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| (C) Strings Magazine |
"Contrary to popular mythology, Titanic was never described as 'unsinkable' without qualification until after she sank."
—Richard Howells
Did an iceberg in the North Atlantic cause the RMS Titanic, the world's largest vessel, to begin sinking around 11:40 p.m. on April 14, 1912, off Newfoundland? Less than three hours later, the ship plunged 12,500 feet or 2.5 miles at a speed of 35 to 40 knots (40 to 46 mph), leaving an impact on the sea floor that is still visible today.
Of the 2,224 passengers and crew, nearly 1,500 died in that preventable tragedy.
Damaged from the inside out
Or maybe it was something else, such as a broken organizational culture at Harland & Wolf, the Titanic's Belfast builder, or the White Star Line headquartered in Liverpool, England, which owned and operated the luxurious ocean liner.
"The Titanic was doomed from the start due to a flawed corporate culture," concluded Darry Wright, a senior global executive with EY Canada who studied the accident.
"It was not the iceberg that led to the downfall of the ship; rather, it was a culture of overconfidence, narrow-mindedness—and a lack of balance between innovation and risk. Leaders who did not acknowledge the intrinsic flaws (rivet failure and open portholes) in the ship's design," Wright added.
How dangerous is it to overestimate our abilities or knowledge when needing more expertise in a particular area? Very. (Dunning-Kruger effect)
The Titanic's crew and modern management have this in common—the practice of ignoring legitimate warnings.
On April 14, 1912, a British merchant ship, the SS Mesaba, sent a radio warning about an ice field with large icebergs and heavy icepacks. That message never reached the bridge. At 10:55 p.m., the SS California radioed the Titanic, saying it was stopped and "fully surrounded by ice." The Californian's crew later misinterpreted Titanic's calls for help.
Before leaving Southampton, Captain Edward Smith knew the drift ice field was larger and further south than in previous years.
At the time of the accident, the Titanic was sailing at 22 knots (25 mph), two knots below its maximum speed.
The Titanic Syndrome lecture links an overreliance on past success to the night's complications. The captain and crew were experienced at sea under normal sailing conditions. But how can a spotter see afar with the binoculars missing in the Crow's Nest? Or what does a captain do after hitting an iceberg with insufficient liferafts onboard?
Organizational icebergs
The International Ice Patrol says an iceberg is a piece of freshwater ice over 15 meters or 16 yards long that has broken off a glacier or ice shelf and is floating freely in the water. Icebergs vary considerably in size and shape.
According to the Polar Times, the largest iceberg on record was sighted by the USS Glacier on November 12, 1956, west of Scott Island in the South Pacific Ocean. At 335 by 97 kilometers (208 by 60 miles), it was larger than Belgium. A study by The Ohio State University suggests that about one-tenth of the volume of an iceberg is above water and follows Archimedes' Principle of Buoyancy.
Two of the biggest icebergs threatening businesses and nonprofits are the absence of mutual trust among colleagues and an inability to recognize emerging internal and external realities. Both contribute to strenuous transitions when changes are needed with people, products, or services.
Broken cultures sink strategies.
MIT research shows that it takes more than a narrative to repair cultures, as there is often a gap between what is said and what is done. That study says 88% of employees report a lack of organizational preparedness in facing new challenges.
Repairing the damage includes finding the glue to hold everyone together, clearing out the noise overtaking vital communication, and clarifying what is unique and special about the enterprise.
Saying it, talking about it, and writing it down doesn't make it so.
Small holes—sizeable destruction
A 1996 exploration of scientists and engineers underwritten by the Discovery Channel found six thin openings across the Titanic's starboard hull, which were likely the cause of its physical demise. The total area of damage is 12-13 square feet or less than the area of two sidewalk squares.
"It was not the size but the placement of the openings across six watertight holds," says William H. Garzke Jr, a naval architect. "Everything that could go wrong did. Those half-dozen slits let in 39,000 tons of water, sinking the Titanic," the investigators wrote.
Would there have been less damage at slower speeds? The experts say yes.
Under the right conditions, any ship can sink.
Paying respects
On June 18, 2023, a month before our Transatlantic Crossing on Cunard's Queen Mary 2 from Brooklyn, New York, to Southampton, England, the Titan submersible imploded while on an exploration of the Titanic site. All five on board were killed. Stockton Chase, CEO of OceanGate, Titan's owner, was among those who lost their lives that day.
Warnings about the Titan's safety were widely shared but not addressed.
As the QM2 approaches the coast of Newfoundland heading eastbound, the Titanic site is displayed on a screen in the cabin. Captain Andrew Hall announced on this trip that the QM2 would sail north of the Titanic site. The horns will blast to pay respects to those whose lives were lost on that fateful voyage 111 years ago.
At the Sunday worship service sponsored by the QM2, the congregation sings the British hymn, "Eternal Father, Strong to Save." Written in 1860 by William Whiting, the anthem was inspired by the dangers of the sea described in Psalms 107.
The last word
The BBC reported that one of the Titan submersible crew's final messages was, "All good here."
The surviving second officer on the Titanic, Charles Lightoller, was quoted in the film A Night to Remember as saying, "We were so sure."
This is a tale of two unique vessels, one very large and the other very small, whose fates were determined not from the outside but from the inside out.
As you go about your work, keep that life-saving lesson in mind.
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