Discussion: View Thread

Most of us have grown up with the catchphase "Catch-22". Tonight
(11/12/97), on the TNT cable network, they are airing the movie. Reading
Joseph Heller's novel some 20+ years ago, I can say it was one of the
shaping influences in my life. However, I have never seen the movie--to
my recollection, anyway.

I suspect that many will recognize the operation of paradox in
organizations and how they constrain our actions. It is best to keep in
mind that an overwhelming majority of paradoxes are _social_
constructions.

I believe the movie airs @ 11:30 p.m Central so check your local listings.

______________________
Great Optimism,

Dutch Driver
Abilene, TX
Hm. Telephone: 915.698.7217
mailto:ddriver@cs1.mcm.edu

Speaking of Movies to see:

Sunday I saw an English film, Cold Comfort Farm. It is the story of a
young woman, recently bereft of her parents, who goes to live on a run
down farm owned by her aunt. The family is wildly dysfunctional. It is
the change in the family (individually and systemically) over the course
of the story, brought about by this young visitor, that is fascinating:
it would make a great study in change agency.

David Miron
djmiron@concentric.net

Since others are putting in their opinions on the subject, I thought I'd
add my recent experience with using a movie in my OB class.

For a class on leadership I used a 35 minute segment out of the
movie 12 O'clock High. The movie is about how a General turns
around a bomber squadron. A great example of transformational
leadership as well as a great example of how leaders change
in response to the situation.

What amazed me about the experience was that when I stopped
the video after the 35 minutes, the students complained. They
wanted to see more! I had expected to see them to be squirming
in their seats after the first 15 minutes but they were riveted to
the movie. I told them they could go watch the whole thing and
use it as an entry in their class journals.

The movie is incredibly well-paced and edited.

For tomorrow's class I'm using a couple of clips from One Flew
Over the Cuckoo's Nest for examples on the types of power.

-Martin Martens
Ph.D. Student
Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration
University of British Columbia

Martin,
You did not mention which segment you used. I hope at some
point you will show them the high price of leadership. At the end of the
movie, Peck psychologically loses it because he has become to close
to his men.

It is this part of the film that strays abit. Since he is a
valuable squadron commander, I would not expect to find him leading
bombing missions personally. Rather, it is an extreme example, for
dramatic effect I am sure, of leading by example that eventually leads to
self-destruction.

______________________
Great Optimism,

Dutch Driver
Abilene, TX
Hm. Telephone: 915.698.7217
mailto:ddriver@cs1.mcm.edu

Dutch Driver wrote:

> It is this part of the film that strays abit. Since he is a
> valuable squadron commander, I would not expect to find him leading
> bombing missions personally. Rather, it is an extreme example, for
> dramatic effect I am sure, of leading by example that eventually leads to
> self-destruction.
>
>

Actually, this is normal. A wing commander is expected to lead the wing into
combat (tho perhaps not every mission).

Several of the military services use this film as part of their leadership
training programs. An alternative explanation of Peck's breakdown is the
isolation of command. Left without anyone to unload his troubles on, he
ultimately breaks down. Command is lonely - more so than being the CEO of a
company since few CEOs are asked to order their people into situations from
which some will not return.

Dave Ackerman
Seattle Univ.
ackerman@seattleu.edu

For Martin Martens:

> For a class on leadership I used a 35 minute segment out of the
> movie 12 O'clock High.
I have actually used the whole movie numerous times. I used to use a test
around it, asking students to apply concepts ranging from Tichy's
three-stranded strategic "rope" to influencing strategies.

> For tomorrow's class I'm using a couple of clips from One Flew
> Over the Cuckoo's Nest for examples on the types of power.
If you want to look at influence strategies, try the first 45 minutes of
"The Magnificent Seven." They're all there: strength in numbers, building
good will, direct appeal, threats.

Emily Schultheiss
Why settle for surviving...when you could be thriving?

Following the thread on movies in leadership, I use Dead Poets' Society
as a representation of leadership. Once you ask the students to view
the film with the purpose of looking for leadership themes, they seem to
spill out. Concepts such as risk, change, values, ethics, mentoring,
vision, trust, and transformational (Keating) Vs. Transaction (the
School) leadership emerge. It really works well, even a few tears.
Cheers,
Mark Testa

______________________________________________________
Mark R. Testa, Ph.D.
Department Chairman for Academic Studies
Associate Professor

Johnson & Wales University
1701 NE 127th St.
North Miami, FL 33181
(305) 892-7552
______________________________________________________

"You can alter the conditions of your life,
by altering your attitudes of mind"

I'm not sure what you're getting at, but in as much as this is the
management list, what about GlennGarry GlennRoss?

This was an excellent movie that explored the dynamics of selling in a
badly biased company.

michael weisman
mweisman@packet.net
tampa, florida
-------------------------------------------------------------
CHAOS IS MERELY A FUNCTION OF
THE GRANULARITY OF THE SAMPLE

It might be well at this point to post a detailed reminder that using
film videos rented for home use in classroom instruction is a violation
of copyright unless clearance has been obtained.

Another movie to see (but not rent for home use and then show to
students.... :-] ) -
ZULU - a dramatisation of an actual event that occurred during the Zulu
wars of the late 19th century. Even though it is dated (made in 1963)
and contains some fairly graphic scenes of warfare, there are many
lessons coming from it, including 'disputed' leadership (two officer in
dispute about who whould command the group), 'iconic' leadership (a
Colour Sergeant who provides a focal point of calm and solidity),
'assumed' leadership (a soldier who takes on the role of sub-group
leader where none has been nominated), 'individual' or 'team-centred'
leadership (where individuals of equal rank assume responsibility for
their own leadership.

This film isn't to everyone's taste but well worth looking at.

PHIL RUTHERFORD
robnphil@ozemail.com.au