Agreed-Upon Values that Are Lived by the Team in Twelve Angry Men - Essay Example

Final Exam Twelve Angry Men Twelve Angry Men with Jack Lemmon is a film about twelve jurors who have been given the responsibility of deciding the fate of 18 year old boy who has been charged with the murder of his father. Since the boy belongs to the slums, all jurors except one automatically assume that the boy murdered his father. However, it is Juror 8 who pleads the boy’s case and is the main source of conflict in the film. Is there a set of clear, agreed-upon values that are ‘lived’ by the team? The values that this team believes in are that society laws should be followed and if these laws are broken, the offender should be punished. In this case, the offender was charged with murder which is considered to be the most violent crimes. The team unanimously believes in this value and for that reason, it does share one aspect of a high performing team. It is expected that the team would perform well because all members agree that if the boy has committed the murder of his father, then he should be punished. However, the jury in order to punish the offender has to reach a unanimous decision. The vote of all the jurors should be either in favor or in disfavor of the death sentence. As a team, they need to reach one decision. Does the team have clear and attainable goals that movie it towards its vision? Yes. The team does have a clear and attainable goal. The goal is to reach a vote where the tally is 9-0 and for this, they fight during the entire story. For well performing teams to function efficiently, they need to have the same vision and goal. While the vision of the team is the same and that is to reach the right decision. However, the team it seems is prejudiced from the beginning. Were it not for the case of reasonable doubt raised by Juror 8, the whole team would have reached the wrong decision. Hence the conflict raised by Juror 8 allowed the team to perform their duty with more responsibility and care. Otherwise, they would have reached the conclusion of awarding the boy a death sentence based on his background. Does the team have both the skills and the willingness to deal with conflict when it arises? The team does not have the skills and willingness to deal with the situation. They were ordinary members of the society and they have probably never given jury duty before. Most of them are also not willing to deal with the conflict. They want to reach the verdict as soon as possible because they want to resume their own normal life after the verdict. Is feedback-based on openness and candor- a critical dimension of team life? At the core, are the members willing to speak their truth in ways it can be heard? Because of the conflict created by Juror 8, the team members are quite willing to speak their mind. They openly criticize each other and at one point they even resort to personal criticism. They openly discussed the case and even play acted the situation. However, this is unusual as the team had been formed since a short period of time. Is the authority of individual members and the team as a whole clear and well defined? Because the team was made of members of the society, they had equal power. No member has authority over the other. Even despite a clear leader, the team was able to work out so well. Though they had their conflict, it is worthy to note that conflicts are at times essential for high performing team. And it was because they did not have a clear leader, that the conflict increased in proportion and the jurors even resorted to using personal remarks. To conclude, the team was able to function as a high performing team to a great extent. However, the lack of a leader was greatly felt. Skills of the members had little to do with the team’s performance in this case. Endurance Endurance is the story of a leader, Ernest Shackleton and his crew of twenty eight men who began a voyage to cross the Antarctic Continent. Perhaps because of poor planning, the ship was stuck in ice and later crushed by ice floes. The entire crew had to abandon the ship and begin one of the most perilous journeys in history. However, they managed to survive and were able to reach civilization after months of endurance. Is there a set of clear, agreed-upon values that are ‘lived’ by the team? There were certain values lived by team which was survival and looking out for the entire group. When the team began on the journey, they had a strong commitment to their expedition. They knew that their planning still had loopholes and the conditions were not perfect for the expedition and yet the continued on their journey. Even when the crew met initial resistance, they continued on with their mission. This shows that the crew was also looking forward to the journey. They did not want to abandon their mission. They also had a love for adventure which was obvious when the team began the journey. Later on, when the crew had to abandon the ship and begin their journey on ice, they held together. They helped each other and their values here were to look out for each other and survive the journey at the same time. Does the team have clear and attainable goals that movie it towards its vision? The vision of the team was very clear. Even though their supplies had dwindled and their energy was low, the team focused on its vision. The leader, Ernest Shackleton was able to help the team steer towards the right path even when they lost their vision. This team could be termed as a high performing team because of its strong vision and their narrow minded approach to achieving their goal. This was contributed by the fact that the team was well aware that their only chance of survival depended upon keeping their goal and vision clear. Had they lost their vision and focused on just keeping alive, they would probably not have been able to even survive. Does the team have both the skills and the willingness to deal with