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In the Death Zone: A study of limits in the 1996 Mount Everest disaster

Sue Tempest

Nottingham University Business School, sue.tempest{at}nottingham.ac.uk

Ken Starkey

Nottingham University Business School, kenneth.starkey{at}nottingham.ac.uk

Christine Ennew

Faculty of Social Sciences, Law and Education at the University of Nottingham, christine.ennew{at}nottingham.ac.uk

This article examines the May 1996 Everest disaster through the lens of limits and liminality to provide an alternative interpretation of the significance of the event as a counterpoint to existing accounts. The Everest disaster is an example of management under the most extreme conditions and also an example of a common managerial mindset that is prevalent in the literature on leadership and strategy that anything can be achieved by organizations with appropriate strategic intent and leadership. Rather than focusing upon how disaster could have been avoided by better management, we trace the roots of the disaster to the impact of liminality in extreme conditions and we consider the implications for organizations with liminal team members, a condition that is becoming more prevalent in contemporary organizations.

Key Words: leadership • learning • liminality • limits • management • organizational theory • teams

Human Relations, Vol. 60, No. 7, 1039-1064 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0018726707081157
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M. Elmes and B. Frame
Into hot air: A critical perspective on Everest
Human Relations, February 1, 2008; 61(2): 213 - 241.
[Abstract] [PDF]