page_title: Vasa syndrome
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Vasa syndrome / History
caption_attribution_description: English: The stern of a 1:10 model of the ship Vasa on display at the Vasa Museum in Stockholm. The photo shows the colors scholars believe were used for the sculptures on the original 17th century ship.
context_page_description: Vasa syndrome is a 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 the Swedish 17th-century warship Vasa, a ship that sank on its maiden voyage because it was too unstable.
  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.
context_section_description: Vasa syndrome is inspired by the disastrous sinking of the Swedish warship Vasa on its short maiden voyage in 1628. Vasa was one of the earliest examples of a warship with two full gun decks, and was built when the theoretic principles of shipbuilding were still poorly understood. The safety margins at the time were also far below anything that would be acceptable today. Combined with the fact that 17th century warships were built with intentionally high superstructures (to be used as firing platforms), this made Vasa a risky undertaking.
  Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden 1611–1632, was waging war on the European continent in the 1620s commissioned the ship and insisted on swift completion of what was intended to be the pride of his fleet. Despite stability tests that showed that Vasa was dangerously unstable, she was allowed to sail in August 1628. After less than 2 km (1.2 mi), the ship was hit by a strong gust of wind and foundered in Stockholm harbor.
  The fiasco of Vasa's sinking has been ascribed largely to a supposed lengthening of the ship in mid-construction, constant meddling in minor details by the king (who was abroad waging war) and problems in communication between the various parties involved. Though these claims are today considered to have little support in contemporary sources, the idea of Vasa as a flawed project has remained, especially in view of the fact that she did sink without ever firing a single shot in anger.
caption: A 1:10 scale model of Vasa on display at the Vasa Museum in Stockholm. The richly decorated stern is a sign of the great prestige that contemporary warship enjoyed as symbols of power and wealth.
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