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Historians on Leadership and Strategy pp 123–140Cite as

Roald Amundsen in the Age of Polar Exploration: Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the Quest to Conquer the Northwest Passage

Abstract

In the first decades of the twentieth century, the Norwegian Roald Amundsen racked up an unmatched resume of successes in polar exploration, leading the first successful navigation of the fabled Northwest Passage and the expeditions to reach the South and North Poles. This case study examines how Amundsen was able to do so despite having none of the financial or institutional support of his British rivals. The case reveals a number of insights on entrepreneurial leadership in a highly variable and volatile context composed of both social and environmental challenges.

Keywords

  • Amundsen
  • Northwest Passage
  • Polar exploration
  • Leadership in history
  • Entrepreneurship

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The ships were found in 2014 and 2016. There is some evidence that Terror was sailed into a small inlet before being abandoned by its crew.

  2. 2.

    One of Amundsen’s crew members died during this final winter. Most likely of appendicitis.

  3. 3.

    This text is adapted from Gutmann (2018).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Martin Gutmann

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  1. Martin Gutmann
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Correspondence to Martin Gutmann .

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  1. ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Martin Gutmann

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Gutmann, M. (2020). Roald Amundsen in the Age of Polar Exploration: Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the Quest to Conquer the Northwest Passage. In: Gutmann, M. (eds) Historians on Leadership and Strategy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26090-3_8

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