conflict when it arises? The team was very skilled. The members in the team had clearly defined roles in the beginning of the journey; however these roles were not so well defined when the disaster struck. The team was not very skilled at handling the situation but they pushed the limits of their skills. They were able to survive because the leader explored their skills. However, Shackleton was a domineering leader and was not willing to let any member take strong control in leading the team. It was the competence of Shackleton that allowed the team to survive and stand tall. Is feedback-based on openness and candor- a critical dimension of team life? At the core, are the members willing to speak their truth in ways it can be heard? In terms of feedback, one could say that the team was bent on surviving and they even feared that they may not survive; this led them to open with each other. The members were willing to speak the truth but this did not give rise to any serious conflict because it was obvious that conflict would not have been tolerated by the leader. Is the authority of individual members and the team as a whole clear and well defined? It was clear from the very beginning that the team had a strong leader in the shape of Ernest Shackleton but one can argue that it was the domineering nature of the leader that landed the crew in the situation initially. The crew members were well aware of the fact that Shackleton was the leader and they must abide to his directions. The Milagro Bean Field War The Milagro Bean Field War is a story set in New Mexico where a farmer, Joe Mondragon goes up against the rich developers trying to destroy the small farming community in his town. Mondragon accidently breaks a sluice near his field which results in a rush of water in his land. From this water, Mondragon is able to plant a prosperous bean field. This irks the business developer who tries in vain to step Mondragon and his community. Is there a set of clear, agreed-upon values that are ‘lived’ by the team? The team in this case is the people of community residing in the town, Milagro. The people of the community are illiterate. They have no idea on how the rich people are draining them. The leader in this team is Mondragon who is not seen as a favorable figure by the community initially. Therefore, there are no set values by the community where Mondragon resides. The people in community just want to survive and live their lives comfortably. For this, they are even willing to let the developers destroy in their community in the hopes of getting better jobs. It is Charlie Bloom who develops a set of values for the team. Bloom enforces on them the love for the community and the importance of preserving their community. Does the team have clear and attainable goals that movie it towards its vision? The team, in this case, does not have a clear goal. Their only goal is to survive as best as they can. They are so busy in surviving that they do not notice the wrong that is being done to them by the rich developers. Since they have no vision in life, they have no clear of how to achieve the vision. Even Mondragon does not have a vision or a goal. He accidently plants the bean field. He does not know how he can improve on his own condition and that of his community. He has only plan; only the frustration that drives him to fight back. However, it is later the willingness of the community that drives them to achieve success. The community, towards the end realizes the importance of freeing themselves from the rich developers. They gain a vision here and it is their strong sense of commitment to their community that they are able to achieve what they sought for. Does the team have both the skills and the willingness to deal with conflict when it arises? It can be said that the team did not begin off with a good start but it was the will power and strength of the community as well as the honest leadership of Mondragon that allowed the team to achieve success in the end even in the face of conflict. Is feedback-based on openness and candor- a critical dimension of team life? At the core, are the members willing to speak their truth in ways it can be heard? Since the villagers have a passive role in the team, they are not open and honest. The team does not start off like a high performing team. For most, it would have seemed that the team would fail in the end because they lack the skills to achieve their goal of getting free of the rich developers. Is the authority of individual members and the team as a whole clear and well defined? The authority of the team members is not clear or defined. The team members have a very passive role in the entire story. While the support Mondragon, they do not come forward to actively help him in his endeavors till the very end. Remember the Titans ‘Remember the Titans’ is a film about black football coach, Herman Boone, who is nominated to lead the T. C Williams High School’s football team. Since the team obviously consists of white football players, the nomination of a black coach leads to racial conflicts. Boone, in collaboration with the old white coach, is able to address the conflicts and lead to the team to one success after another despite pressures put on him and his team. Is there a set of clear, agreed-upon values that are ‘lived’ by the team? The team does not have any agreed upon values. Usually sports teams such as the one shown in the film have values of respecting their coach and acknowledging the worth of their team members, it is clear that the team has no clear values. They are divided in their racial differences and consider themselves to be above their coach and mentor. Does the team have clear and attainable goals that movie it towards its vision? The team has the vision to win the games that they play against other schools. They have their scholarships at stake if they do not win. In order to win the final, they have to win every