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Running head: THEORETICAL ANALYSIS

Theoretical Analysis: The Bonfire Collapse at Texas A&M University

Ryan Crisp

ELPS 419: Leadership in Higher Education

Loyola University Chicago

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Abstract

The tragic bonfire collapse at Texas A&M University in 1999 placed the president of the

university Ray Bowen in a complicated situation that would test his leadership efficacy and

abilities beyond what he likely imagined when he assumed the position. The tragedy shook the

university, its students and alumni, its surrounding community, and the country. This analysis

takes a nuanced look at the crisis through the lens of two theories of leadership and uses the

situation as a means to examine the pros and cons of said theories. The paper concludes with my

thoughts on an effective leadership model to manage and respond to the situation as outlined in

the case study by Joie Jager-Hyman and Joseph P. Zolner at the Harvard Graduate School of

Education.

Keywords: situational approach, authenticity, theory deconstruction and reconstruction,

leadership efficacy, willful blindness

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Theoretical Analysis: The Bonfire Collapse at Texas A&M University

In the wake of the tragic bonfire collapse at Texas A&M University in 1999, the

president of the university, Ray Bowen, faced a daunting leadership challenge. While navigating

the horrific aftermath of an accident that claimed the lives of 11 students and one alumnus and

injured 27 others (Jager-Hyman & Zolner, 2010), he had to foster a healing environment to

support the community as they grieved the loss of these young lives, while also navigating the

delicate waters of the subsequent investigation that he felt should be as transparent and open as

possible to avoid any conspiratorial optics. For the purpose of this analysis, I will focus on two

leadership theories, the situational approach and the authentic theory, which I feel are

appropriate and applicable when considering the Texas A&M case study and the unique

leadership needs of the tragedy. The university traditions and culture will also be examined when

considering the willful blindness that perhaps made this tragedy an inevitability.

Overview of Theories

According to Northouse (2015, p. 93), the premise of the [situational approach] theory is

that different situations demand different kinds of leadership. The thrust of this theory lies in a

leaders ability to be malleable and responsive to the needs of various circumstances and

individuals. This theory is therefore highly dependent on the situation or environment in which a

given leader may find themselves, while also recognizing the variety of human personalities that

will comprise the leaders team (or followers as defined by Northouse) and the ability to adapt

to meet the needs of those individuals. The two major dimensions of this theory are the directive

and the supportive (Northouse, 2015). A leader who successfully applies this theory to their
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practice is able to master the ability to direct and support in response to the situational needs of

the team and environment.

Times of crisis demand authenticity and realness. Therefore, the second theoretical lens

through which I will analyze this case study is that of authentic leadership, which Northouse

(2015, p. 195) defines simply as the authenticity of leaders and their leadership. While this

theory is still in the nascent stage of study, it nevertheless seems appropriate when discussing

leadership at a time of great pain and chaos in a community. Northouse astutely points out that

while this theory may appear simple on the surface, it is actually quite complex due to the fact

that authenticity is broadly defined. Ones notion of authenticity may differ wildly from that of

another, particularly when considering the realness of a leader and their capacity to maintain

authenticity while navigating political and social situations which often force individuals to

forego complete authenticity. I will explore further the intricate facets of this theory in this

analysis.

Deconstruction and examining willful blindness

The case study begins with an emphasis on the psychological and physical toll that the

news of the tragedy had taken on Mr. Bowen, implying that he was in survival mode as he faced

the prospect of leading his university and community through the difficult days ahead. Within

the context of the situational approach theory, the members of the Board of Regents, legal

counsel, and his senior leadership team were his immediate followers, and one of the tenets of

this theoretical approach is the emphasis on treating each follower differently as the evolving

situation dictates (Northouse, 2015). While the situational approach is practical during a time of
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crisis, it doesnt parse out the development levels of the followers or make allowances for level

of commitment. The complexity of human interaction is therefore kept at bay in order to focus

on the black and white view of the directive and supportive role required by the leader in this

approach. When analyzing this case study through the situational lens, its tempting to divide the

followers of Mr. Bowen into these tidy role categories. The upper administration and board are

seeking directive leadership while the student body, alumni, and surrounding community are

seeking the supportive characteristics that emphasize social and emotional support and open

communication. This prescriptive tendency fails to consider the complexity of the needs of these

diverse groups, and also assumes that Mr. Bowen is the sole leader. While Mr. Bowen is

obviously the face of the universitys upper administration, a case could be made that his board

and group of advisors share in his leadership role since his leadership choices are heavily guided

by their hands.

