Organizations and management at the movies

Citation

Champoux, J.E. (2007), "Organizations and management at the movies", International Journal of Organizational Analysis, Vol. 15 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijoa.2007.34515aae.001

Organizations and management at the movies

Organizations and management at the movies

Welcome to the inaugural film reviews column of the International Journal of Organizational Analysis. This column will describe and analyze film scenes or entire films that work well in a teaching program. The topics covered by the selections will range widely across the disciplines of organizational behavior (OB), human resource management, and management. This first column introduces you to the approach I plan to take.

Each column will have one of the following themes in the order shown:

• •

  Live action.

• •

  Classics.

• •

  Animation.

• •

  New releases.

• •

  Foreign (non-US films).

• •

  Remakes.

You can submit recommendations for film scenes and entire films that you would like reviewed. I will compile and review them for a future column. Please send your recommendations to me by e-mail: champoux@unm.edu. You also can send me questions about film use in the teaching environment.

US copyright law governs the use of films in a USA-based teaching program, whether it is a regular “face-to-face” classroom setting or in distance education. The latter refers to educational delivery by instructional television or in on-line courses. Fair-use provisions of the copyright law allow one to show film scenes in a nonprofit educational environment using a legal copy of the film. A legal copy is one that you have bought, rented, or obtained from a licensed source. The selected scenes typically should not exceed 10 percent of the film’s running time. See Champoux (1999a, pp. 214-15) for a more detailed discussion of copyright issues that apply to using films in a teaching program.

The law prohibits showing an entire film during regular classroom time. You can, however, assign an entire film to individual students or student groups for viewing outside the classroom. This approach works well for student projects, which can include showing selections from the film as part of a class presentation.

Copyright laws in other countries, of course, do not necessarily have the restrictions noted above. I suggest consulting your university counsel for guidance in using films and film scenes in your teaching programs.

Let us now look at some examples of each theme noted earlier. These examples come from films over the period 1969 to 2006. You can watch these film scenes or entire films and compare your reaction to my reaction and observations.

Live action: Top Gun (1986)

Organizational culture is a major topic of OB and management courses. I introduce it with the levels model that describes culture as having physical artifacts, values, and basic assumptions (Schein, 2004, Ch. 2). The Top Gun opening scenes powerfully show these levels in about four minutes of running time. These scenes show a real aircraft carrier crew launching and landing jet fighters. The danger is clear as emphasized by Kenny Loggins’ song, Danger Zone, playing in the background. Deck personnel wear different colored vests that denote their function (physical artifacts). Purple vests are the “grapes” who fuel the aircraft. Hand signals dominate because the noise level prevents oral communication. Values come through in the dance of one person on the successful landing of an aircraft. Values come through again as the landing control officer, telephone in hand, watches carefully as a plane lands. He cares and knows that the danger zone is right in front of him. Basic assumptions are the hardest to see, which is also true in real organizations. Every point I have just made appears in this exciting four-minute sequence.

Classics: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

An important set of concepts about conflict in organizations appears in the conflict episode model contributed by the late Louis R. Pondy (1967). Pondy’s model describes conflict as starting with a latent conflict that lurks about in an organization. Once conditions are right, latent conflict becomes manifest conflict. Perception in the form of perceived conflict plays a role; participants might not immediately know they will engage in conflict. Once conflict starts, emotions create felt conflict. Conflict-reduction methods may help reduce conflict levels, but regardless of the outcome there is a conflict aftermath that affects the next episode.

An early sequence in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid perfectly shows a conflict episode. The scene starts about 11 minutes into the film. Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) and The Sundance Kid (Robert Redford) are riding back to the “Hole-in-the-Wall” Gang’s hideout. They ride through rivers and over beautiful terrain with no thought about an upcoming conflict. Butch discusses some future jobs that could take them outside the United States. On arrival, Butch asks News Carver (Timothy Scott) about why he is packing his saddlebag. Shortly, Harvey Logan (Ted Cassidy) emerges from his hut. He has convinced the gang to rob trains not banks, which was the gang’s founding policy. The latent conflict is in place – goal conflict.

