Ethics in Leadership

The "Bodyline" series between England and Australia involved the ethical lapse of a leader whose actions deeply impacted the sport of cricket in a way that still conjures vivid memories. In 1932-33 the English cricket team lead by their captain Douglas Jardine engaged in tactic known as "Bodyline" to secure victory against Australia in a series of matches known as the Ashes. Bodyline refers to a tactic where a bowler deliberately bowls fast rising deliveries aimed at the batsman's head and body in order to limit their movement to parrying the attack, and thereby getting themselves out. The tactic was severely dangerous because in those days there was very little protective clothing that helped batsmen to shield themselves from a cricket ball travelling at 90 miles per hour. I wanted to analyze Jardine's role in this incident because I felt that framing his behavior in the context of leadership theory would help me understand his actions and identify ways in which I could avoid similar behavior in comparable circumstances.

Douglas Jardine had a blue collar upbringing in England in the midst of World War I. He was raised at a boarding school where students faced conditions of food shortage and enforced labor in aiding the war effort (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). These circumstances had a huge influence on Jardine's life and he graduated from his education with a sense of resolve, determination and a patriotic desire to serve and represent the British Empire. The Ashes series between England and Australia was a very prestigious series of games for the English cricket team. In 1930, Australia, which was and still is a Dominion (Colony) of England, had defeated them in a comprehensive manner. Douglas Jardine held an implicit prejudice against Australians and viewed the series defeat as a national embarrassment. He believed that Australians showed a lack of respect for England and needed to be reminded of their place. To him, the Ashes victory was a symbol of Australian arrogance. Jardine wanted to prove himself as a great English captain and he was determined to wrest the "urn" back for England. He was prepared to risk everything on the success of Bodyline - Death or Glory (Douglas).

Jardine's leadership style is best described as an "Individualist" (Rooke and Tolbert). He was a brilliant strategist who prized results over following social norms. He designed Bodyline by watching a video of the best Australian batsman of the time, Donald Bradman, and noticing that he flinched at short pitched deliveries (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). The unorthodox and controversial nature of the tactic did not bother Jardine and those who appointed him captain, knew it. On his captaincy, one of Jardine's old schoolmasters is said to have remarked "We shall win the Ashes...but we may very well lose a Dominion" (Morgan). As captain, Jardine had an authoritarian and commanding nature that established his credibility within his team and he earned the respect of his peers by showing loyalty and a fierce protective instinct against criticism of his players (Australian Broadcasting Corporation).

On the playing field Jardine's single-mindedness blunted the level of his emotional intelligence. He refused to concede an inch to the opposition even if it meant that his key bowler Harold Larwood had to remain on the field after he had broken a bone in his foot (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). This was not a man who could handle failure. Of the 11 personality types that are likely to have a dysfunctional reaction to failure, Jardine can be best described as the Bold Type because of the conviction he felt in his actions and his refusal to acknowledge his mistakes, causing them to snowball (Dattner and Hogan). Jardine introduced Bodyline in each of the five matches in the 1932-33 Ashes series despite facing increasing criticism. Some of his own team raised objections to his ruthlessness but Jardine exercised complete control and treated any doubters with general disdain. He used his position as captain of the team to exercise legitimate power (Stevens) and made sure that he could