Organizational Behavior - II Leadership Lessons from movie Saving Private Ryan

Submitted to:
Dr. Manisha Seth

Date submitted:
4 January, 2013

Group members:
Renuka Dua Rohit Pal Rohit Rastogi Shailesh Tiwari Varun Chauhan [JL12PGDM121] [JL12PGDM126] [JL12PGDM127] [JL12PGDM135] [JL12PGDM172]

Acknowledgement
Perseverance, Inspiration and motivation have always played a key role in the success of any venture. So hereby, it is our pleasure to record thanks and gratitude to the people involved. Firstly, we thank Dr. Manisha Seth, for her continuous support in this presentation. She was always there to listen and to give advice. She showed us different ways to approach a situation suited to our presentation and the need to be persistent to accomplish any goal. Without her encouragement and constant guidance we would have been unable to finish the presentation. She was always there to meet and talk about any query. Last, but not the least, we would like to thank all our group members who supported us throughout the presentation.

Table of Contents
Introduction (Varun Chauhan) ............................................................................... 4 Phase 1 (Rohit Pal) ................................................................................................. 5 Behavioural Theory ............................................................................................. 5 Traits ................................................................................................................... 6 Phase 2 (Shailesh Tiwari)........................................................................................ 7 Task-Oriented Leadership: .................................................................................. 7 The "Faces" of Leadership ................................................................................... 8 Charismatic Leadership: ...................................................................................... 9 Phase 3 (Rohit Rastogi) ........................................................................................ 10 Relationship Management ................................................................................ 10 Situational theory of leadership ........................................................................ 11 Leader and Power ............................................................................................. 11 Traits ................................................................................................................. 12 Lessons learned and conclusion (Renuka Dua) ..................................................... 13 Learnings .......................................................................................................... 13

Leadership is the ability to inspire confidence and support among people who are needed to achieve the goal.

Introduction (Varun Chauhan)

Saving Private Ryan is an American epic war film which released in 1998 following the invasion of Normandy in World War 2. It was a directorial venture of Steven Speilberg. Thereafter it follows United States Army Rangers Captain John H. Miller and six other soldiers (Horvath, Mellish, Reiben, Jackson, Wade, and Caparzo) as they search for a paratrooper, Private First Class James Francis Ryan, who is the last-surviving brother of four servicemen of the Ryan family. It was also mentioned that the mother to the Ryan brothers will be informed about the death of the three brothers through three telegrams on the same day. It is learnt that the fourth son, Private First Class James Francis Ryan of Baker Company,is missing in action somewhere in Normandy. George Marshall orders Ryan to be found immediately and sent back home. Captain Miller after receiving orders decides to send six soldiers along with a clerk who was fluent in German and French to search Ryan. Knowing nothing about the location of Ryan, they move out to Neuville. While searching for Ryan they lose two men from their group. But Captain Miller stuck with the plan of action and decided to help Ryan win the war. Upham revolts against the proposed plan. The last surviving German, known only as "Steamboat Willie" pleads for his life and Miller decides to let him walk away. Viewing Miller's decision as letting the enemy go free, and no longer confident in Miller's leadership, Reiben declares his intention to desert the squad and the mission, prompting a confrontation with Horvath. The argument heats up, until Miller defuses the situation by revealing his pre-war occupation as an English teacher, a question upon which the squad had set up a betting pool. Reiben then reluctantly decides to stay. The squad finally arrives on the outskirts of Ramelle, where they come upon three paratroopers ambushing a German half-track. Among the paratroopers is Ryan. After entering Ramelle, Ryan is told of his brothers' deaths, and their mission to bring him home, and that two lives had been lost in the quest to find him. He is distressed at the loss of his brothers, but does not feel it is fair to go home. Miller decides to take command and defend the bridge with what little manpower and resources are available. Most of the Americansincluding Jackson, Mellish, and Horvath were killed. While attempting to blow the bridge, Miller is shot and fatally wounded. Ryan, Reiben, and Upham were the only surviving Americans of the battle. Ryan was with Miller

when he was taking his last couple of breaths and said his last words, "James... earn this. Earn it."

Phase 1 (Rohit Pal)

When there is frantic situation at the Normandy beach and nobody is able to get off to mainland then Captain Miller take charge of the situation and guide the forces to capture the beach. After getting the mission to save the Private James Francis Ryan his team was not willing to involved in that mission he motivate his employee to complete that mission. He is also very committed to team and allow everyone to place their point of view and always take initiate to resolve the conflicts between the team members.

Behavioural Theory
According to this theory their certain patterns of behaviours which differentiate between leader and non-leaders. Behavioural studies implied that leaders can be trained. According to Ohio state studies , There are two types of behaviour possessed by the leaders Initiating Structure consideration 1. Initiating Structure: - is the extent to which a leader is likely to define and structure his or her role and those of employees in the search for goal attainment. It includes behaviour that attempts to organize work, work relationship, and goal. 2. Consideration: - is the extent to which a persons job relationship are characterized by mutual trust, respect for employees idea and regard for their feelings. A leader in high in consideration helps employees with personal problems, is approachable, treats all employees as equal and expresses appreciation and support. The University of Michigan came up with two behavioural dimensions Employee-Oriented Leader Production-Oriented Leader

1. Employee-Oriented Leader: - In this dimension of behaviour leaders emphasized interpersonal relationships by taking a personal interest in the needs of employees and accepting individual differences among them. 2. Production-Oriented Leader: - In this dimension of behaviour leader emphasized the technical or task aspects of the job- concern focused on accomplishing the groups tasks.

Traits
1. Interpersonal Awareness: - Successful leaders are comfortable relating to other people; they easily create rapport and are at least more extroverted than they are introverted. These factors help leaders seem approachable, likeable, and comfortable in their position. Those qualities contribute to group wanting to interact with their leader. They also help motivate employees to do a better job. 2. Motivating: - Quite often, team members need someone to look up to for direction, guidance, and motivation. The leader needs to be that person. There are times, when many employees need the boss to inspire them by word or action. Employees need someone to look up to, admire, and follow. Even when the production or delivery of services looks like "it is all going well," the leader may at times need to step in personally to offer a suggestion or encouragement to ensure that employees perform their jobs in an optimal manner. 3. Influencing: - Team Members need to be constantly striving for improvement and success; and they need to see the same and more in their leaders. When the leader is seen as someone who works to attain increasingly higher goals, employees will be impressed and more willing to mirror that behaviour. This core competency seems to be what Capt. Miller best is at. Cooperating with his men as a team, Persuading them to go above and beyond their assignment, inspiring them to see the big objective of winning the war.

Phase 2 (Shailesh Tiwari)

Like a herd of cattle without a keeper, Like an army without a general, Like a night without moon, Such would be the country Where the king is not seen.

Task-Oriented Leadership:
Task-oriented leaders focus only on getting the job done and can be autocratic. They actively define the work and the roles required, put structures in place, and plan, organize, and monitor work. These leaders also perform other key tasks, such as creating and maintaining standards for performance. Capitan miller was fully focused on their task and he want to search private Rayn. However, because task-oriented leaders don't tend to think much about their team's well-being, this approach can suffer many of the flaws of autocratic leadership, including causing motivation and retention problems. And without caring to lose their peoples he was trying to achieve his task. Captain Miller is assigned the difficult task of finding Private Ryan who is missing along with most of his troop, which was divided after an attack. Task Management During the Opening Scene, the men on the beach look to Miller for direction. In the midst of the killing and hopelessness, he is able to pull the surviving men together to break through the German forces by making quick decisions and delegating what needs to be done. Executing Tasks On the beach of Normandy, Miller demonstrates his ability to delegate orders and to coordinate work activities in the most debilitating circumstances. Solving Problems Miller is forced to make life-or-death decisions during the movie for both him and his men. Furthermore, he is forced to use analytic thinking to find Private Ryan. An effective leader is one who has created trust and built a bridge of confidence between the leader and with those they lead before the first battle begins.

