Managing for Results - Essay Example

INTRODUCTION There have been several films based on the 1788 mutiny aboard the ship HMS Bounty, which voyaged from England to Tahiti to Jamaica (WestIndies). However, we have chosen the Academy Award winning 1935 film by MGM starring Charles Laughton as Captain William Bligh and Clark Gable as Fletcher Christian, directed by Frank Lloyd. This film is based on the book "Mutiny on the Bounty by Charles Nordhoff and James Normal Hall, based on a true incident. A British merchant ship is sent to voyage for the king from England to Tahiti to bring back breadfruit plants to feed slaves. The officer in command was Captain William Bligh and Fletcher Christian was second in command. Some countrymen are pressed into serving the English navy for this voyage of about 2 years. After having faced various hardships put forth by the sea and the Captain in command, alike, they reached Tahiti and obtained the breadfruit plants during their six month stay on the island. However, shortly after leaving Tahiti, Christian leads a mutiny against Captain Bligh in revolt of his atrocities on the seamen. They manage to capture and cast Bligh and his loyalists in a life boat with some supplies while Christian and his loyalists return to Tahiti in the HMS Bounty. Bligh and his people make the most remarkable conduct of navigation in the history of the sea - a 3500 mile open sea voyage aboard a life boat. Bligh reaches Timor Island. He returns to Tahiti aboard another ship in search of the mutineers, lead by Fletcher Christian. Christian and a few men escape in the Bounty while several others remain on the island. They are taken to England by Bligh and are tried for mutiny. Most men are executed for their crime except Roger Byam. Christen and his followers reach Pitcairn Island, where they decide to spend the rest of their lives, and burn down the Bounty so as to not be found by English searchers. ANALYSIS ‘A story of a man who robbed his seamen, cursed them, flogged them not to punish, but to break their spirit. A story of greed and tyranny.....and of anger against it, of what it cost’ – Roger Byam during the trial (Mutiny on the Bounty, 1935) Captain William Blighs managerial abilities on the Bounty is an excellent example of how one man changed from control leadership to team unity with a change in the situation, over 2 centuries years ago. ‘He doesn’t punish for discipline, he likes to see men crawl’ - Christian to Byam referring to Bligh (Mutiny on the Bounty, 1935) Bligh tries to enforce harsh ‘discipline’ by various means - flogging a dead seaman for striking his captain, shortening rations as per the Captains prerogative, public chastisement of Christian, Bligh accusing Christian of having stolen coconuts, cutting water rations to water breadfruit plants, stretching men onboard with a rail, keelhauling men, sending them aloft as a disciplinary course. ‘..starve their men, save money by buying up the stinking meat, buy yams that would sicken a pig, call his men thieves and flog them in the bone’ - Christian to Bligh referring to Bligh himself (Mutiny on the Bounty, 1935) Bligh does this as he believes that the ‘Articles of War’ rest in him the power to bring discipline by whatever means aboard the ship and his order must be adhered to by one and all. The nature and use of power is a clear focus of the film. Then, authority was gained through position; and position was gained through either birth right or as in Bligh’s case by working through the ranks. Captain Bligh believed that leadership of the HMS Bounty was his by virtue of his position. He was a technically competent sailor, navigator and captain and he firmly believed that by virtue of his office alone he was entitled to the respect, obedience and loyalty of his crew members. Their purpose was to serve him so that he could navigate the ship to its destination, pick up its cargo and return safely home. Any order he gave was to be obeyed without question. In Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), Roger Byam was sent aloft all the way while he was not to blame. This is the first instance of Christian visibly disapproving of Blighs orders. Bligh’s use of coercion and legitimacy as power bases are contrasting in nature as compared to Christians belief in reward and referent power. Until the situation where Bligh is cast adrift in the lifeboat, he is clearly a power wielder while Christian is a true leader (power v/s leadership). Christian became the leader by default. He was well-spoken, educated, and a gentleman. In the 18th century, there is a likelihood that people did not have the benefit of family support and network and the opportunities that Christian had to acquire these skills. Christian’s strength of being able to recognize and control his own emotions was clear. In several instances he had to make a conscious effort to keep his emotions in check. He listened, empathized, supported and tried to protect the men from Bligh’s harsh ruling. Individuals were drawn to his strengths and believed in him. His actions and words received the respect of the men. This was ultimately what won the support and following of the crew during the mutiny. Even at the height of the mutiny Christian still was fair to all men. ‘Slit his throat, l say, and feed him to the sharks’ – A mutineer says, looking towards Bligh, during the mutiny (Mutiny on the Bounty, 1935) Christian immediately disagreed with the men and respectfully departed Bligh in the life boat. He also gave all sea men a fair chance to leave with Bligh or stay with him. He was fair and just, and did not