It's fairly easy to list the traits of a good leader; good leaders communicate well, they motivate and empower others, they listen and admit their own mistakes, they put the good of the group above their own personal ambition, etc.  The real challenge is learning how to do all these things with different groups of people possessing different sets of beliefs in different situations.  If I am your commanding officer in the military, there are things I can do to motivate you that I cannot do if you are volunteering to help me fix my roof. So even though all leaders must motivate, how they motivate will depend in part on the context within which they must exercise their leadership. 

    We will use "Twelve Angry Men" to illustrate two things; first, we'll look carefully at the things the Architect does to influence and lead the group -- the common tasks of leadership.  Second, we'll begin looking at different theories of leadership, and apply them to what we see in the film.  Let's begin with some theory.

    Culture

    It is impossible to lead a group unless you understand something about that group's culture, i.e.  its beliefs, values, and norms (a "norm" is a common standard of behavior) . In Asian culture, for example, respect for authority is deeply valued; it is considered discourteous to look a superior directly in the eye when that person is addressing you.  Not so in the United States; we consider it disrespectful NOT to look a superior in the eye when they speak to you. Clearly if you don't know what a group values and expects, you can't lead them effectively.

    Notice that we are using the term culture  very broadly here -- business organizations have a culture, as do colleges, towns, sororities, athletic teams, etc.  Anywhere there is a shared set of beliefs, values, and norms, a culture exists.  (One of the biggest challenges facing college freshman is figuring out their college's culture -- what is important here?  What do other students value?  How am I expected to behave so that I fit in, and aren't perceived as a geek?  Or worse yet, as a philosophy professor?)

Power and Influence

    Leadership often involves the use of power.  John French and Bertram Raven have identified five different types of power a person might use.   The most common sort comes from holding legitimate authority -- if I am the manager of a restaurant, my position confers upon me certain powers.  Legitimate authority is often (but not always) accompanied by reward power and coercive power.  I have either one of these if I am able to either give or take away something you want, be it a pay raise, promotion, etc.  Referent power comes from being well-liked; you have referent power if people act so as to stay in your good graces.   Finally, expert power comes from having a special knowledge that others need.  If we need to collate some data and you're the only one who knows how to operate a spreadsheet, you have expert power.

    These types of power are often interrelated.   Consider a boss (legitimate authority) who is less skilled than those she manages (lacks expert power) and is unliked (lacks referent power). By virtue of her position she still possesses reward and coercive power, but these alone will not make her an effective leader.  Similarly, while those who possess expert or referent power can lead, they will be limited in what they can accomplish without some legitimate authority.

    Not only must one have power to influence others, but one must know when and how to use that power to maximum effect.  Cognitive complexity is the ability of a leader to make sense of out complicated and ambiguous situations; to see beyond what can be observed, an gain a feel for what is going on.   A person who possesses this capacity knows what sorts of influence styles will be effective for different individuals.  Gary Yukl lists the following methods for influencing others:

"Pushing" tactics

	Rational persuasion (use of facts, logic reasoning in a non-emotional manner)
	Pressure (implied threats, reminders, guilt)

"Pulling tactics"

	Inspirational appeals (arousing enthusiasm for values, ideals, aspirations).
	Consultation (seeks participation of others planning; willing to modify decision based on others’ input)
	Ingratiating (praise, flattery, friendliness)
	Personal appeals (reminders of friendship, loyalty to group to motivate agreement)
	Exchange (reciprocation of benefits in order to accomplish task)
	Coalition building (create sub-group to cause others to feel pressure to conform)
	Legitimating tactics (reference to higher authority, tradition, rules, or policies)

     Conflict Management

    No group is without differences. Conflict can either be (1) avoided (by disregarding or ignoring the problem) (2) accommodated (finding a solution that makes everyone happy), (3) arbitrated by arriving at a compromise solution, or (4) solved by encouraging those in conflict to collaborate on finding a solution.  Avoidance is rarely effective, and complete accommodation rarely possible.   Compromise and collaboration can be more effective, but only where there is a certain amount of trust between the parties, and relative equality.  (In compromise between unequal parties, the lesser party can easily feel manipulated.  Collaboration is less likely to have this outcome, but it generally requires more time than any other strategy). 

 

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Each member of the group is to take ONE of these questions (except for question (3), which two people will work on), and post their answer to their group's WebBoard.  You should read what the others have posted, and offer constructive suggestions/criticisms.  Remember, you are all graded on both the group preparation sheet and the reflection paper.  When the group is satisfied with all the answers, print out a SINGLE clean copy for me, and turn it into my box in Sherman Hall by the due date. Make sure all your names are on the paper. Click HERE to read the reflection topic first -- it will help to guide your study.

(1) ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE. Culture consists of the important assumptions that are shared by a community and that provide its members with a sense of how to behave. A culture consists of a system of shared beliefs (assumptions about who the world works); values (assumptions about which ideals are worth striving for and about what is important in life); and norms (customary ways in which things are done). Identify (a) one belief, one value, and one norm held by the group at the beginning of the film; then (b) explain how the Architect changes any ONE of them.

(2) POWER. French and Raven cite the following sorts of power: reward power (either formally, in terms of money, promotion, praise, etc. or informally, in terms of status or social acceptability)or coercive power (punishment, which can also be formal or informal); expert power (where one has knowledge that others need); and referent power (where because one is well liked, others defer to that person’s judgement). Identify one example of each sort of power in the film (as evidenced either by the Architect or any other character).

(3) INFLUENCE. Below are nine influence tactics people commonly use. One person should identify TWO tactics that are used effectively by anyone in the film, and the other should identify TWO tactics that are used ineffectively. (Briefly describe the scene in which these styles are used either effectively or ineffectively).

"Pushing" tactics

Rational persuasion (use of facts, logic reasoning in a non-emotional manner)

Pressure (threats, guilt, chastising another’s judgement on non-rational grounds)

"Pulling tactics"

Inspirational appeals (arousing enthusiasm for values, ideals, aspirations).

Consultation (seeks participation of others planning; willing to modify decision based on others’ input)

Ingratiating (praise, flattery, friendliness)

	Personal appeals (reminders of friendship, loyalty to group to motivate agreement)
	Exchange (reciprocation of benefits in order to accomplish task)
	Coalition building (create sub-group to cause others to feel pressure to conform)
	Legitimating tactics (reference to higher authority, tradition, rules, or policies)

(4) CONFLICT MANAGEMENT. Conflicts can be (1) avoided (by disregarding or ignoring the conflict) (2) accommodated (finding a solution that makes everyone happy), (3) arbitrated by arriving at a compromise solution, or (4) solved by encouraging those in conflict to collaborate on finding a solution. Identify at least TWO conflict management strategies used in the film (either effectively or ineffectively). Describe the incident in which the strategy is used, and identify it from the list of four above.