Twelve O’Clock High Introduction to the paper’s subject, and primary objectives: General information regarding the topic of this paper:  The purpose of this paper is to identify and contrast the different styles of leadership exhibited by two characters found in the 1949 movie Twelve O’Clock High starring Gregory Peck as General Savage, Army Air Forces general. Based on a true story, Twelve O’Clock High is a inspirational account of the highly dangerous precision daylight bombing missions carried out by US Army Air Force’s 918th Bomber Group in England during the last part of World War II. In the beginning of the movie the squadron is commanded by general Davenport. It is very clear that General Davenport’s …show more content…
General Savage’s effort to maintain consistency in the way that he treats his Men eventually takes its toll. By the end of the film he’s driven himself into utter physical and mental exhaustion. Background of daylight precision bombing:  Daylight precision bombing was used during one of the most critical points of the war. The allies had been successful at eradicating Germany from most of France and the other countries that had formerly been occupied as a result of hostile invasion by the Axis power. Germany’s new primary objective was then shifted from an aggressive strategy to successfully defending their homeland in order to recuperate. This would allow them to extend the length of the war thus improving their chances of eventual triumph. The Allies had the opportunity to end the war quickly by successfully striking down Germany while they were in weakened state. The US knew that Germany’s weakened condition was temporary and would only last for a short time. Therefore the only way that they would be able to capitalize on this window of opportunity to cripple Germany was by swift and effective action. The Allies strategy to invade Germany involved two-parts. The first was the weakening of Germany’s internal defenses by bombing certain targets that were felt to be the most crucial to Germany’s ability to ward of an invasion. After this the
Leadership and Management styles have played an important role in the learning in Outcome Assessment and Quality Management. In class I have learned the positives and negatives that come from the different leadership styles presented. The movie, Twelve O’clock High, is a film that takes place in 1943 outside Nazi Germany. It depicts the 918th Bomb Group and the problems that they are having. Throughout the movie we are presented with multiple leadership styles from the commanding officers; Colonel Davenport, Brigadier General Savage, and Major General Pritchard of Pine Tree.
The terms leadership and management are often used interchangeably. While some writers argue that there is a clear distinction between leadership and management, others argue that leadership is simply a function of management. Which view do you feel is the most relevant in the context of your industry and why?
Leadership is an essential component of successful military action, especially in times of war. War is the type of crisis that has been said to separate the ‘men from the boys’. Leaders are molded from the situations thrust upon them. As they interact with the mix of people, resources, information and environment, leaders are affected by and have a profound effect upon the outcomes. To be effective, a leader must understand and identify with those that are to be lead. People will only follow if the leader’s vision reflects their ideals and values. It is a two-way street; a good leader is also a good follower (Bolman & Deal, 1997). So, it is through General Frank Savage, the general in charge of the beleaguered 918th Bomber Squadron based in England during the early stages of World War II, as well as Lieutenant Jesse Bishop and Ben Gately, elements of great leadership are displayed.
Leadership is a complex phenomenon, involving the constant interaction of three essential elements: the leader, the followers, and the surrounding situation or context (Wren, 1995, p. 125). Enhancing leadership requires extensive knowledge about each element and the relationships of each element to the other. The execution of this knowledge determines the quality of the leadership skills, which is essential to the survival of the organization. As noted in Bass (1990), effective leadership makes a difference in the subordinates’ satisfaction and performance while making the difference in whether the organization succeeds or fails. Interest in historical
CT interpret effective leadership as affected by situational variables, including the followers, work environment and tasks, and the external environment (Daft, 2005, p.111). CT includes Fiedler’s proposal of predominance and interaction between relationship or taskoriented leadership styles, as well as Hersey and Blanchard’s focus on the characteristics of followers as producing favorable or unfavorable results, followed by the path-goal theory, Vroom Jago model, and substitutes-for-leadership approaches. If the leader understands how to properly interrelate with situational variables, the possibilities for success would be maximized. Influence Theories Leaders are challenged to persuade followers effectively integrating power and influence. Followers should be motivated, shaped and guided through Charismatic Leadership, “influence based…on the qualities and personality of the leader.” (Daft, 2005, p.24). Bolman and Terrence (1991) identify four Leader worldviews that influence this approach: Structural, Human Resources, Political and Symbolic perspectives. The balanced perspective of leaders is directly related to Leadership vision to produce the best outcomes. (Daft, 2005). Relational Theories (RL) Motivation, empowerment, and strategic communication are crucial to the generation of success conditions. RL lead teams into
Today we would like to start this month’s newsletter with a couple of timely questions for all the leadership types. For example, when was the last time that your leadership level grew? In addition, what steps are being taken to fight back the tendency to manage instead of leading oneself and others? Finally, what resources are you using to provide a basis for leadership growth in your personal as well as professional life.
