The Everest case also demonstrates how individuals will interact with one another and with their leaders in critical situation. It can shape the perception and beliefs of organization members. Hall and Fischer made a number of minor choices about how the teams would be structured that had an enormous impact on people's perceptions of their roles, status, and relationships with other climbers. Ultimately, these perceptions and beliefs constrained the way that people behaved when the groups encountered serious obstacles and dangers. The perception and beliefs of others can be shaped, by the leader in many ways. In some cases, the words or actions of a leader can send clear signals as to how they expect their subordinates to behave. For instance, Hall did not wish to hear any dissenting views while the expedition made the final push toward the summit. Most leaders understand the power of these very direct commands or directives. However, this also demonstrates that leaders shape the perceptions and beliefs of others through subtle signals, actions, and symbols. For example, the compensation differential among the guides shaped people's beliefs about their relative status in the expedition. It is hard to believe that the expedition leaders recognized that their compensation decisions would impact perceptions of status, and ultimately, the likelihood of constructive dissent within the expedition teams. Nevertheless, this relatively minor decision did send a strong signal to others in the organization. The lesson for managers is that they must recognize the symbolic power of their actions and the strength of the signals they send when they make decisions about the formation and structure of work teams in their organizations.

The Everest case advocates that managers need to connect in a balancing act with regard to confidence, dissent, and commitment within their organizations. First, executives must strike a balance between overconfidence on the one hand and insufficient confidence on the other. Managers must act decisively when faced with challenges, and they must inspire others to do so a

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