LORD OF THE FLIES: A ''LIVE CASE'' APPROACH TO LEADERSHIP Developments In Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 20,1993 136 LORD OF THE FLIES: A “LIVE CASE” APPROACH TO LEADERSHIP Maryanne Rouse, University of South Florida Hamilton Stirling, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg ABSTRACT The purpose of this demonstration is to show how a “live” case, structured around the film Lord of the Flies, has been used in introductory management courses to integrate the trait, behavioral, and contingency theories of leadership while highlighting the constraints placed on individuals in leadership roles. The 90-minute film provides an unusually rich set of common experiences, which form the basis for class discussion. By observing the shifts in power and influence and in leadership and “followership” roles from the plane crash through ultimate rescue, students gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of leadership and the types of behaviors that are more or less effective in different positions and situations. This exercise is patterned on a “live” case developed around the film Twelve O’clock High, which has been used successfully in a variety of settings for more than a decade. INTRODUCTION The study of leadership as a process of influencing others to achieve organizational goals and objectives is an element of almost every undergraduate and graduate (MBA) “principles” or management process course and the focus of an increasing number of non-academic credit seminars and workshops. Because it provides students the opportunity to “discover" the various sources of power and authority that serve as the basis for exerting influence and reinforces the premise that there is no “one best way to lead,” many instructors use a case/discussion approach to teaching leadership concepts and theories. The film Lord of the Flies serves as a ‘live” case providing the opportunity to assess successful and unsuccessful leadership styles in a complex environment characterized by a great deal more detail than the more usual one to two page “leadership style” case. TIME, COST, AND GROUP SIZE The entire film is approximately 90 minutes long; discussion requires 60-90 minutes for a total of 1 50 to 1 80 minutes. The exercise is ideal for undergraduate or graduate classes that meet in three hour blocks and, with an introductory lecture on leadership, works extremely well as a half-day leadership workshop or as part of a longer seminar or short- course. The exercise can also be modified for use in classes scheduled to meet for two 90-minute periods per week. (For the demonstration, the exercise will be edited down to 30 minutes.) It works well as a participative exercise with groups of up to 40; once group size exceeds 40, active participation/discussion is limited. The only equipment required are a VHS and monitor plus a copy of the videotape (available from video libraries or stores.) Because most schools will have a VHS player and monitor, cost is limited to video rental/purchase and the duplication of approximately five pages of handout material per participant. THE EXERCISE This experiential exercise uses a videotape (or 16mm version) of the film Lord of the Flies as the basis for class discussion of leadership: theories, behavior, group structure, sources of power and influence, the role of “followers,” and organizational and situational constraints. The videotape or film is stopped at specific points during its 90-minute run time to allow discussion of observed behavior and to relate that behavior to three models of leadership and group dynamics: (1) the French and Raven behavioral model which defines influence in terms of power, the control an individual can exercise over others; (2) the Hersey and Blanchard situational leadership model which focuses on task oriented behavior, relationship-oriented behavior, and the “readiness level of the group; and (3) the Donnely, Gibson, and Ivancevich integrative model of work groups. The integrative model of work groups is included because self-directed work groups have become an increasingly important element in implementing TOM initiatives. At each pre-set “stop,” students or workshop participants are asked to discuss what is happening in the film. Additional questions include "How did this situation develop?”, “Which of the management/leadership models can be applied?", and “What will happen next? Why?” Answering these questions stimulates discussion about behavior of the leader(s) and group members and allows students/participants to “discover" that there is no one style of leadership that is the most effective in all situations. Lord of the Flies works extremely well as an experiential exercise in leadership because (1) the goals are very apparent, (2) the time dimension is short, (3) the consequences are quite extreme (death), and (4) the punishment available is great (banishment). The effectiveness of the exercise can be enhanced by using a discussion of “mini-cases” to illustrate the models in the class before that in which the film is used. CONCLUSION Using a feature film intended for entertainment as a vehicle for simulating leadership situations and stimulating discussion of leadership concepts and theories provides a break from the usual lecture/discussion format of many introductory management courses as well as a change of pace for workshops and seminars. Because the film setting is a non-business environment, the exercise can be used equally effectively with non-business (education, social service, the professions) as with business oriented groups. Session attendees will receive copies of the authors’ teaching note, models, and a student paper. REFERENCES Donnelly, J., Gibson, J. & Ivancevich, J. (1981) Fundamentals of management 4 ed. PIano, TX: Business Publications, Inc. French J.R.P., & Raven, B. (1959) The bases of social power. In D. Cartwright (Ed.), Studies in Social Power. Ann Arbor: Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan Hersey, P., & Blanchard, K. (1988) Management of organizational behavior: utilizing human resources. 