System Redesign of Expedition on Mount Everest

System Redesign - Synthesis/Evaluation

Company and its climbers' preparation subsystem

Letter of transmittal to the person in charge of running the expedition on Mount Everest

The team at the T. Company

Executive summary / recommendation

The current document was created with the scope of supporting the team of climbers to successfully attain their objective of climbing Mount Everest. The scope is that of using our long existent knowledge and expertise in the field in order to provide the climbers with the safest and most valuable experience possible. In order to further enhance the value for the climbers, the current plan is flexible and it would be further adapted to fit the specific needs of the team of adventurers.

The underlying message of the plan is that of focusing on the importance of proper mental and physical preparedness. Up to 80 per cent of the people who annually set to climb the Everest do not make it to the summit. The T. Company strives to reduce these figures by better preparing the climbers to face the challenges and the risks of the mountain.

2. System logic and supporting narrative

1.2. How the system serves the larger system objectives

As it has been mentioned in the letter of transmittal, only 20 up to 30 per cent of all climbers in one year manage to reach the summit of Mount Everest (Adlers). This is mainly the result of insufficient mental and physical preparation. The preparation as such -- which would be addressed at the level of the current subsystem -- is an imperative ingredient in succeeding to climb the mountain. In other words, the subsystem lays the basis and the foundation onto which the other systems would be implemented.

1.3. How the system will work

The system would commence with the initial selection of the climbers. While some climbing assisting organizations strive to include in the plan all those who wish to climb the mountain, the T. Company believes that the team of climber is only as strong as its weakest link. We will as such select the climbers and divide them in teams based on their levels of mental and physical preparedness. Based on the initial levels of fitness, goals would be set for each team, such as the best prepared team would aim to reach the summit, whereas the less prepared teams would accept the possibility that they might not make it to the top.

The second mechanism in the system would be represented by the actual training and preparation of the climbers. The actual actions to be taken at this stage include mental preparation and physical training, but they would be discussed in more detail throughout the Implementation plan section. As the climbers are trained, the trip to the summit would commence and its chances of success would be significantly increased.

1.4. How management should recognize and adapt to behaviors of individuals in the system

A major flaw with this subsystem is represented by the fact that climbers will often travel as a group and might not agree with the possibility of being divided and organized into a new and different group as a result of preparedness assessment. The managerial reaction of this dissatisfaction would be based on open communications in which the climbers are presented the arguments which have led us to implement this system. Additionally, it would be pointed out that this division is not compulsory as it is not imposed by the T. Company, but it is recommended and based on years of expertise. In the case in which the climbers refuse the division as proposed by the T. Company, they accept the risk associated, such as delays and generally reduced chances of team success.

At the level of any other problems and concerns of the climbers, these would be identified and addressed through open communications with the guides and planners at the T. Company, who would transmit the message to the managerial team, which would decide based on the specifics of each individual situation.

1.5. How management should observe and adapt to the changing external environment

The external environment in the current scenario refers to two specific elements. The first is represented by weather conditions, which are crucial in climbing expeditions. The means to responding to this challenge is that of continually assessing the forecasts and advising the climbers based on them. Additionally, company supported climbing sessions would be suspended throughout periods in which the weather poses increased risks. The T. Company suggests late spring and early summer as the best time to climb the mountain.

The second set of challenges from the external environment pertains to the macro society. Some examples in this sense could refer to new trends in physical and mental training, new demands and characteristics of the climbers and so on. In order to address these, the first step is that of the identification through the sustained research and analysis of the climbing society. The second effort is represented by the adaptation of the company and its systems and subsystems to the new challenges in the society.

1.6. Other changes necessary in the larger system to make your system work

The currently discussed subsystem is in fact a newly added particularity of the entire system which strives to increase the chances of climbing success. The training of the climbers has always been present on the curricular of the T. Company, but it has only recently been emphasized as an individual subsystem which would be offered more attention. In this order of ideas then, the subsystem has generated the need for several changes at the level of the entire system. The most important of them refer to the following:

The reallocation of the resources in order to meet the new preparation needs

The hiring of more trainers to physically and mentally prepare the climbers

The acceptance of potential delays in the climbing activities

The acceptance of potential customer complaints

The overall change of the organizational culture from one focused on business gains to one focused on climbing success and safety.

1.7. Implementation plan

The plan for the so far mentioned subsystem would be implemented as follows:

a) the identification of all climbers

b) the assessment of the mental and physical preparedness of all climbers

c) the division of the climbers into groups. Based on their levels of physical and mental preparedness to climbing the mountain

d) the offering of physical training through various exercises, such as weight carrying or mount climbing; we believe that the best way to train for climbing the Everest is that of climbing

e) the offering of mental training by ensuring that the climbers are mentally strong and stable and they understand the risks of the mountain, such as hallucinations or health complications

f) the offering of environmental responsibility training in order to ensure that the expedition would not generate environmental damage

g) the offering of training sessions on any other climbing related issues, such as packing, weight carrying and so on h) the customization of the training sessions to the particular needs of the team members

i) Individual discussions with the climbers in order to identify any important elements which could impact the climbing activity

j) the retesting of the climbers and the construction of the final teams

1.8. Post system assessment and action to be taken

The control and monitoring of the preparation of the climbers would be ensured at all stages of the training processes. The success of the endeavor would be measured in terms of the climbing success rates. In other words, it would be expected that the number of people reaching the summit of Everest and who use the T. Company plan to do so is higher than the 20-30 per cent average of all climbers.

The action to be taken refers to the gradual perfection of the subsystem in order to ensure that the safety of the climbers is increased and that their chances of reaching the summit are also enhanced. The scope of the gradual development is also an organizational one of supporting efficiency.

1.9. Attachments

At this stage of the document, the system design would be revealed at the level of one of the most important subsystems, the preparation of the climbers for the trip:

The following lines reveal the points of importance at each f the subsystem components: