielding the extremely valuable whale oil and other products. In the Heart of the Sea also describes a series of errors, mishaps and miscalculations—often with fatal results—in the management, leadership and supervision of the enterprise. These events, despite the distance in time, provide scenarios to compare and contrast present-day concepts of leadership and supervision. The story of the Essex illustrates numerous instances of (a) poor planning before and during the journey, (b) poor staffing decisions before and during the journey, (c) indecisive and/or poor leadership and (d) poor supervision which contributed to the difficult journey, the sinking of the Essex and the horrible aftermath. Typical of the practices of the era and locale, Essex was captained, but not owned and provisioned, by a sailor-officer who had risen through the ranks. This would be the first command voyage of Captain George Pollard, Jr. By all accounts he had successfully risen to First Mate of the Essex on previous voyages and was given captaincy when the former captain was given a newer and larger vessel. Unfortunately he inherited a worn ship soon to be out of commission. Accordingly the owners spent as little as possible on repairs of the vessel and even less on provisions for the multi-year cruise. There is no indication Pollard had any input in either decision. As this was his first command he was likely to remain in his employers’ good graces and refrain from insisting on better repairs and outfitting. To further compound these initial as well as future problems was the wage payment structure in which Pollard and the crew were essentially working on commission. Payment to officers and seamen alike would be a portion based on rank and seniority paid only if the valuable whale oil was safely in port. Other experienced captains had the ability and option to add to the original provisions. Pollard either decided to set sail despite the meager provisions or was unable to supplement them by his own means. This system strongly contrasts to management practices of the day as well as contemporary practices. Owner-operated businesses were not at all uncommon in the era with a strong â€Å"hands-on† style of leadership. Most striking would be the owner-operated vessels with a captain well-versed on ship maintenance and outfitting. Obviously today anyone would be considered naive at best and insane at worst to take on such a logistical task of any sort without having been given decision-making authority. Today even with companies having distant or publicly held ownership the leadership and decision-makers of the company are urged to â€Å"buy into† the company in the sense of making decisions and leading in a manner consistent with actual ownership. If Pollard can be excused to some extent for the poor decision-making at home port, the disastrous lack of planning during his maiden voyage is his burden alone. After almost loosing his ship virtually at the onset of the voyage he is either unable or incapable of tactical or strategic planning when the Essex is destroyed. With a previously damaged vessel prudence would dictate some sort of â€Å"disaster plan† short of a belief that lightening will not strike the same place twice. While the Essex was sinking it was the foresight of others who managed to salvage essential items. Some decisions defied common sense. Instead of cooking and preparing a substantial amount of available turtle meat he simply placed two live turtles with each surviving whaleboat. Perhaps Pollard did not think the unthinkable could happen again. Such planning and preparedness is not something novel, for his era or ours. It is simply the ability to survive the unexpected and the wisdom to learn from it. Contemporary leadership in management, government, and virtually any other field must be prepared for the unexpected. The unexpected and the disastrous will certainly occur, usually when least expected. It then also becomes a learning experience for leadership to plan and think for the â€Å"unplanned and unthinkable†. Consistent with the idea of poor or non-existent planning was the Nantucket concept of staffing vessels with the unskilled. Pollard’s ship was manned by a significant number of â€Å"sailors† who had never lived in Nantucket nor experienced life on a whaler. Other â€Å"sailors† included inexperienced Nantucket youngsters anxious for their first cruise as well as officers sailing in newly-promoted ranks. It was expected of Pollard and his officers to essentially conduct on-the-job training for the unskilled staff. However, once again, if Pollard can be excused for having to deal with something out of his control, the staffing decisions made during the disaster were his alone. Most glaring was the decision regarding the placement of the survivors in what would become their lifeboats. No consideration was given to skill, ability or health. Instead, it was a system based on whether a sailor was black or white, Nantucketer or not. Apprenticeships and on-the-job training are time-honored practices dating back centuries and still valid today. Both systems are based on both a lengthy or at least sufficient period of time and a non-critical or at least supervised situation. The apprentice or OJT worker will make mistakes and is given the opportunity to make them and learn from them in a controlled situation. Once skilled, the staffing pattern must be developed to maintain whatever production or quality standard is to be met. In an emergency situation such decisions must be made by leadership without being distracted by pointless issues of race, class, or place of birth. Again, Pollard can be shielded to some extent by the customs and practices of his day. Contemporary leaders have no such excuse. Decision-making is often made in the lonely vacuum of sole command, something that Pollard, at times, was unable or willing to do. â€Å"Leadership by consensus† was not something he learned, but he did indeed practice. Additionally, indecision is in fact a decision, and one that eats time. After the initial near-fatal keeling of his ship Pollard commits both errors: he abdicates sole leadership, procrastinates, reverses himself, and by trying to lead by consensus ultimately leads his ship to disaster. Again, forces work against Pollard. To turn back with a