Two vital aspects that are not considered by the situational approach are societal

interconnectedness and demographics. As stated by Wendy Wagner (2009, p. 22), Many

community problems on campus have interconnections that may not be apparent at first glance.

This concept was underlined by James Brown, a 2001 alum of Texas A&M, when he described

the deep-seated traditions and particular culture of the university that resonate throughout the

community. From the outside looking in, you cant understand it. From the inside looking out,

you cant explain it, he said (Jager-Hyman & Zolner, 2010, p. 2). The case study suggests that

most people outside the university could look at the entire bonfire tradition and predict an

eventual tragedy due to previous near-fatal accidents. In reverence to the fiercely protected

tradition, Mr. Bowen and the upper administration of the university were on the inside looking
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out, to use Mr. Browns analogy. The reactive approach to leadership employed by Mr. Bowen,

considering the limitations of the situation, perhaps blinded he and his senior staff to the realities

of a potentially dangerous enterprise.

In deconstructing the situational approach, it is vital to examine the willful blindness

employed by the president and administration of the university, particularly when considering

previous fatalities and accidents. Two students had previously been killed in accidents related to

the bonfire construction in 1955 and 1981, and the bonfire had collapsed twice in 1957 and again

in 1994 without serious resulting injuries. While these were the most notable cases, the bonfire

construction had also been the impetus for numerous acts of vandalism, mischief, and destruction

of property since the tradition began (Jager-Hyman & Zolner, 2010). The bonfire construction

and ceremony were such a beloved tradition at the university that even students who were

severely injured in the 1999 collapse fought for the continuation of the event which had claimed

the lives of 11 of their classmates.

This case study also requires an examination of the underlying core beliefs of the

situational approach. The theory is reactive, and places the leader in a position that is constrained

severely by the needs of their situation. The leader that employs this theory is not forward-

looking, and would have difficulty seeing the forest for the trees. As outlined by Kouzes &

Posner (2007):

By forward-looking, people dont mean the magical power of a prescient visionary. The

reality is far more down to earth. Its the ability to imagine or discover a desirable

destination toward which the company, agency, congregation, or community should head.
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Vision reveals the beckoning summit that provides others with the capacity to chart their

course toward the future.

Due to the uniqueness of this situation, it would be all too easy to get lost in the details of

analysis and not scrutinize the immediate response to a tragedy. However, it also must be

considered that the upper administration failed to be forward-thinking in their plans for

sustaining the bonfire tradition by ensuring student safety. Kouzes & Posner (2007) wrote

...this expectation [for forward-looking leadership] does mean that leaders have a special

responsibility to attend to the future of their organizations. This is a failing of the situational

approach as it encourages reaction rather than long-term vision.

Mr. Bowen employed the authentic theory of leadership in his response to the

controversial issue of whether the subsequent investigation should be open or closed. As outlined

by Jager-Hyman & Zolner (2010), Mr. Bowens desire for an open and transparent investigation

was driven by his desire to avoid any optical suggestion of a cover-up. This tactic resulted in the

creation of an independent body known as the Bonfire Commission to determine the cause(s)

of the collapse.

As defined by Avolio, Walumbwa, & Weber (2009), authentic leadership is composed

of four distinct by related components: self-awareness, internalized moral perspective, balanced

processing, and relational transparency. (Northouse, 2015, p. 196). In the case of Mr. Bowen,

one could deduce from his actions following the tragedy that his internalized moral perspective

guided his hand. However, under scrutiny, it must be considered that this moral element is

ambiguous. Morality is ultimately subjective and broadly defined. The case study suggests that

his determination to conduct a transparent investigation, which on the surface aligns with the
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communitys need for trustworthy leadership, was actually guided by his desire to avoid

controversy. This is the point at which the two leadership theories analyzed here begin to

overlap. Was he being true to himself and his core values by pursuing a transparent inquiry, or

was he being true to the needs of the situation and the community?

