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Submitted by
Siji sujathan
Pgdm15
Apollo 13
CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
Q1. How did Lovell deal with stress and conflict in the LEM?
Jim Lovell, Apollo 13 Mission Commander displayed exceptional
leadership to deal with the stress and conflict in the Lunar
Excursion Module (LEM). The crew faced a lot of stress and conflict
in many situations throughout the mission. Lowell was extremely
calm under duress especially when the engine 5 shut down and
oxygen tank blew. He also used humour to relieve tension. Jim used
both Affiliative Leadership and Transformational Leadership.
When Jack Swigert, the Command Module Pilot was ordered to stir
the oxygen and hydrogen tanks by switching on the stirring fans,
the alarms were set off and the mission had to be aborted. Fred
Haise, the Lunar Module Pilot blamed Swigert for destroying their
mission. Jim Lovell mediated the conflict between Haise and
Swigert and at the same time protected the odyssey from the flying
debris as a result of the explosion. As an affiliative leader, he worked
to resolve the issue between the two team members during the
stressful situation and he was successful because of their trusting
relationships built from the beginning. Mediated communication
reformulates understanding of events and strengthens team bond.
When the Apollo 13 was informed that they would not be able to
reach the moon, they were disappointed that it would be their
identity and destiny. Jim Lovell helped the crew refocus their
disappointment to work together for a safe return home. The
intervention of a third party shifts the dynamic of a conflict to
collaboration. Jim was able to motivate his team to continue on.
Q2. How did the CO2 challenge help the crew to overcome the conflict
they were experiencing?
A. As a result of the explosion of the Oxygen Tank 2 which also caused
a break in the Oxygen Tank 1, the CO2 filters got damaged. The CO2
level in the Lunar Module was increasing and if it crossed 15 in the
gauge, the crew members would start facing impaired judgement,
black outs, etc. The ground crew worked on a filter that could be
made with the components available in the module. They had to fit
a square peg in a round hole. They created a model and gave
instructions to the crew to create one before the gauge hit 15. The
crew succeeded in making it and it functioned perfectly and
brought down the CO2 levels.
The team members were less prone to conflict when they are
occupied solving problems. The CO2 challenge tested their
capabilities to the maximum. All the crew members worked
together to resolve the issue under the guidance of the ground team
and when they finally succeeded there was no conflict between
them at all. Commander Jim Lovell approached the issue calmly and
adopted a strategy of resolution with the help of the ground team
led by Gene Kranz. He redirected the energy of the conflict
positively to a common goal, that is, survival.
Q3. During the final stages, how did Kranz and Lovell react to the
conflict between the crew and the medical team?
A. The Medical Team on the ground led by Dr. Chuck had discovered
that Ken Mattingly, who was supposed to be in place of Jack Swigert
was exposed to measles. Apparently, he didnt get them. Jim Lowell
was disappointed about the fact that Ken Mattingly could now fly
with them due to the unfortunate medical results presented by Dr.
Chuck. It was Lowells decision to either continue the mission
without Mattingly or get assigned to a later mission. He had to
choose the former with regret.
As a result of the explosion, the oxygen in the command module
had reduced drastically and the fuel cells needed oxygen and