Butch quickly perceives that something is not right. Harvey suggests they fight “guns or knives?”, he says – felt conflict. Manifest conflict quickly follows when Butch kicks Harvey in the groin and then knocks him out. Because Harvey is no longer a threat, this episode may not have much impact on conflict aftermath, an important point to note to students. It also has a positive result. Butch decides they will rob “The Flyer”, a job they pull off with comical success. It is a wonderful seven-minute sequence that perfectly shows a conflict episode and removes its abstract quality almost completely.

Animation: Happy Feet (2006)

Animated film has some unique qualities that powerfully show many concepts we teach in our courses (Champoux, 2001). Such films often have strong caricature and visualization of concepts, letting them leap from the screen. Modern animated film is typically computer generated with exceptional control of scenes and character movement.

Happy Feet has all of those qualities with some sequences that show aspects of diversity, group dynamics, conformity, nonconformity, rejection of a group member, conflict, and group transformation. I suggest using this film in its entirety. Students should see all group dynamics concepts just mentioned.

Mumble (voiced by Elijah Wood) comes into the world of his flock of Emperor Penguins with one flaw – he cannot sing as he must to find a mate. However, he has a different talent from the rest of the flock. His tap dancing, almost from minutes after hatching, is engaging and unequaled in the flock (nonconformity). The flock’s elders, led by Noah the Elder (voiced by Hugo Weaving), banish him from the flock because of his nonconformity. Mumble teams up with a wisecracking group of Adelies (smallest penguins) who accept his differences and sharply differ from the more conforming Emperors. The film focuses on their severe food shortage because of over fishing. Mumble sets out to discover why. The rest of the film tells the story.

New releases: The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

New releases often have fresh material that can update the film scenes that one uses in the teaching and learning environment. The Pursuit of Happyness – an intentional misspelling that the film explains – tells the true and inspiring story about Christopher Gardner (Will Smith) (www.chrisgardnermedia.com/main/biography.htm), who founded the Gardner Rich brokerage firm in 1987 (www.gardnerrich.com/).

Chris Gardner lives with his domestic partner Linda (Thandie Newton). Chris makes his living as a salesman selling expensive medical diagnosis machines. Financial difficulties and other pressures cause Linda to leave and find work in New York City. Chris insists that their young son Christopher (Jaden Smith) stay with him.

Chris decides to pursue an unpaid internship at Dean Witter. Only one in 20 candidates finally makes the cut for employment by the firm. Financial pressures of every conceivable type lead Chris and his son through a tortuous maze of events. They include eviction from their apartment, spending the night in homeless shelters, or sleeping in the locked bathrooms of the San Francisco Municipal Railway system. Chris and his son endure these hardships and Dean Witter chooses Chris as one of the few.

Three sets of scenes from the film will work well to show aspects of job interviewing, selection, and job orientation. The total running time of the three scenes is less than 10 percent of the film’s running time. You can use these film scenes to visually anchor the topics noted.

The first set of these scenes is DVD Chapter 11, “Big Interview.” These scenes begin with Chris signing a release from his overnight jail stay. He used a check to pay some parking tickets and had to wait in jail for the check to clear. Chris goes to his interview in paint-splattered clothes because he has no time to change. The scenes end as the interviewers laugh at Chris’s observations.

Ask students to note the sequence of Chris’s behavior and interview experience. Also, ask them to note the reaction of the interviewers, Martin Frohm (James Karen) and Jay Twistle (Brian Howe). They are the two men in the center.

Chris looks with admiration at the bustling office of traders, evidence of his motivation and desire for the internship. As he approaches the meeting room, you see surprised looks on the faces of Martin Frohm and Jay Twistle. The latter person has interacted with Chris many times and has only seen him wear a suit. The early part of the scenes shows uncertainty about hiring Chris. It slowly becomes certainty as the group learns of his honesty, motivation, and commitment, underscoring the importance of self-presentation in a job interview.

The second set of scenes open with Chris pressing the down elevator button (DVD Chapter 12, “Second Thought”). They end after he has second thoughts about turning down the internship. His voiceover during the train ride home describes his concerns (stop at 00:47:30). You can focus class discussion by first asking some students who have not seen the film to predict Chris’s decision. You can then ask the rest of the class for reactions and observations.

