Triumph vs. Tragedy at the South Pole: Outcomes of Diverging Approaches to Strategy and Leadership

In 1911, two leaders—Britain’s Robert Falcon Scott and Norway’s Roald Amundsen—set out to be the first to reach the last uncharted land, the South Pole. Scott, backed by national acclaim, ample funding, and prior Antarctic experience, followed a known route. Amundsen, with little public support and fewer resources, pioneered a new path. The Norwegian polar team returned victorious, while the British team perished in a blizzard.
This case captures the drama in the race to the South Pole, where starkly different outcomes emerged under nearly identical external conditions: The case explores how vastly different approaches to strategy and leadership led to victory for one and tragedy for the other. Through this rare side-by-side comparison, the case brings to light how a leader’s mindset shapes strategy and how distinct leadership approaches influence execution. It is highly relevant to today’s business leaders, who strive to chart their own blue oceans of untapped market space in an increasingly fast-paced, competitive, and volatile world where winning people’s trust and commitment is key to success.

1. There are two core strategic logics: market competing and market creating. Market competing focuses on outperforming rivals within existing rules. Market creating seeks to make competition irrelevant by redefining industry norms—eliminating and reducing taken-for-granted factors while raising and creating new value—forming the basis of blue ocean strategy.

2. Blue ocean strategy enables organizations to create new market space and achieve a leap in value at low cost. It requires focus, a clear departure from conventional practices to unlock new demand.

3. Leaders are fallible when navigating a new market space. Their attitudes toward risk, uncertainty, and learning from failure largely determine whether outcomes succeed or fail.

4. Firsthand discovery helps leaders uncover new value opportunities, reduce risks, and use resources efficiently. Looking beyond industry boundaries enables the transfer of creative practices from other contexts.

5. Fair process is critical for execution. When people perceive the process as fair, they trust leadership and cooperate voluntarily. When fairness is violated, resistance emerges—even when rewards are promised.

6. Innovation does not necessarily require abundant resources or advanced technology. Breakthroughs come from resourcefulness—leveraging high-impact factors creatively. Technology without value innovation risks becoming an expensive distraction rather than a driver for breakthrough outcomes.

7. Neither brilliant leadership, a compelling strategy, nor excellent execution alone guarantees success. Creating a blue ocean rests on the interaction of all three.