Delving deeper into this line of thought, Avolio and Gardner (2005, p. 320) argue

Although definitions of authenticity abound, many suffer from the common mistake of

confusing authenticity with sincerity. Application of this leadership theory makes myriad

assumptions about Mr. Bowens internal processing. Only he knows if his outward actions are in

alignment with his core beliefs, thoughts, and emotions. Furthermore, Erickson (1995)

emphasizes the importance of the word relative when considering authenticity. Erickson

(1995) and Heidegger (1962) describe authenticity as not an either/or condition, i.e., people are

never entirely authentic or inauthentic. Instead, they can more accurately be described as

achieving levels of authenticity. (Avolio & Gardner, 2005, p. 320)

In examining these levels of authenticity, we must deal with the flow of power at play in

Mr. Bowens situation. The case study emphasizes the pressure felt by A&Ms senior

administrative staff from the press and various media outlets to speculate on the cause of the

collapse. Due to the fact that no one knew the cause for certain, they remained silent. This

decision had a whiplash effect as the non-responsiveness caused further speculation and rumors

to abound. While it may have fueled conspiratorial optics from the outside, the senior

administrative were nevertheless displaying authentic leadership from their perspective as they

didnt wish to sway the findings of the Bonfire Commission with unsubstantiated claims. The
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question remains, however, whether or not the senior administrative staff were truly acting from

a place of authenticity or self-preservation.

The notion of authenticity in leadership forces discussion of the psychological traits of

the leader(s) in question. We can make assumptions about the steps Mr. Bowen and senior staff

took to achieve their high-level positions with A&M, and some of those assumptions would

likely include the possibility that they did not maintain authenticity at all times throughout their

careers. However, the events in their personal and professional lives leading up to the bonfire

collapse no doubt contributed to their ability to manage and response to the aftermath of the

tragedy.

As Avolio and Gardner (2005, p. 333) posit, Many questions remain, such as the timing

and nature of trigger events (planned and unplanned) that contribute to the development of

authentic leadership, the immediacy and duration of its effects, and the rapidity and extent to

which subsequent inauthentic leader actions can undermine prior positive effects. Assuming

that Mr. Bowen would define the bonfire collapse as a trigger event in the scope of his

leadership development, it must be acknowledged that authentic leadership theory doesnt

account for the evolution of ones development. We can view the bonfire collapse in a vacuum

and analyze Mr. Bowens action or lack of action in decisions and situations related to the

tragedy, but questions regarding the events long-lasting impact on his leadership practice

remain. As stated previously, authenticity exists on a continuum, with leaders displaying

differing levels of authenticity or inauthenticity depending on the situation in which they find

themselves.
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Returning to the specific example of Mr. Bowens championing of an independent,

transparent investigation, it is essential that, through the lens of authentic leadership theory, we

explore the relationship between authentic leadership and the levels of self-awareness of leaders

and followers. (Avolio & Gardner, 2005, p. 334). This psychological facet is not fully explored

by authentic leadership theory researchers but nevertheless remains an essential component of

ones leadership efficacy.

Reconstruction and encouraging constituents to carry on

Kouzes and Posner (2007) state People become exhausted, frustrated, and disenchanted.

Theyre tempted to give up. Leaders encourage the hearts of their constituents to carry on. In

spite of the ways the situational approach to leadership falls short, as outlined previously, the

theory is applicable, practical and understandable (Northouse, 2015). It provides the groundwork

for leaders to encourage their followers to press onward, and this notion is never more important

than during the aftermath of a tragedy when followers are seeking certainty in an uncertain

world. The prescriptive value of the theory cannot be underestimated under such chaotic

circumstances as faced by Mr. Bowen and his senior staff.

The malleability of the theory is also a vital consideration due to the fact that a majority

of the university and surrounding community were likely experiencing the standard stages of

grief following the tragedy, and Mr. Bowens application of this theory allowed for a natural

flow as individuals processed the events. An example of how this concept was applied was the

immediate response to the need to communicate the status and well-being of students to loved

ones who lived outside the area. Mr. Bowen in conjunction with staff from the Office of the
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President and the Vice President for Student Affairs managed an extensive support operation to

alleviate concern and enhance communication to address the needs of the situation. (Jager-

Hyman & Zolner, 2010). Ultimately the application of this theory was most successful in the

immediate aftermath, when countless decisions, many with extremely high stakes, had to be

made, and a tragic situation demanded an orchestrated and emotionally sensitive guiding force to

meet the needs of a diverse populace. The flexibility of the directive and supportive leadership

styles that comprise this theory allowed for upper management to simultaneously support and

direct staff, the student body, and the community members as needed, and as their needs evolved

with time.

