Navy Captain's Perilous Call on Warship Safety Bypass
Source: hbsp.harvard.edu
- A U.S. Navy shipyard manager faces a stark choice between following orders that violate safety rules or risking her career.
- The case highlights tensions in a $1.2 billion overhaul project for the USS *Zumwalt* destroyer amid tight deadlines and 35% staff shortages.
- Her decision could delay the project, expose safety risks to sailors, or lead to personal professional fallout.
The Harvard Business School case study follows Captain Mary Baxter, a top manager at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, as she grapples with a directive to bypass required safety inspections on a critical warship repair project. Involved parties include the Navy's program office pushing for speed, her shipyard team facing burnout, and sailors whose lives depend on the work. The core dilemma pits ethical leadership against bureaucratic pressure, showing how one manager's call impacts national defense