damaged empty ship would result in no wages and possibly a loss of command. By deciding to continue the voyage with a damaged ship, lost provisions, and lost whaleboats Pollard was not talking a calculated risk, he was essentially dooming his ship and crew to disaster. Modern management case studies abound with the disastrous stories of managers failing to decide and having that â€Å"activity† yield worse results than a bad decision. Most missions are time-critical and while many, if not most missions can have a built-in method of correcting erroneous decisions there is no method for reversing time lost in indecision. The texts are equally full of the horror stories of leaders who take the â€Å"ahead at all costs† attitude without a realistic appraisal of whether their â€Å"ship† can handle the journey. This inevitably results in the learned experience that â€Å"profitability at all costs† is very unprofitable. After the sinking of the Essex a variety of decisions were made, some based on common sense, or lack of same, and others based on the nautical knowledge of the time. Perhaps the most glaring was the decision to allow the surviving whaleboats to operate in an individual fashion, without tying together during the night. While a questionable seafaring decision, it casts some light on broader contemporary issues. During critical situations, whether a production run or a full-scale emergency it is common sense and a practical necessity to maintain communication and command. Failure to maintain either can jeopardize the personnel and the mission. In the Heart of the Sea is filled with numerous examples of poor supervision. From the very onset there is no indication Pollard really supervised the repair and provisioning of his vessel; it all likelihood he delegated a great deal of this responsibility to his First and Second Mate. There is no indication he did a thorough, hands-on investigation of his damaged vessel after the initial near-sinking. Once whaling he was out in a whaleboat, as was the custom, instead of being in a position on deck to supervise all of the events that would unfold. There is no indication he personally undertook a surveillance of Henderson Island to determine if it could sustain the crew, or in the alternative, if it could better provision the survivors on their continued voyage. During many of the catastrophic events Pollard seemed overwhelmed and incapacitated by the situation. He was unable to command and supervise what can only be described as life-threatening or life-saving activity unfolding in front of him. Once all was lost he decided to allow the boats to go their own way, and was unable to maintain the supervision of survivors when that was his most critical duty. Throughout the disastrous journey the questionable command of Pollard is and will be debated. What is certain is there was considerable doubt at the time that he exercised the decision-making responsibilities in a prudent manner. The captain of a ship and the leader of a corporation must be able to face a situation, whether mundane or critical, and make very quick and decisive actions. First and foremost is the decision of whether to take a â€Å"hands on† approach or delegate responsibility. There is no easy or set answer, and either method can be disastrous, if a leader usurps a subordinate’s better command of a situation or if responsibility is delegated to someone incapable of handling the situation. However, the command of a ship is unique and very similar to many organizational situations in that the leader at the very top is expected to be well-versed and capable of every function in the entire organization. If that is not the case, then the leader must have a clear understanding of his personal abilities and limitations as well as that of all of the subordinates in the chain of command. Throughout the narratives and accounts which the book is comprised of there is mention of, and no doubt that the captain knew his ship better than anyone. However, it became very obvious at the onset that his knowledge of his and his officers’ capabilities was suspect. At only one point was Pollard described as acting with the authority and decisiveness normally required of a ship’s captain. He quickly and ferociously responded to an early â€Å"protest† by the crew relating to what they considered poor rations. His outburst and threatened action quelled the protest and certainly left the crew with no doubt of his intent. However, what is missing is the not-unusual comments and attitude from crewmen indicating complete respect of their captain and their willingness to follow his commands, regardless of outcome, because of their knowledge of him and his ability. It is imperative upon leaders to not just know their workplace, but to know their staff. It is not enough to â€Å"go ballistic† once in a while to let the staff know what will happen if something is discovered amiss or in response to what behavior is not to be tolerated. Command through intimidation is foolhardy; what is necessary of leadership is to prove competency to staff and subordinates to the point where there is no doubt there is respect in the leader’s ability. At that point leadership becomes â€Å"natural† if and when the staff and subordinates believe the leadership will in fact lead, but do so in a manner that takes into account the well-being, if not survival, of all. In modern society â€Å"survival† is often economic survival, and depending on the organization or industry economic survival must be paramount in management’s priorities. Pollard lost on both counts; the voyage was a complete economic disaster and resulted in the deaths of the majority of his crew. The journey was a voyage of poor planning, staffing, decision-making and supervision. It is an epic of missed opportunities and unrealistic goals. It is a blueprint for any manager or leader in what not to do. Leadership cannot afford to be unprepared in any of the areas noted above. Each interact and influence the other, often in ways unanticipated and noted only too late. It is easy, but very necessary to look at situations with twenty-twenty hindsight if lessons are to be learned and errors prevented in the future. There is a host of what-if questions presented by In the Heart of the Sea which every leader should take to heart.

