Leadership & Teaming

Teaming
(Apollo 13)

This case study examines the events of NASA's Apollo 13 mission of 1970. By the end of this course, participants will develop a comprehensive understanding of the Apollo 13 mission of 1970 through an in-depth analysis of the case study. Participants will be able to evaluate key behaviors, trust, vulnerability, communication dynamics, and other critical elements within the Houston and Apollo Spacecraft teams. The course will further explore sub-teams and cross-team collaboration within Houston Mission Control, providing participants with insights into the complexities of teaming in high-pressure situations.

Consensus
(Cuban Missile Crisis)

This case study contrasts the strategies, tactics, and outcomes of the ‘Bay of Pigs’ and the ‘Cuban Missile Crisis’. Participants develop proficiency in navigating complex team dynamics to achieve consensus. Through active participation in an intensive group role-play, participants will apply insights gained from both historical events to simulate decision-making processes in a dynamic setting. Analysis of both events are intended to chart a path to productive collaboration and rich debate.

Teaming
(Operation Provide Comfort)

By the end of this case study session, participants will demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the accidental shootdown incident in Iraq in April 1994, as presented in the Harvard Business School case study, ‘Friendly Fire'. The challenges and opportunities of complex operating models are analyzed, including matrixed, geogrphically dispersed, cross-cultural, and newly formed teams. This course offers a deep exploration of key behaviors, situations, team communication, and multiple leadership styles, ranging from command and control to empowerment, enabling participants to critically evaluate and apply these styles in real-world contexts.

Strategic Alignment
(Everest 1996)

This case study examines the leadership and decision-making process of two climbing teams, and how their team dynamic effected strategic execution and outcomes. In this case study course, Everest 1996, participants engage in a group simulation that requires decision-making and decision-support. Participants will sharpen collaborative problem-solving skills and key fundamentals of making decisions under pressure.Bias-traps, such as availability heuristic, recency effect, over-confidence, and sunk-cost, are examined throughout the session. This experience will optimize participant’s ability to navigate team dynamics, mitigate biases, and ensure shared purpose.

Change Management
(London Symphony Orchestra)

This Harvard Business School case study session beings focus to the team-to-team dynamics of a professional symphony orchestra. Participants analyze and discuss how a conductor manages the challenges of leading multiple teams to a unified outcome, based on the Harvard Business School Case Study ‘London Symphony Orchestra’ set in 1993.

Simulation
(Project Satellite)

This 90-minute experiential exercise will require participants to choose roles and responsibilities as a team. They decide how to decide on their approach to the solution. Groups work together to build an object with a complex set of deliverables and circumstances. They will have to communicate with each other while faced with limitations and constraints. After teams have completed the task, the larger group will debrief the exercise to gain awareness of key behaviors and understand what assumptions were appropriate.