other game that they participate in. However, the team in the beginning does not see this vision. Both the coaches of the team are well aware of the fact and it is because their vision is clear in their minds that the team is able to ultimately succeed. Does the team have both the skills and the willingness to deal with conflict when it arises? The team, in this case, does not have the skill or the willingness to deal with the conflict. Even though the team is well skilled in their roles, their skills of dealing with conflict are not very well honed. This is fueled by the fact that the team is not willing to deal with the internal conflict; and this is probably the biggest hurdle that Boone faces. To conclude, it can be said that the team, in this case, had the skills to deal with situation. The only issue they faced was their conflict with the coach. But it was the coach, Boone, who was able to overcome the initial resistance and deliver a high performing team. The team only needed a strong and forceful leader to groom them. If the coach, who is also the team member, had not been able to keep the vision in view, the team would not have been able to perform so well. This is despite the fact that both the coaches faced hurdles in their vision. Probably, Boone faced the biggest hurdle in the form of his team who was opposed to the coach. Boone, however, was able to see past this and work on the team’s future. Is feedback-based on openness and candor- a critical dimension of team life? At the core, are the members willing to speak their truth in ways it can be heard? The team, in all of this, has been quite honest and open in voicing their opinion. They even resort to physical opposition in order to get their point across to the coach. However Boone is able to develop in the team the skill to deal with conflict through rigorous training and forceful authority. He faced the biggest issue in making the team willing to deal with their conflicts Is the authority of individual members and the team as a whole clear and well defined? The authority of the team members is quite well defined. Even though the team is unable to accept Boone as their coach, they realize that they have to listen to his orders and concede to the rigorous training that is being inflicted upon them. Other than the team’s coach, the other members also have their authority well defined. This authority is delegated to them according to their skills and expertise in the football field. 9/11 9/11 is the story of a group of firemen who gave duty on one of the blackest days of US History. These firemen were committed to their duty and even lost lives in trying to salvage the ruins and lives of those destroyed by the 9/11 bombing on the Twin Towers located in New York City. Is there a set of clear, agreed-upon values that are ‘lived’ by the team? The team, in this case, had a strong set of values. These values called upon them to save as many lives as they can. They would even risk their own lives in order to save the lives of those in peril. And this was obvious in the manner when they gave their duty on the day when the twin towers fell. Does the team have clear and attainable goals that movie it towards its vision? The fire men also had a clear vision. They knew from the beginning that they would not be able to save everything. It was clear to them that the situation was worse than they could ever imagine. However, they were trained in their duty. As firemen, they had been trained to follow certain steps and procedures in case of emergencies. Even though they had handled emergency situations before, this was probably the worst that most of them had ever faced. Their training had not prepared them for this. But they followed the procedures that they had been trained to follow. Their vision was to save as much as they could. Their vision was so clear to them that many of them did not even care for their own lives. They became so engrossed in their duty that for them, their own lives became unimportant and they continued on. Does the team have both the skills and the willingness to deal with conflict when it arises? The team had the skills to deal with the conflict. They were well trained in the art of firefighting. Their training before had been very intense and they had been trained to deal with worst situations in a cool way. While it can be argued that these firemen were not properly trained to deal with such harsh a situation but their willingness to deal with the situation cannot be challenged. The firemen were well aware of the fact that they were risking their lives in this case but their continued to fight. They saw their team members dying in front of them and yet their continued to work with bravery and honesty. The firemen were willing to deal with the situation. They came forward at the risk of their own lives. Is feedback-based on openness and candor- a critical dimension of team life? At the core, are the members willing to speak their truth in ways it can be heard? The team members, in this case, did not have time to give feedback to their team members. It was after the incident that most of them related their experiences or gave their feedback. When the firemen spoke for the first time in front of the public, they were honest in their appraisal of the situation and of each other. To conclude, this team was able to perform so well because the team was dedicated towards the job at hand even when it meant risking their own lives. Is the authority of individual members and the team as a whole clear and well defined? The authority of the individuals was well defined and clear. They were aware of their roles in the operation. Even though the firemen were incapable of handling a situation of such huge proportions, they did not have any conflict with each other. Each of them knew what his duty was and they executed in to perfection. The team, as a whole, functioned as a well-coordinated group. Read More