View the movie Remember the Titans. Using the Stages of Group Development model
ID: 326055 • Letter: V
Question
View the movie Remember the Titans. Using the Stages of Group Development model described in the text, and in the handout posted on Moodle, assess the team's growth during the course of the movie. 1. Cite an example from the movie when the team was in the Forming Stage. What specific behavior(s) did the team exhibit to indicate they were in the Forming Stage? Be certain to correlate your findings to the behaviors described in the text and in the Stages of Group Development handout. 2. Cite an example from the movie when the team was in the Storming Stage. What specific behavior(s) did the team exhibit to indicate they were in the Storming Stage? Be certain to correlate your findings to the behaviors described in the text and in the Stages of Group Development handout. 3. Cite an example from the movie when the team was in the Norming Stage. What specific behavior(s) did the team exhibit to indicate they were in the Norming Stage? Be certain to correlate your findings to the behaviors described in the text and in the Stages of Group Development handout. 4. Cite an example from the movie when the team was in the Performing Stage. What specific behavior(s) did the team exhibit to indicate they were in the Performing Stage? Be certain to correlate your findings to the behaviors described in the text and in the Stages of Group Development handout. 5. How will your understanding of Group Development dynamics enable you to be a better manager?Explanation / Answer
The movie Remember the titans, directed by Boaz Yakin, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer was a 2000`s classic movie which portrayed the cultural issues present in the society and how a team of footballers overcame them led by their new head coach. To give a summary about the movie, the plot focuses on a team of team of footballers who were living in a society which had racial discrimination and cultural differences. The team initially struggled to adapt to members of other race but later on grew gradually into a team and forged a strong partnership.
This move shows a classic example of team forming stages. The various stages of forming a group are:
• Forming stage
• Storming stage
• Norming stage
• Performing stage
1. In the forming stage following activities happen:
• First time all team members get together
• Bonding and ice breaker sessions are required in this stage
• Members have to develop trust in the new team
• Goals and expectations from the group have to be set
In the movie, Coach Boone and Yoast are given separate tasks but meanwhile they are entrusted to make the team a united one. Gerry Bertier being the team captain and all American, spoke up to the Boone regarding who should be selected in the teams. Coach Boone was having none of it. He asked Bertier, whose team it was and Bertier backed out. Boone quickly realized the mammoth task he had in his hands. While going to the training camp, he ensured that everyone paired up with member from opposite race and sat with them.
In this we can see that, the teams have been formed but there is still no communication and support to each members. Coach therefore ensures that even though it is hard for the players, they are made to sit with each other and start developing a communication channel with each other. The expectations of the team was also displayed- they had to work together as a unified team.
2. In the Storming stage, following activities happen:
• Members express differences in opinions, feelings
• There will be control issues
• Communications can develop or break down
• Team spirit and morale can be changed
Going back to the movie, when quarterback Rev is not blocked by white players, Campbell talks to Bertier and asks him whey as a captain he is not ensuring team is working together. Bertier responds that Campbell himself was holding back and not playing to his strengths. Campbell then responds that there is no unity in the team and when that is the case, everyone will play for themselves. This incident led Bertier to realize that as a captain and leader of the team, it is his responsibility to ensure the team plays well. He starts scolding the teammates when they slack off or not block the black players thereby gaining respect form Coach, Campbell and other black players.
In storming stage, it is quite common for all members to express their feelings and problems. It is this stage where the manager or leader of the team has to take great patience and effort in ensuring that the team morale increases and does not go down. The captain in this case takes onus upon himself to set the example and try to resolve the conflicts in the team.
3. In norming stage, following activities happen:
• Team bond gets stronger
• Members appreciate each other
• Motivation to work together as a team gets developed
• Small success factors can be seen
In the movie, we can see that after coming back from the camp, the team starts bonding well with others. The leaders takes initiative to ensure that such feeling and bonding remains intact during the course of the season. The warm up scene is showcase of the norming stage, where the team does a dance to entertain and have fun while working.
Such cases show the team bonding success and how they appreciate being there for others. The whole team comes together and by this stag they want to work for each other and help out others who are in need. Success are also shown on field corresponding to the team bonding.
4. The last stage of team development i.e. performing stage has following actions:
• There is trust in team members
• Members appreciate and work for each other
• There is high level of motivation and pride in the team
• Team mentality gets installed
In the movie, the team perfroms better than the expecatiaons. The team knows each other well and even after losing few members they are still able to perform at the high level of consistency. The team glory comes before the individual honors. Bosley sacrificed his position to Petey Jones since he was better suited to the role and could help the team in winning the game. Even both the coaches put aside their differences and worked together to win the championship.
The reason the team was able to win was down to the hard work they did and the bonding they had in the team. We can understand that when there is trust in the team and team members, people are willing to go the extra mile and help in team achieving the target.
5. There were many decision that the coach took in helping the group of individuals to become a team. As manager I would also like to do the same. Few key areas which I would improve upon based on the group development dynamics are:
• Ensuring there is proper communication within the team
• Let the team have a creative mindset
• Managers putting their differences aside to work on team developments.
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