What the age of exploration can tell us about avoiding mutiny

Five hundred years ago, the Spanish explorer Juan Sebastian Elcano completed one of the most epic and dramatic expeditions in history: the first circumnavigation of the world , providing further proof that our planet is round. The exploration of the oceans was the beginning of Globalization.??

The fleet of five ships was led by Ferdinand Magellan , who would remain in command until his death in combat in the Moluccas Islands - the spice archipelago in Asia - a year later. Magellan's mission was to discover a southern passage linking the Atlantic with the Pacific, and to reach the Indies from the west, the opposite route to the one followed at the time.?

Under Henry the Navigato r, Portugal began its overseas expansion, boosting trade with Asia at a time when spices were the most prized commodity in the West. Until then, these goods had been shipped overland to Alexandria, on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast. In 1486, the Portuguese Bartolomeu Días rounded what is today the Cape of Good Hope (photo below) at the tip of southern Africa, and a year later, the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama used the route to reach the Indies, tracing the path that would soon establish itself as the fastest way for European ships to get to Asia.?

Magellan and his crew knew the risks they faced, but that the potential rewards were high. The ships left port laden with provisions, which were not enough to cover the entire voyage. For example, the chronicle of the voyage recounts the hardships suffered during the voyage across the Pacific Ocean to the Philippines . How, for lack of food, they had to eat the cowhide that protected the masts from the ropes, softened by the sea water. Or how the onset of scurvy reduced the crew. In those days, an ocean voyage was a test of endurance we can barely imagine: of?the 265 crew members that set out, only 18 survived.

And as with so many other long voyages, Magellan's expedition was not without personal conflicts. Consider the challenges of living together in a cramped space: the crew, except for the captain, slept on deck, because the hold was intended for cargo; the strain of the seafaring tasks and the harshness of the environment. Magellan's challenges were especially arduous because he commanded five ships, with their respective captains at the helm, with one of them, Juan de Cartagena , having been given similar powers of command by the Emperor Charles V . Magellan chose not to share his plans openly with his fellow commanders, a decision that encouraged speculation and criticism. Dissension among the commanders sparked a mutiny in the bay of San Julián, now on the Atlantic coast of Argentina. This was crushed, with the ring leaders executed and others involved abandoned on a desert island, but the rest of the expedition was beset with similar problems. Magellan was killed in combat in March 1421 on the Philippines island of Mactan.

After Magellan's death, Juan Sebastián Elcano took on a leading role, confirming himself as the captain of ship Victoria (photo below), which was to be the only one of the original five to make it home. Elcano's great merit was to complete the circumnavigation of the earth, crossing the Indian Ocean to the southern tip of Africa practically without touching land, in order to avoid confrontation with Portuguese fleets.

Are there any common denominators between this historical episode we can apply today, and more specifically, to understand what drives people to mutiny, aboard ship or more broadly in other organizations?

-Firstly, mutinies need leaders; they also need causes that inspire other people to risk everything. There was a time when the punishment for mutiny was death, often carried out on the spot.?

While that’s not the case in business, there are lessons for management keen to avoid revolts that could challenge their leadership.

-Extreme conditions are not necessarily the sole reason for mutiny, although they may be a factor. Seafarers are accustomed to such difficulties, and while they may provide a breeding ground, they are rarely the direct cause of sedition. In fact, when managed properly, they can be opportunities to foster group unity.?

Similarly, during the recent pandemic, the team spirit was strengthened in companies where communication initiatives, frequent meetings and member support were encouraged.

-Instead, what typically ignites a rebellion is an act, or a decision, that is interpreted as arbitrary or considered cruel. Rebellion occurs antagonistically, as a response to an event that is considered unbearable. Reaction is synonymous with rebellion, and those who refuse due obedience feel that the limits of what is permissible have been crossed and that they are therefore exonerated.

In extreme circumstances such as those experienced on a ship, or in testing times in companies such as during a pandemic, it is especially important to avoid behavior that can be construed as arbitrary or cruel. Remember Herman Melville 's Billy Budd , the story of how the iniquity of a superior officer on board can awaken homicidal instincts in the most innocent and well-meaning of cabin boys (see below scene from 1962 movie Billy Budd, directed by Peter Ustinov).?

In his navigation log, Elcano wrote: "the more we have to esteem and have is that we have discovered and rounded the whole roundness of the world".??A feat that today enthralls us, although the moral progress experienced by our civilization allows us to understand the nuances of the feat. An experience that helps us to understand the roots of leadership and the reasons people mutiny.

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(Title photo above: Spain's Navy training ship Juan Sebastian Elcano about to entre the Magellan strait)

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