Leadership, the Final Frontier: Lessons from the Captains of Star Trek

摘要

As the other articles in this issue of 'CrossTalk' illustrate, the various Star Trek series affected more than their legions of devoted fans. The shows inspired technological developments and taught lessons in diversity and diplomacy. To do that, the shows need(ed) strong central characters that audiences can believe. Foremost among the characters were the five starship captains. Each of them had unique challenges, personalities, and approaches to managing their ships. The individual captains brought different styles to their commands, and each of their styles provided examples and lessons for managers in today's world. Software project managers can learn lessons from the Star Trek captains and how they dealt with different situations. The authors look at the advantages and disadvantages in the approaches used by each Star Trek captain and how managers can use the lessons taught by them. They look at each of the captains in detail and in chronological order as they appeared on the television screen: James T. Kirk, Jean-Luc Picard, Benjamin Sisco, Catherine Janeway, and Jonathan Archer.