General and Industrial Management - Essay Example

Apollo 13: A Critical Review (Fill in with your information etc Apollo 13: A Critical Review There are many different forms of organizational theories and concepts which can be observed in film. There are specific motivational and managerial theories which can be applied here as well. The 'systems approach' to the management of projects was one that hailed directly from the application of scientific methods to management. In the movie Apollo 13, there are significant examples of all of these, and in order to come to a clearer and more knowledgeable understanding on these, the following questions must be addressed: 1. What is strategic management 2. What is project management 3. What are some motivational and managerial theories that apply to this movie 4. What are some conclusions that can be drawn from this review By discussing these three questions, we can obtain a more intellectual observation on the subject matter. This is what will be dissertated in the following. What is Strategic Management Strategic management "involves defining public value, mobilizing legitimacy and support for that value, and developing and deploying the operational capacity to deliver it." (Zimmerman, 2006). In other words, it is the process of specifying an organization's objectives, developing policies and plans to achieve these objectives, and the allocating of resources so as to implement these plans. It is the highest level of managerial activity and is usually directed by the company's Chief Executive Officer and executive team, and provides overall direction to the whole enterprise. What is Project Management Project management is the actual discipline of defining and achieving targets "while optimizing the use of resources (time, money, people, materials, energy, space, etc) over the course of a project (a set of activities of finite duration)". (Wikipedia, 2006). Project management is often times the province and responsibility of an individual person titled the project manager, and this individual seldom actually participates in the actions that produce the end result, but instead maintains the progress and productive mutual interaction and intervention of various parties in that the overall risk of failure is reduced. What are Some Motivational and Managerial Theories That Apply to This Movie Apollo 13 is a movie which is highly influential in regards to promoting modern project and program management practices. This film is commonly used as an example for these theories and those of the like. This is primarily due to the fact that the objectives were made clear: classic project ones: in the words of President Kennedy: "to achieve the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth." (Morris, 1997). A strategy involving the matter of actually getting the moon and back had to be developed, which itself entirely revolved around motivational and management theories. Tasks had to be completed, such as: the engineering of the rockets, landing modules and support infrastructure had to be developed, and astronaut biobehavior in space understood and designed to; and all within highly determined schedule and cost restraints. (Morris, 1997). "The resulting project management approach was hailed at the new management paradigm: the answer to how to tackle many of mankind's problems. (Morris, 1997). Apollo 13 is a prime example of project management; it was not a project in itself, but it is the act of going from concept to definition, development, build, and hand-over. Management is an activity. It is the activity of planning, organizing, directing and controlling (Fayol et al, 1949). Most definitions of project management would agree that, at a minimum, there is (a) integration of the work of others needed to ensure project success - the "single point of integrative responsibility" (Archibald, 1997) - (b) the application of certain project management practices. It is the extent of application of these practices, and the hitherto nature of the integration, that leads to differences in definition. One particularly important motivational theory which applies to this movie is that of leadership, and how critical it can be, especially in a crisis situation. The creating and maintaining of a healthy culture in a network, team, group, or organization can be the key to success. The efforts of the ground crew in Apollo 13 were overtly one of the most significant factors in the rescue and safety of the Apollo 13 crew, and their leadership and quick thinking are truly both motivational and managerial. The ground crew "absorbed as if by osmosis their leader's sense of purpose and resolve to bring the astronauts back to earth safely." (Gordon, 2004). The task which was placed on the ground crew in this situation was one that required extraordinary expertise, and the leader in this case (Gene Kranz) had to be able to work with experts from many different areas and fields, while at the same time continuing to enable, empower, and encourage his crew to stay confident, work hard, and "think outside of the box." (Apollo 13, 1995). During the entire movie, the ground crew were forced by (Kranz) to use ground simulations and various other methods of brainstorming in order to come up with a plan that would keep the astronauts alive and return them back to Earth safely. "Gene Kranz facilitated the group's efforts in a way that unleashed their creative energies and enabled them to get the astronauts back safely." (Gordon, 2004). The astronauts (Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert) were also a part in the success of this story, in that they stuck together as a team, properly followed their leader's orders, and followed through on them; their part in the mission also significantly assisted in the success of it overall. The group effort of Apollo 13 - both the ground crew and the astronauts - shows commandeering examples of excellent and strong motivational and managerial theories, and its success was due to good communication, teamwork, and leadership. "Much can be learned from studying crisis situations that were handled well. Leadership and management challenges that are dealt with successfully in a crisis can provide major insights into everyday management challenges." (Gordon, 2004). Apollo 13 is a prime example of this. What are Some Conclusions That can be Drawn From This Review There are many virtues which are highly relevant and direly important in regards to a healthy organizational culture. Open, honest and trusting communication, collaboration and cooperation, the application of common sense, experience, knowledge, wisdom, ingenuity and creativity, and the realization of individual and organizational potentials - each person matters, and there must be a grouped form of individuality in order to have the most positive end result. The movie Apollo 13 is not only an excellent example of all of these, but it also shows what greatness can come from good leadership, teamwork, and proper motivation and management. Apollo 13 is the true story of the moon-bound mission that developed severe trouble and the men that rescued it with skill and dedication. References Fayol, H. (1949). General and Industrial Management. London: Pitman. Gordon, P. D. (2004, May). Transforming and Leading Organizations. Retrieved February 27, 2006, from http://72.14.207.104/searchq=cache:vdvZawC13NAJ:users.rcn.com/pgordon/homeland/transforming_orgs.pdf+motivational+and+managerial+theories+on+apollo+13&hl=en&gl=ca&ct=clnk&cd=4 Morris, P. W. G. (1997). Science, objective knowledge, and the theory of project management. Retrieved February 27, 2006, from http://72.14.207.104/searchq=cache:_weW7dIy-YAJ:www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/research/management/ICE_paper.pdf+what+motivational,+and+what+managerial+theories+can+apply+to+apollo+13&hl=en&gl=ca&ct=clnk&cd=2 Wikipedia. (2006). Project Management. Retrieved February 27, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_management Zimmerman, P. (2006, January). The Strategic Management of Public Organizations. Retrieved February 26, 2006, from http://ksgnotes1.harvard.edu/degreeprog/courses.nsf/0/0453ddc377d030a685256ef2005b9283OpenDocument&ExpandSection=2&Highlight=0,stm Read More