E-Money: Affecting Canadian Commerce Essay -- Economics Economy Essays

E-Money: Affecting Canadian Commerce The text "Out of Control", by Kevin Kelly, is an exciting description of the future as seen by the author, a journalist and optimistic technologist. The predictions presented must certainly be taken as entertaining reading that are intended to inspire visions of the future. The predictions of Kelly have already proven to be inaccurate in the four years since publication. The most glaring example of this is electronic commerce. Canada is quickly becoming a leader in electronic commerce, through online banking and direct payment purchases. The coming cashless society presents several opportunities and problems that were not previously available in the paper money world. Canada is now foremost in the world of electronic commerce. The Interac Network is the busiest per capita on Earth. Interac, backed by the Inter-Members Association, is a conglomerate of financial companies who, 14 years ago, agreed to share technology and a national computer network in order to facilitate the introduction of ATM machines. The astounding success of automated banking and "shared cash distribution" inspired direct payment. According to Interac's web site, in 1998 over 1 billion direct payment purchases were made in Canada. That's 32 purchases a second, 24 hours a day, for the entire year! In Kevin Kelly's Out Of Control, Kelly's flair for dramatic exaggeration is accompanied by unrealistic predictions that I find amazing when considering they were made only four years ago. Kelly predicts that the use of bank issued debit cards will "die on the drawing board" because of lack of privacy, cost of cards, and fees for use. The Interac network, caught in what Kelly refers to as the "fax mach... ...e resulting answers will change how our society operates on its most basic economic level. As we approach a Canada ruled by e-money, it will become increasingly interesting to study the changing issues in privacy, encryption technology, banking ethics, and government control. Works Cited Electronic Frontier Canada: http://insight.mcmaster.ca/org/efc/efc.html Kelly, Kevin. Out of Control: The New Biology of Machines, Social Systems, and the Economic World. Don Mills: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1994. The Mondex Scenario: Transcript. Toronto: CBC Television, March 27, 1997. Rowan, Geoffery. Encryption issue hoists Ottawa onto a tightrope. Toronto: The Globe & Mail, April 22, 1998. RSA Data Security, Inc. Web Page: http://www.rsa.com Tanaka, Tatuso. Possible Economic Consequences of Digital Cash. First Monday, 1996 (2).

Bracket International Case Study Essay

Case Review The company Bracket International has grown 78 million last year with a cost of goods sold of 61 million. Currently there are three locations in Ohio, Kentucky, and South Carolina. At the Ohio and Kentucky factories are automated flow shops and South Carolina factory focuses on small custom orders and is more of a batched process. However all three locations use a bar coding labels and scanning equipment to monitor and control the flow of material. Currently there are 8,850 items scanned per day at all three factories. The Bracket International employees work 2000 hours each year with a average salary of $5,000. A company is trying to explain why switching to a radio frequency identification device (RFID) system can save money. It will help the company to be on demand operational planning and control. The system could help speed of the process of workflow. Right now the average scan time per items is ten seconds. The ten seconds does not include the employee walking to each location to scan the bar code or replace any demanaged bar code tags. An average replacement of a tag can take as much as five minutes. To purchase a radio frequency identification device for all three locations will cost around $620,000 plus for the software programming and debugging another $480,000. There could be an error with the computer unable to read the scan and the company believes the items is lost or not recorded in the Bracket International system. This could be cost error on the equipment. This system could cut down on audits because it is a readily location inventory. Bracket International has lost a job averaging around two million per year from Wolf Furniture because they were not able to react quickly enough to change in job specification and order size. The Home Depot is expressing Bracket International needs to be more flexible and wants the radio frequency identification. The Home Depot is Bracket International number one supplier. Related Information to Text After reading about Technology and Operation Management section in our text book it give me an understanding of the different type of technology out there. According to the text they do speak about radio frequency identification and explains this technology is considered hard technology. Using technology can have a huge advantage for companies whether it be from productivity improvement from technology or cost savings from technology. Discussion Questions 1) Some advantages of radio frequency identification technology are simple to install or inject the body, human intervention is required to scan a barcode, where in most application a tag can be detected with hands off, have a long reading range, has read/write memory capability, and is able to scan without having to physically scanning (Advantages of RFID 2009). Some disadvantages are difficult to read if tag is in liquid because liquid reflect the radio waves, dead area and orientation problems, security concern, ghost tags, and high cost (RFID FAQ & Tutorial 2010). How do they compare to barcode scanner? There is no line of sight requirement, the tags can stand a harsh environment, long read range, portable database, multiple tag read/write and tracking people, item, and equipment (Pandey, K., 2010). 