I was going through my old pictures and came across the picture of Fram, a Norwegian exploration vessel, from the Fram museum in Oslo. It immediately reminded me of its story – the ingenuity with which the ship had built adaptability into its design.
Prior to design of Fram in late 19th century, while there was lot of curiosity about Arctic and the desire to explore, it was impossible for the ships to reach the North Pole. The Artic Ocean is covered with layers of sea ice; it made it difficult for the ships to navigate. The then existing ships had a flat bottom and weak hulls, making them impossible to withstand the pressure of ice.
Fridtjof Nansen, a renowned Norwegian explorer, developed a radical idea of building a ship that would not rely on brute force to push through a polar ice. Instead, design it in such a way that it will float on ice. Thus, came the unique design of FRAM, the round shape and strong hull, which allowed it to rise above the ice instead of being crushed by it. The higher the pressure from ice, the more it will be pushed up!
In 1893, Nansen led an expedition onboard FRAM to become the first person to reach closer to the North Pole than any other ship before.
Nansen focused on ‘working with the ICE rather than against it’?
Guess, the lessons applied by Nansen applies to us – individuals, teams, functions and organizations. We are daily influenced by what’s happening around us – in immediate and larger world. How often do we resist them? What does it lead to?
Questions to reflect
– Am I resisting to the changes around me? OR
– Am I designed to adapt myself to the external world?
– How can I use the external changes/challenges to make things better?Activate to view larger image,
Perspectives 