The "Faces" of Leadership

1. Face of Fear-The lowest level or form of leadership is by fear. On Omaha Beach, orders were direct and to the point. Life or death-do what you are told because there is little time to think. Anyone who has been in combat or in a trauma situation understands that people dont alwa ys act rationally in a crisis. Even the Captain slipped into a momentary "thousand yard stare" when the ravages of combat became overwhelming. Actions become instinct driven--survival. Leaders have to think, must push themselves forward and give orders for the group. What is good for the group must outweigh what is good for the individual. 2. Face of Respect-After the invasion on Normandy beach, Miller was given orders to take a hand full of his men to find Pvt. Ryan. It was a most difficult task, but Miller accepted it without a question. Capt. Miller had a charismatic affect on his men based on trust and respect. He only revealed enough about himself to maintain professional objectivity. He couldnt afford to do anything that would compromise the mission. I enjoyed watching how the soldiers bantered back and forth about what was the Captains career before the war. His troops even started a lottery for the person who could guess what the Captain did. During one of the scenes, they egged the "new guy" (the young translator who had the typewriter on Normandy beach) to ask the Captain what he did back home. Captain Miller took it as a joke but didnt reveal the secret. Early in my career, I faced a similar dilemma. I worried about being liked by my soldiers. Should I be feared or should I be respected? I resolved this dilemma though trial and error. Leadership is a developmental process. There are few, if any, born leaders. Leadership is both a science and an art form and the good leaders learn from their mistakes. The Faces of Fear and Respect can only take you so far which leads us to the next level. 3. Face of Purpose- The highest level of leadership is that of providing purpose. True leadership progresses from fear, to respect and finally to that of purpose. During one scene in the movie, you could feel this important transition. As the squad fought deeper into enemy territory, death and combat stress began to take its toll. Captain Miller's men find themselves beginning to doubt their leader and their orders. They demanded, "Why is one man worth risking eight...why is the life of this private worth more than ours?"

But first, another firefight took the life of another comrade. The scene unfolds on the hill of the enemy radar station. Reality, hate, fear and the laws of the Geneva Convention tore at Millers mind and unraveled the cohesion of his men. Despite vehement objections of his soldiers, Captain Miller just released the only surviving German soldier from the firefight. Unknown to all of them, this same German soldier would be the one that would take Captain Millers life at the end of the movie.

Charismatic Leadership:
A charismatic leadership style can resemble transformational leadership because these leaders inspire enthusiasm in their teams and are energetic in motivating others to move forward. This excitement and commitment from teams is an enormous benefit. The difference between charismatic leaders and transformational leaders lies in their intention. Transformational leaders want to transform their teams and organizations. Charismatic leaders are often focused on themselves, and may not want to change anything.

Phase 3 (Rohit Rastogi)

When Ryan refused to go back home with Caption Miller and team while insisted to fight against Germans to conquer over the bridge in France.

Relationship Management
Relationship management allows connecting with others in ways that help them feel understood and supported. Managing relationships is an essential emotional intelligence skill that enables you to effectively lead change or manage personal change. For instance: In the movie Miller was concerned about his team mates. After every attack by German tank he used to ask whether everyone is fine. According to Daniel Goleman the competencies associated with relationship management are: 1. Change catalyst: recognizing the need for change and supporting the process. When Ryan refused to go back, Caption Miller motivates his team members to fight for one more time. 2. Empathy: Able to tune into others feelings & thoughts. Miller no doubt was empathic person. There were scenes in the movie where he was empathizing Ryan. Then, at another point in the movie, one of the soldiers told him a very personal story about their life. Since he was a good leader, he listened and gave the the soldier advice on the subject. 3. Teamwork and collaboration: building effective teams. Miller and his team was perfect example of synergy as a result this collaboration helps them to achieve their super ordinate goal i.e. to save Ryan. 4. Effective Communication skills: Leader is the one who is able to communicate his ideas, directions effectively to his team and vice versa. As in the movie Miller successfully able to understand sign language communicated by one of his men to update him about the status of Germans coming forward.

