The Swedish navy felt the need to construct a huge battleship, with 64 guns set in two decks, for its fleet. The "Vasa" was a beautiful ship, but it was top-heavy and did not have adequate ballast. On August 10 it began its maiden voyage from the Stockholm harbor. While the crew waved to the king and the crowds, the ship heeled after a violent gust of wind. The "Vasa" slowly righted itself, but moments later it listed again so far that water washed into the lower gunport. To the amazement of the people on shore, the Vasa sank and an estimated 50 lives were lost. Rediscovered in 1956 and salvaged in 1961, it can be seen today in Stockholm.

But the story doesn't end there. How mnay of you have heard of the Vasa Syndrome? The is term used in both management and marketing circles referring to problems in communication and management affecting projects, sometimes causing them to fail. Its basis lies with this Swedish 17th-century warship.

The disaster of the Vasa has been interpreted by management experts to have been caused by problems with communication, goal setting, and adaptability. The sinking of Vasa has also been used as an example for business managers on how to learn from previous mistakes.

With projects large and small there is a need to stay realistic in terms of strategy and project management. Also, organizations need to keep their goals matched to their capabilities. Decision makers need to have access to unbiased (both internal and external) information and there needs to be processes in place that will allow for the flow of information throughout the organization (see Wikipedia).  Obviously the Vasa's construction calculations were wrong. But those errors were never found in review, or if they were, they were communicated the proper managers.

Can a church suffer the Vasa Syndrome? Can your family?