rule by fear. Bligh believed that if you treated the crew with kindness, you would have mutiny on your hands. As it turned out, a mutiny is what happened because of his inability to treat his crew with kindness. Instead there was a dramatic shift in leadership to Christian. The men turned from someone they feared and did not respect; to Christian someone whom they trusted and had seen treat them with as much kindness as was possible under the circumstances. Towards the end of the film we see that the jury saw through Bligh and it is commonly known that the mutiny and the resultant trial led to a reworking of the Law of the Sea and a different type of relationship between officers and men. "Let us choose to do our duty willingly. Not the choice of a slave, but that of free Englishmen." They ask only the freedom that England expects for every man. - Roger Byam during the trial (Mutiny on the Bounty, 1935) Leadership styles The contrast in leadership styles between Bligh and Christian is a classic case of study. It can be studied using various existing models of leadership by several researchers and scholars. Kurt Lewin, Ronald Lipitt, and Ralph White (1939) developed three styles of leadership: (1) authoritarian, (2) democratic and (3) laissez-faire. The stark contrast between the leadership styles of Bligh and Christian is a case of the authoritarian versus democratic leader. Captain Blighs attempts to create discipline on the ship through authoritarian and coercive means cause Christian to lead mutiny following which Bligh and his loyalists are set adrift. Christian was a leader who listened, empathized, supported and tried to protect the men from Bligh’s harsh ruling. As per James Clawson’s theory (2006), Captain Bligh is a Level 1 leader who focuses only on behaviour while ignoring people’s thoughts, feelings and beliefs. The task is the important thing, and the people completing those tasks are secondary; if they are considered at all. In contrast to Bligh, Christian leadership style would resemble that of a Level 3 leader. He is aware of the crew’s behaviour and their thoughts. Most importantly, Christian made an effort to understand the men and tap into their Values, Assumptions, Beliefs and Expectations (VABEs). Fiedler’s Contingency model (1967) bases the leader’s effectiveness on what Fred Fiedler called situational contingency. This results from the interaction of leadership style and situational favourableness (later called "situational control"). The theory defined two types of leaders: those who tend to accomplish the task by developing good-relationships with the group (relationship-oriented), and those who have as their prime concern carrying out the task itself (task-oriented). Bligh is very task oriented and the men are simply means for accomplishing that task. Christian is much more people oriented than Bligh and there are several sharp exchanges between the two on how to treat people before the mutiny. The Situational Leadership model of Hersey and Blanchard (2008) suggests that there is no style of leadership behaviour that is the best. On the contrary, effective leadership behaviour is that which is appropriate for the specific situation in which the leader is functioning. The notion of situational leadership arises when Bligh is cast adrift in the lifeboat. Then his single-mindedness of purpose and effort to unite the team to achieve that purpose seems perhaps more desirable than Christian’s style of leadership. While Bligh does not come across as an appealing figure, in given situations, the leadership style he exhibits is preferred to that of Christians. One-way Communication There are several exchanges between Bligh and Christian regarding listening to others and getting input before decisions are made. I don’t want your advice (Mutiny on the Bounty, 1935) Im not interested in what you think (Mutiny on the Bounty, 1935) I expect you to carry out whatever orders I give, whenever I give them (Mutiny on the Bounty, 1935) Bligh, therefore, makes it very clear to Christian that he is not interested in any input from anyone at all and does not consider anyone else as worth taking the time to listen to. This is one of the factors that influence his decisions. On the contrary, Christian solicits and heeds the advice of others. It results in different decisions and a different relationship between leaders and followers. If Christian carries out the orders that are given to him as and when theyre given to them they understand each other. The monologue makes up for a dialogue. Support & Respect for Leaders ‘They respect one law, the law of fear’ – Bligh to Christian (Mutiny on the Bounty, 1935). Bligh sternly believes in this statement he makes and all his actions prove it alike. Thus, the seamen lack respect for Bligh and partake in the mutiny against his atrocities. Bligh is a victim of social prejudice, which believes that other people are less capable than me. I deserve to take all the decisions. Each one must be put in his place! This method of leadership and management kills motivation levels of subordinates and increases costs. Thereby also resulting in the lack of respect for the super-ordinates. All said and done, it cannot be overlooked that Christian also chose to disobey Bligh by undertaking the mutiny against him. In other words, this is a case of disobedience to the legitimate authority. Law and Moral Issues In Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) Mr Maggs carries a hundred pounds of cheese to Captain Blighs house, while McCoy was spread-eagled to the rigging for lying. Guest and Conway (2002) define a Psychological Contract as the perceptions of two parties, employee and employer, and of what their mutual obligations are towards each other. These obligations may be inferred from actions or form events that have taken place in the past. They are also likely to be derived from statements made by employers during recruitment, selection, or performance appraisals. Some of those obligations may be interpreted as promises and others as expectations. Suffer worse things than death - Cruelty beyond duty, beyond necessity. Their model suggests that the extent to which employers adopt people management practices will influence the state of the psychological contract the contract is based upon employees sense of fairness and trust and their belief that the employer is honouring the deal between them where the psychological contract is positive, increased employee commitment and satisfaction will have a positive impact on business performance. "If they can walk, they can work" - Bligh However, the ‘Articles of War’ invest in Bligh the authority to order punishment. "If any officer, mariner or soldier or other person in the fleet shall disobey any lawful command of any of his superior officers, every such person being convicted of any such offense shall suffer death or such other punishment as shall be inflicted on him by the sentence of a court-martial." Bligh reading out the Articles of War (Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) So, what changed from the ship to the lifeboat and how it relates to today’s organisations... It was the single, united, all encompassing goal! Aboard the Bounty, Captain Blighs priority was total control. He wanted everyone to know he was the boss, which was more important to him than efficiency. To compound the problem, he considered maximum control as a means to achieve efficiency. As a result, everything went wrong. In the lifeboat things were different, priority was survival, or get the job done. Survival automatically unites people into a team where team members are willing to listen to others opinions, free of social prejudice. Captain Bligh was now willing to listen to the opinions of the crew. He is also considerate towards team members who need attention. Equal distribution of resources and unity in the team were adequately focussed upon. Without charts or navigation interments, they sailed the open boat 3,500 miles to Timor. This outstanding achievement is only possible with a team united behind a common goal and the use of comfort zone navigation, the art of using intuitive forces where facts are not available. This incident can be related to every work environment and its dynamics even today, 2 centuries later - The struggle between getting the job done and leaders desire for control. Social prejudice and intuitive forces are always working in the background that will develop a supporting or fighting attitude. The leader wants to manage by control and the team members resist control. Both parties are constantly in an effort to outwit each other and not looking for an efficient ways to work and increase productivity. James G. Clawson (2006) asserts that in the past, managers have tried to lead simply by influencing employees behaviour (Level One) or by appealing to their conscious thoughts (Level Two). Managing effectively in todays age of rapid change and open access to information requires Level Three Leadership, which offers a deeper, more lasting impact by working with people at the level of their fundamental values, assumptions, beliefs, and expectations (VABEs). This invariably calls for better, two way communication between the managers and team members and mutual respect towards each other’s unique abilities. CONCLUSIONS The leadership style that most appeals in any situation is the Level 3 type (James Clawson, 2006) or the Situational Leadership type (Hersey and Blanchard, 2008). A project’s timelines, budget and its scope will hold no good if the team is destroyed. Policies and procedures need not always be followed to the letter. Psychological contract must not be overlooked. In order to maintain the protocol of mutual support and respect for each other realistic word load and appropriate compensation must be provided. A manager must lead not by fear but by fairness and justice. Last but not the least, the focus of a team must be a single, united, all encompassing goal. RECOMMENDATIONS I will make an effort to motivate team members by understanding VABEs - Values, Assumptions, Beliefs and Expectations. The next major change I would like to bring about is consciously engage in a dialogue with team members and getting their inputs before taking any decision. APPENDIX Psychological Contract Model (Guest & Conway, 2002) Inputs Perceived Content Employee Outputs Employee characteristics Organization characteristics HR practices Fairness Trust Delivery Employee behaviour Performance BIBLIOGRAPHY Fiedler, Fred E. 1967, A theory of leadership effectiveness, McGraw-Hill: Harper and Row Publishers Inc. Guest, D.E. & Conway, N. 2002, Pressure at work and the psychological contract, CIPD, London. Hersey, Paul; Blanchard, Ken & Johnson, D. 2008, Management of Organizational Behavior: Leading Human Resources 9th edition, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ. James G. Clawson 2006, Level Three Leadership: Getting below the surface, 3rd edition, Prentice Hall. Lewin, Kurt; Lippitt, Ronald & White, Ralph 1939, Patterns of aggressive behaviour in experimentally created social climates, Journal of Social Psychology. Frank Lloyd 1935, Mutiny on the Bounty (Film) Read More