Rutgers University Apollo 13 A Case Study in Leadership Essay

Apollo 13: A Case Study in Leadership

Overview: The movie Apollo 13 serves as a lesson in leadership and how important communication was to the true story of a space flight that went wrong. The year was 1970, just one year after man first walked on the moon, when Apollo 13 went up in space as a routine space flight. More than 200,000 miles from Earth, Apollo 13 became crippled. The crew radioed Mission Control where they heard the now famous words, “Houston, we have a problem.” Tune in to see how the space shuttle crew and Mission Control worked together to tackle the seemingly impossible task of bringing the crew of Apollo 13 home safely.

Themes to look for: leadership, communication, team and group dynamics, trust, responsibility

Apollo 13, Universal Pictures, 1995. 2 hours, 20 minutes long.

CAST:

Tom Hanks plays Jim Lovell, the mission commander

Ed Harris plays Gene Kranz, the flight director

Bill Paxton plays Fred Haise, the lunar module pilot

Kevin Bacon plays Jack Swigert, the command module pilot

Gary Sinise plays Ken Mattingly, the original Apollo 13 command module pilot

ASSIGNMENT

Watch the movie Apollo 13 and pay close attention to how the movie illustrates the various concepts we have covered in this course. Scroll down to find a series of questions based on the movie. When answering the questions, be sure to include references to the various concepts and elements from the text when answering the questions. Respond in a question/answer format (meaning include the original question and your answer). Submit your paper by 11:59pm on 3/22.

When answering the questions, keep in mind the reason why we are viewing this movie…to illustrate leadership concepts in organizations. As such, all of your answers should incorporate leadership concepts as demonstrated by the characters, situations, etc. in the movie. You are not limited to Chapter 8 when looking for support for your answers.

Your paper should be approximately 5 – 6 pages, 1 inch margins, and Times New Roman/Arial in 12-point font, double-spaced. Write your assignment in a question and answer format and number your responses. Of course, papers should be organized, thorough, with proper sentence structure and grammar. Include page numbers when you cite the text. Please include your name on your paper.

FYI: Some students have asked where they can find the movie. The movie can be rented from community libraries or possibly on-line as well and typically can be purchased at many stores (Target, etc.) in the discounted movie area at an inexpensive cost. It may also be available on NetFlix or On Demand. You can also get it from Amazon Instant Video and watch it on your PS3, Xbox, Kindle Fire, iPad, PC and other devices. Also if you Google it, you will find it available on You Tube, Amazon Video, Vudu, and Google Play Movies & TV.

QUESTIONS

1. Lovell mentions in the movie that everyone plays a part in putting a man on the moon – even the person sweeping the floors. Why is that an important leadership concept to embrace?
2. When Lovell, Haise, and Mattingly are in the flight simulator for the first time, what is their relationship? Describe the interaction between the crew.
3. Why was there so much trust among the three members of Apollo 13? How did this add to their relationship and ability to approach this space flight?
4. When the simulation was over what did Mattingly want to do and how did he handle communicating his wishes to Lovell and Haise? How did they respond to him?
5. When Mattingly was diagnosed with measles, what was Lovell’s reaction to Swigert joining the team? How did this decision affect the trust the team had built? Could Lovell have handled this differently? If so, how?
6. When Swigert got into the simulator for the first time, how did the drill go and how was it handled? What was Lovell and Haise’s reaction?
7. The center engine #5 quit shortly after takeoff. How did the crew of Apollo 13 and the ground crew handle this crisis? What was key to their success?
8. When Lovell says “Houston we have a problem”, describe Gene, the flight director, Kranz’s reaction. How does he handle the onset of Apollo 13’s major accident? How did this impact those working around him?
9. What was the most important thing that Kranz did when Lovell questioned the command about shutting off the valve to the 0₂ tanks?
10. When Kranz said “Forget about the flight plan. We have a new mission. How do we get our people home?” to the flight controllers, how did they respond? He then considered several options before making a decision on how to handle the situation. How was this helpful and necessary in reacting to this crisis? What type of leadership was he demonstrating?
11. Mattingly returned to the flight control to work through the start up and re-entry procedures. What role did he play? Describe his devotion to duty, knowing that he had been bumped from the flight crew? What does this demonstrate about his character and approach to leadership?
12. Describe how the ground crew worked to troubleshoot the O₂ problem (putting a square peg into a round hole). How effective are they in conveying their solution to the Apollo 13 crew? What obstacles did they face?
13. In time of crisis, what is the relationship of the Apollo 13 crew? How are they interacting and communicating? Once they have re-entry procedures, does the relationships/interactions of Lovell, Haise, and Swigert change? If so, how?
14. Why did Lovell call the mission “a successful failure”? What became the final objective to this mission? How was it accomplished?
15. What leadership lessons did you take away from watching this movie?