Business Case Studies & Business Publications

K2: Brotherhood of the Rope (B)

Clawson, James G.,...

Case

K2: Brotherhood of the Rope (B)

Clawson, James G.; Yemen, Gerry

OB-0962 | | 10 pages Case

Collection: Darden School of Business

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Chris Warner led a team of experienced mountain climbers on an expedition to reach the summit of K2?the second-highest in the world. After failing to succeed on their first few attempts, Warner and his team brought together other teams hoping to reach the summit, and representing eight different countries, to work together for success. Their story is a narrative full of examples, where in some instances, a leadership point of view was taken, and other times it was not. The successes and failures of the expedition's approach makes for a story bursting with real-world examples and offers an exciting framework to house theoretical concepts about team-building and leadership. Although grounded in the written cases, the series also includes an optional a multimedia supplement offers compelling photos and video for students and instructors. After working together with several other international teams to reach the K2 summit, the descent becomes extremely dangerous. The B case finds the climbers in the midst of a raging blizzard. With a missing Italian mountaineer, a Czech climber suffering from hypothermia and cerebral edema and the theft of a critical survival tool, Warner must decide whether to go look for the missing climber or try to get his expedition off K2 safely.

This case series (1) encourages students to explore events in their own lives that have shaped their values and assumptions about management, teamwork, and the direction of their lives; (2) offers an introduction to the essential elements of world-class performance, team structure and leadership, and finding purpose in life; and (3) examines characteristics of high-performing teams.