2) There are a few paybacks for the RFID. One of the payback could be reduce the amount of time it takes an employee to search and found the barcode take ten second while the RFID system is done in 2/100ths seconds. Another payback a RFID system does not having to redo labels that could take over five minutes. The company will be able to reduce inventory because the new system will be done in real time allowing supplier to see what needs to be restocked. All these things have a cost advantages to making the switch. 3) I think the short term would be to start doing research and getting an understanding of what it really takes an employee to do their job. Job shading would give a leader an true understanding of how long it will take to do thing. After the short term happens the long term would be doing the calculating to see if the cost advances to purchasing the equipment. If the company decides to move forward with purchasing the equipment they will need to get the employees to buy into this new equipment. Reference Advantages of RFID. (2009) Retrieve November 6, 2010, from http://www.activewaveinc.com/technology_rfid_advantage.php Moscatiello, R. (2010) Advantages of RFID. Basic Concepts in RFID Technology. Pg. 1 Pandey, K., (2010) Advantages and Disadvantages of RFID Technologies. Retrieve November 6, 2010, from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-rfid-technology.html RFID FAQ & Tutorial (2010) Retrieve November 6, 2010, from http://www.idautomation.com/rfid_faq.html#RFID_Advantages

The Slavery Of The North And South - 949 Words

No one issue can be claimed as the dominate issue that produced The Civil War. The war was caused by many disputes such as sectionalism, expansion of slavery, and abolitionist. Although there were many issues some were consider to be much more influential than the others. These include sectionalism and the expansion of slavery. The North and South could not seem to stop arguing over the expansion of slavery to the west as well as their many differences in other areas. The southern economy being primarily agricultural did not allow for much social mobility. The southerners also lacked in areas such as industrialization. Northerners were sickened by the lack of industrial expansion and believed the lack of social mobility in the south was caused by slavery. These economic differences helped the beginning of the split that would lead to the Civil War. After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 growth in the America’s heightened and it was clear that the issue of slavery would come up once again. Congress needed to form a practical guide to the expansion of slaver into the newly gained western territory. National Debate was sparked once Missouri applied for statehood as a slave state, but luckily congress agreed upon a series of arrangements called the Missouri Compromise. In 1820 congress agreed that Missouri could join the states as a slave state as long as another state, Maine, was admitted as a free state. This agreement allowed for the balance between slave and free states toShow MoreRelatedNorth and South on Slavery1040 Words   |  4 PagesThe North and South have very different views on slavery. This has lead to lots of tension and fighting. When people were first settling here they had slaves. It has been going on for almost 100 years. Starting around the Revolutionary war the North became opposed to slavery. They had le ss use for them as time went on. The South, on the other hand, felt they needed slavery. They had to harvest tobacco and cotton as fast as possible. They knew they couldn’t do it themselves so they bought lots ofRead MoreSlavery Issues Of Slavery Between North And South848 Words   |  4 PagesSlavery Issues The issues of slavery between North and South was indirectly the cause of the beginning of civil war. Since the North changed their minds about the black population, they had a difficult time with the South, with they believe that Africans had to serve white people. So the problem between the North and South wasn’t something new, it was happening since the government was trying to prevent spread out of the slavery across America, as a result, South started to create, manipulate, andRead MoreSlavery in the North and South of the US Essay588 Words   |  3 PagesSo many people wanted slaves, especially in the South. They had more farms than they could handle on their own. 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Despite theRead MoreThe Election Of 1848 And Emerging Sectional Divide Between The North And The South Over The Issue Of Slavery1708 Words   |  7 PagesSemester Long Research Paper The election of 1848 revealed and emerging sectional divide between the north and the south over the issue of slavery. The was the 16th presidential election held on November 7, 1848. Zachary Taylor, who was a member of the Whig party won over Martin Van Buren of the free soil party. Slavery was defined as a legal or economic system in which principles of property law were applied to humans allowing them to be classified as property, to be owned, bought and sold accordinglyRead MoreSectional issues leading up to the Civil War, how the North South and West felt about states rights, tariffs, western land policy, mexican war, secession and how all these linked back to slavery.1364 Words   |  6 PagesAmerica. Not only did this war bring an end to slavery but also paved way for numerous social and political changes. The country had already been torn by the negative trend in race relations and the numerous cases of slave uprisings were taking their toll on the country s political and so cial structure. The country was predominately divided up into 3 sections, the North, the South, and the West. Each of these groups had different fundamental interests. The North wanted economies depending on farming, factoriesRead MoreEssay on Emancipation1140 Words   |  5 Pagessociety between the North and the South. The war divided the country between the North (Union) and South (Confederate). There were many factors that led to the war and the chief ones were political, social, and economic differences between the North and the South. Slavery was a major issue that triggered the American Civil War. Basically the South wanted and needed it and the North did not want it at all. The South was going to do anything they could to keep it. Slavery and slave trades had