Yukl observes that much of the research over the last 50 years has involved dyadic (one
After conducting some research on leadership, many questions have been brought to my attention. Some questions include the following: What is a leader? Are leaders made or born? What is the difference between leadership and management? What are the theories concerning leadership? Answers to these questions, and many others, should become clear enough at the end of this research.
In today's world economy companies come and go every single day. It takes good strong leadership and management to guide an organization to success. While many people consider management and leadership to be synonymous they are in reality two different concepts. A person can be a good leader but if he does not know how to manage a company that company will be destined to fail. Also if a person had great management skills but lacks in leadership no matter how good he is if he can not lead his employees towards the goal then it is a failed attempt at success. Management is considered a job description whereas leadership is considered a trait. In this paper we will differentiate between management and leadership. We will also examine how
Being a leader is not necessarily being a manager and being a manager is not always being a leader. Being able to distinguish the differences between a leader and manager is not always simple. Today's demanding business unquestionably adds to the level of difficulty in determining, who is what. This paper will be illustrating the differences that separate a leader from a manager and vise versa. This paper will also review the duties and roles of a leader and what is needed to create and sustain a strong organization.
Many different leaders and managers will come and go through out an organizations time, and they together will create a legacy for the organization. In the book The Leadership Experience, written by Richard Daft, the difference between leadership and management is described outside the position that a person may hold. To be a leader means that you help to guide people or groups. The US Army defines leadership as “influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation while operating to accomplish the mission and improving the organization.” The Army has many people in what are called leadership positions, yet not all of the people in the positions of leadership
Each person in a company brings his or her own experiences, values, and beliefs to the company. All the experiences, values, and beliefs combined formulate the organizational culture of the company. A sick organizational culture can cause failure in a company. In a company with a healthy organizational culture employees work together to ensure the company reaches its goals. This paper will discuss the roles leadership and management play in a healthy organizational culture. How the four functions of management support and maintain a healthy organizational culture will also be addressed. In addition, strategies that leaders can use to promote a healthy culture will also be reviewed.
Some might argue that there is not much difference between management and leadership. While a good manager can also be a good leader and visa versa, this does not always hold true. "A leader is someone who people naturally follow through their own choice, whereas a manager must be obeyed. A manager may only have obtained his position of authority through time and loyalty given to the company, not as a result of his leadership qualities. A leader may have no organizational skills, but his vision unites people behind him."(1) I believe an individual can go to school, get a good education and can be taught to be a good manager, but there is more to being a good leader. Being a leader, I believe, is an inherent
Apples management and leadership have taken the small company in Silicon Valley and transformed it into a multinational conglomerate. From the time of its inception, Apple’s innovation has delivered the personal computer, the Graphical User Interface, the world’s most popular portable music devices and favorite cellular phone. The creation of these products only illustrates part of the success of Apple’s management; the other would be the successful integration into the lifestyle of cultures around the world. Apple has molded the face of personal computing at a global level with its strong and visionary leadership, ability to remain innovative, and its
I have learned many lessons from Jack Welch on leadership. Jack Welch has been with the General Electric Company (GE) since 1960. Having taken over GE with a market capitalization of about $12 billion, Jack Welch turned it into one of the largest and most admired companies in the world by the time he stepped down as its CEO 20 years later, in 2000. Jack Welch used his uncanny instincts and unique leadership strategies to run GE, the most complex organization in the world and increased its market value by more than $400 billion over two decades. He remains a highly regarded figure in business circles due to his innovative leadership style. Jack Welch demonstrated Kouzes and Posner’s five practices of modeling the way, inspiring a shared