As Perrow (1970) stated, leadership style is a dependent variable which depends on

something else. (Avolio & Gardner, 2005, p. 327) The authors expand on this concept with

support from Gardner (1993), stating That something else is the historic context in which

they[leaders] arise, the setting in which they function... They are an integral part of the system,

subject to the forces that affect the system... In the process leaders shape and are shaped.

(Avolio & Gardner, 2005, p. 327). This concept of shaping leaders speaks directly to the

authenticity of their leadership.

As discussed previously, no leader is completely authentic at all times. Authenticity,

particularly in positions of high political power as that of Mr. Bowen and his upper

administrators, exists on a scale. When considering the chaos of the aftermath of the bonfire

collapse, even a perceived attempt at authenticity can help establish the communitys desire for

trustworthiness and bring a sense of order to chaos. As stated by Northouse (2015, p. 199),

When tested in difficult situations, authentic leaders do not compromise their values, but rather
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use those situations to strengthen their values. This concept is exemplified by Mr. Bowens

eventual decision to cancel the bonfire indefinitely when it was discovered that a safer alternative

was not feasible under the restraints of the situation. There was a notable student outcry at the

loss of the tradition, however Mr. Bowen operated from his authentic self in making a decision

that he likely felt was better for the greater good. Avolio and Gardner (2005, p. 320), state that

authenticity does not involve any explicit consideration of others; instead, the authentic self is

seen as existing wholly by the laws of its own being (Erickson, 1995). Given the evidence in

the case study, it could be argued that the tragedy afforded Mr. Bowen the opportunity to

discover his authentic leadership qualities. Or, as Bill George suggests in Northouse (2015, p.

199), his true north.

Conclusion

If I were in the situation of Mr. Bowen and his senior staff, I would employ the follower-

focused adaptive leadership theory model to manage the unique demands of such a tragic

situation because, as defined by Northouse (2015, p. 257), Adaptive leadership has been used

effectively to explain how leaders encourage effective change across multiple levels, including

self, organizational, community, and societal. The complexities of this situation demand a more

nuanced approach to leadership with a sensitivity to the intricacies of these various levels. The

unique severity of this tragedy is something that most leaders will only encounter once in their

lifetimes, if ever, and therefore will need the knowledge and ability to adapt and manage

effectively. The individual in Mr. Bowens position must demonstrate the ability to, as defined

by Northouse (2015, p. 263), get on the balcony, which is a metaphor for stepping out of the
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fray and finding perspective in the midst of a challenging situation, and ultimately giving the

work to the people and supporting them in their collaborative efforts.

Northouse draws from the work of Heifetz and his associates to mark the important

distinction between a leader being a savior and a leader as one who plays the role of mobilizing

people to tackle tough problems. (Northouse, 2015, p. 258). This is a crisis so far-reaching that

the president, while serving as the face of the universitys leadership, would need to recognize

that a single person cannot effectively lead without mobilizing various teams to band together

and lead by example.

Adaptive leadership, like the situational approach, is also practical, but it takes a more

nuanced approach that would be more effective at addressing a tragedy. The case study

emphasizes both the students and the communitys desire to be of use in the aftermath, and an

adaptive approach would allow for such an outlet. According to Wagner (2009, p. 27), The

more a person gets involved in the ways that they can, the more experience they will gain and the

more influential relationships they will form. Ones sphere of influence grows as one uses it.

In conclusion, Wagner (2009, p. 51) proposed, Leadership is not stagnant and does not

happen through the efforts of a single individual alone; rather, it is dynamic and collaborative. It

is an evolving process that takes place in connection to others. The foundation of this process is

relationships. A tragic situation like the bonfire collapse is an opportunity to bring people

together and pull them out of the constrained notions of themselves and their abilities. It is often

in times of crisis that individuals accomplish great things, and the adaptive leadership model

could provide the framework for synergism and growth in leadership efficacy.
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