5 ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall Table of Contents Volume 20, 1993 Dominant Personality Types and Total Enterprise Simulation Performance Shelf Wars: A Grocery Channel Simulation Shared Cultural Perspectives: An Experiential Exercise Utilizing International Students to Globalize the Classroom An Instrument for Investigating the Effectiveness of Teaching Methods in the Business Policy and Strategy Formulation Course Providing Better Trained Graduates for Accounting Employers The Ambition Gradient Approach to Evaluation of Computer Simulation Game Team Performance Alphatec: A Negotiation Exercise with Logrolling and Bridging Potential Using the Ideafisher Idea Generation System as a Decision Support System in Marketing Strategy Courses A Dynamic Market Share Allocation Model For Computerized Business Simulations Multi-Cultural Adaptability Using Experiential Learning in a Graduate Course Development of Experiential Applications in HRM: Practicing What Preach and Preaching for Practice Linking Students and Business Leaders Through Portfolios Debriefing International Experiential Learning Exercises: Road Signs for Effectiveness Sales Manager: A Simulation Modeling Interactive Effects in Mathematical Functions for Business Simulations: A Critique of Goosen's Interpolation Reducing the Complexity of Interactive Variable Modeling in Business Simulations Through Interpolation Antecedent Biases of Experiential Learners: Trainee Occupation and Subgroup Diversity Pax in Terra Sancta: Simulating the Middle East Peace Negotiations A Multiple Regression Case In Experiential Learning Changes in Ethnocentric/Geocentric Orientation by Business Students after Exposure to a One Summer Course in International Marketing's A Systematic Approach to the Development and Evaluation of Experiential Exercises Entrepreneurs Evaluate Experiential Education A Linear Programming Approach to Open System Total Enterprise Simulations Reflecting Leader Behavior from the Looking Glass, Inc. Simulation Linking Cognitive Styles, Teaching Methods, Educational Objectives and Assessment: A Decision Tree Approach Restructuring Management Education in Post-Communist Countries: How Western Experts Can Help Managerial and Cultural Pre-Conditions for Superior Performance in a Global Setting: An Experimental Study with the Aid of Business Games Multiple Industries in Computerized Business Gaming Simulations Content or Process? - Content and Process! Some Observations and Reflections About Management Education in Central Europe Out-of-Class Experiences to Promote Volunteerism Enacting the Linguistic Consciousness of the Modern Managerial Mind: Post-Modernism and Experiential Learning Intergrating Experiential Exercises into the College Curriculum: The Case of Internationalizing the Business Curriculum Simulation Marketing Oversights Incorporating Advertising Creative Strategy into Computer-Based Business Simulations The Dynamics of a Partnership Between Business and Education Collaborative Education Done Globally Experiential Systems Analysis CADPLAN: A Simulation for Comparative Advertising A Doctoral Symposium: Preparing Students for Conference Behavior Comparing the Simulation with the Case Approach: Again! Total Quality Management: A Model for Continuous Quality Improvement The Quality Audit: An Experiential Exercise for Business Students Extending the Reach of Simulations: DECIDE Heads for the Inner City Lessons Learned from a Customized Management Development Simulation The Foreign Exchange Spot Trading Simulation Using Lotus 1-2-3 to complete a Triple Play in a Simulated Competition International Business Education: Is Enough Being Done? Matching of Student-Teacher Cognitive Style as a Factor in Student Success in an Introduction to Information Systems Course Breathing (More) Life into the Case Approach Lord of the Flies: A Live Case Approach to Leadership Cooperative Case Studies: Experiential Tools for Teaching Business Problem Solving Tools Strategy Simulations in Context: An Evaluation of Key Dimensions The Distribution Channel Game Evaluation of a Simulation Game as an Education Tool for Utility Professionals The Relationship Between Total Enterprise Simulation Performance and Learning Total Quality Management does not Happen by Magic, but it can be Taught Using a Pedagogical Methodology that Utilizes Magic Effectively Preparing Students for Careers in a Global Environment by Integrating Total Quality Management Thoughout the Business Curriculum An Empirical Investigation of Cognitive and Performance Consistency in a Marketing Simulation Game Environment Using MARSGAP with LAPTOP: (A Marketing Simulation Game Analysis Program) with LAPTOP: A Marketing Simulation Adapting TQM Implementation to Organizational Level An MBA Business Simulation: Executive Interaction Experiential Exercises and Pedagogy Track Workshop: Experiencing Cultural Diversity in the Classroom (and the Hotel Meeting Room) Closing the Gap between Corporate and National Culture The Dynamic Manufacturing Company The Use of Experiential Techniques in Corporate Training The State of Simulation Gaming in Easter European Countries- Principally Russia An Experiential Exercise in Cross-Cultural Training Valuing Differences: A Conceptual Framework Demonstration of an Experiential Exercise Effectively Using Experiential Learning to Impart TQM Concepts in a High Technology Environment The Older Worker Questionnaire: An Exercise Concerning Older Worker Stereotypes and Behaviors The Crime Fighting Task Force: An Exercise in Organizational Politics Welcome to the Party! An Expression of Vocational Preference Experiential Exercise for Imparting Cross-Cultural Appreciation Six Swift Simulations on Globalization Overview of BASF Delegate Program