Stanford Business
Summiting requires cooperation and its success is determined by the weakest link. Groups must jointly decide whether to proceed to the peak. Safety, by comparison, is a task in which the party’s most expert member is responsible for success. When survival is at stake, choosing the best route and knowing when to turn back require deference to an experienced leader, not negotiation among group members. Sometimes differences, like levels of expertise, ought to be highlighted, not erased. In such cases, emphasis on cooperation and group decision-making can actually undermine the fact that one opinion deserves to be elevated above others.