Situational theory of leadership

Fiedler Model: Effective group performance depends on the proper match between leadership style and the situation. Governing Factors are: 1. Leader-member relations: Degree of confidence and trust in the leader. Captain Miller led his men through some of the hardest times of the war. His troop listened to him and obeyed him because they knew that he was knowledgeable in what he was talking about. 2. Task structure: Degree of structure in the jobs. In the movie Miller set the plan, direct the team, setting and assigning positions to the members to take during war time and also forecasting the locations from where the enemies could attack.

Leader and Power

1. Expert Power: Expert power is the influence based on special skills or knowledge. Although the leader may or may not have actual experience, this perception may lead to negative outcomes. In Saving Private Ryan, there were no negative outcomes because of a lack of experience. However, every command and decision made by Captain Miller was based on knowledge and expertise. Captain Miller led his men through some of the hardest times of the war which makes others to rely on his knowledge and experience in other field. Thats how Captain Miller and his men eventually succeed. 2. Referent Power: It is the individual power over the others based on desirable personal traits leading to admiration. In movie Miller demonstrate a high energy level, tolerance for stress (when his team member died), emotional maturity, integrity, and selfconfidence all lead to incomparable leadership.

Traits
1. Managing Change: Leaders task is not restricted to limited or fixed plan like here their task was planned to get back Ryan but when Ryan refused to go back, instead of returning back Miller along with his team joined the troop to fight against Germans. Miller was able to be sensitive to the situation in motivating his men to fight one more time. 2. Innovation and Creativity: One of the most important traits that Captain Miller had was his intellect. He was smarter than the average person was. He came up with brilliant ideas to stop the enemy. In attempting to stop German forces and to save Private Ryan; Miller introduces his team to a sticky bomb to stop the German tanks when they have nothing else. Thus, Captain Miller seems to find a way to save the lives of his men by thinking outside the box.

Lessons learned and conclusion (Renuka Dua)

Learnings
The movie "Saving Private Ryan" is like a large painting with many carefully brushed hues. In Saving Private Ryan, we see Captain Miller is a trusted military leader. He valiantly leads his men into battle in many occasions and has a mind for military tactics. At the end he sacrifices his own life to save that of his men and Ryan. We also see that components of honorable leadership are depicted. This mission has his men in complete turmoil and he handles everything so calmly . Not any regular person could have accomplished what he did. . Carrying out a mission like the one in "Saving Private Ryan" requires a leader of the highest mental capacity. Not only does this mission require a leader with a strong will but one that is going to do everything in his power to complete the mission. The following learnings could be summarized from the movie what effective and good leadership requires 1. Knowledge and Guidance : A leader in general is expected to be knowledgeable and provide guidance to other members .to relate to the movie he knew how to make sticky bombs and his military tactics applied during the war. How can we practice it in our day to day life is not merely by studying but also its practical application , proper understanding of concepts ie;conceptual clarity we can make a difference . 2. Courage: As a leader courage was visible and an undenied fact about Miller .But the question is how can we inculcate this trait in us ?For this we need to not only take up different things but also take up things differently. Experimenting , Take initiatives not worrying about failure or criticism. 3. Understanding and proper handling of relationships: The movie shows how Miller is able to encourage closeness between the men and understood and welcomed different questions which are handled in a mature fashion . Only being authoritative will never work. We should learn to be empathetic, learn to hear, take feedbacks, talk at their comfort level.

4. Think different: In the movie we can relate the fact to situation, Miller when he has a pressure of his superiors orders and at the same time he is convinced not to take Ryan back he finds a third option. So ,only striking of an idea will not work ,how it is successfully implemented also need to be found which can be done by taking up different things and taking things differently. 5. Acceptability to change: We see that the war situation is so unpredictable that things could change in seconds .Miller was prepared to face all and he did adapt himself in accordance .It can be evident in various parts of the movie as well as when he mentions about his past life. Thus we should not stick to our failures and be depressed rather move on determined and accept changes positively. Towards the end we can say that his superior moral character, leadership by example, practically good decisions rated him as an honorable leader.