Introduce the third set of scenes as showing the first result of Chris’s decision to accept the internship. These scenes begin with DVD Chapter 16, “Internship.” The scenes open with Alan Frakesh (Dan Castellaneta), the interns’ trainer, briefing the interns on what they can expect. These scenes end after Frakesh says, “Okay, let’s take a break. Be back in 10”.

The interns receive a high-speed orientation to their job duties while in training. Frakesh starts by cataloging the Fortune 500 companies that surround the Dean Witter building. They quickly learn that they will “be pooling from 60 Fortune companies.” He emphasizes that they will “cold call” potential clients and should expect to dine with them at almost any time of day. Perhaps they will have to babysit for them – all in an effort to familiarize them with the firm’s financial packages. The scenes close with Frakesh emphasizing a required behavior – make 100 percent on the examination at the end of the course.

Foreign: Mostly Martha (2001)

Martha (Martina Gedeck), lives an independent life that focuses almost completely on her work as head chef of the Lido, a chic Hamburg, Germany restaurant. Her life begins to change because of two events. First, her sister’s daughter Lina (Maxime Foerste) comes to live with Martha after the tragic death of Lina’s mother. Second, the restaurant’s owner hires Mario (Sergio Castellitto) an Italian sous-chef to help Martha with her kitchen workload. Culture clash and a strong-willed, independent Lina bring much stress to Martha’s life. Food, romance, and comedy combine in this engagingly warm film.

The scenes that show culture clash appear in DVD Chapter 5, “Adjustments” (Start: 0:37:57) and run through DVD Chapter 6, “Okay, I’ll Stay.” Mario arrives for his first workday, one hour late. You can hear him singing off camera. He enters and looks at Martha with some surprise. Martha glares at him and comments on his lack of punctuality (German culture). Mario simply says, “Ah!” (Italian culture), removes his coat, and goes on to prepare to work. The recommended scenes end after Mario agrees to stay and Martha ignites her apron.

The film continues with predictable conflict between Martha and Mario – conflict based both on cultural differences and Martha’s desire to run her kitchen her way. You can use these scenes, which run about nine minutes, for cultural analysis of two contrasting cultures. They will work well in a course unit that looks at some international aspects of OB and management.

Remakes: Sabrina (1954); Sabrina (1995)

The two versions of Sabrina, made over 40 years apart, will let you see and show some sharp differences between 1950s USA culture and 1990s USA culture (Champoux, 1999b). Strong parallels in the story lines of each film’s opening sequences allow good comparisons. The opening scenes of the original Sabrina (DVD Chapter 2, “The Chauffeur’s Daughter” to Chapter 3, “Reaching For The Moon”; stop at 00:12:27) aligns well with the remake’s opening scenes (DVD Chapter 1, “Once Upon A Time”; stop at 00:08:19).

Young students could express some surprise and perhaps disbelief between the old and the new. Understandably large differences in hairstyle and attire stand out in both films. Strong role differences also appear. Sabrina (Audrey Hepburn) in the original is looking at marriage; Sabrina (Julia Ormond) in the remake goes to Paris for Vogue magazine as a photographer’s assistant. Mrs. Larrabee (Nella Walker) in the original is a stay-at-home mother; Mrs. Larrabee (Nancy Marchand) in the remake is widowed and an executive of the family’s company. Gretchen (Joan Vohs), the female character that David Larrabee (William Holden) wants to seduce, is a giggly debutante in the original and a confident, sophisticated person in the remake. Sabrina tries suicide in the original while Sabrina in the remake drinks a bottle of sherry. You can note to students that the differences they see in the two films reflect changes in USA culture over the 40-year period.

This first column has deliberately sampled a wide range of films and film scenes that one can use in a teaching program to illustrate the value of film for classroom education. My next column will review and discuss several live-action films that you can use in your courses. That review will include selected film scenes and full length films with strong examples of OB, management, and human resource management.

Joseph E. ChampouxThe University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA