ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN & BEHAVIOR

LEADERSHIP THIRTEEN DAYS This movie is a dramatization of U.S President Kennedy's administration's struggle to contain the Cuban Missile Crisis in October of 1962, when the Soviets & U.S were almost at war, a war that could have turned nuclear leading the planet towards World War III. The three people around which the movie revolves & who get the highest screen time include Kevin Costner (Kenny O'Donnell) Bruce Greenwood (John F. Kennedy) & Steven Culp (Robert F. Kennedy). Three of the characters had unique personalities having great leadership qualities, but the character that appealed me more was that of the U.S president i.e. JFK played by Bruce Greenwood. JFK was a man having calm personality, used to get nervous at the initial stages of the conflict but did not let stress turn into something very negative. He surely was an emotional person also, never wanted an armed conflict as it would be harming not only his citizens, but also the officers in the battlefields. Every step he took, he wanted to ensure the safety of his men. JFK was at times perceived as a weak & a slow decision maker by his defense team, as he seemed to be taking too many options into consideration, which resulted in a better decision in the end. As per the movie, JFK always wished to create consensus among all the stakeholders. He believed in participative management, & this proved to be right when he explored as many options as possible, then finally working on the quarantine strategy & then sending his brother to the Soviet ambassador offering the turkey deal. The negotiation capability & the diplomatic skills in JFK & his brother can be related to the trait theory. He was autocratic at times, taking input from everyone, consulting every stakeholder on board and then ordering his men what he thought to be right or better, using the formal authority & power he possessed as the President of U.S. At times some of his men particularly his military chiefs were very much disagreeing with him & the missile tests at the later stage were a wrong decision escalating the tension between the two super powers.

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ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN & BEHAVIOR

Coming to the decisions he made, his strategy to get world support though the U.N should have been a bit earlier along with the back channel diplomacy that really proved to be the most successful of the strategies. JFK s honesty, loyalty & commitment to his country were a key element of his leadership. At times he did made unpopular decisions but throughout the movie & this crisis he never thought of taking some steps to please the people for being reelected, his priority was his people & not himself, this is a true quality of a leader. The other two characters that of Kenny & Robert were also very confident, hardworking & committed men having good communication & political skills. JFK seemed to believe that things can only be done through people in an environment where they can do their best where good relationships are vital to the success of any leader. JFK was able to create an environment without too many layers that fostered more open communication. At the same time, this requires thoroughness on the part of the leader so as to be certain that each task is covered by a capable person, while coordinating and leading in a way that does not become dictatorial.

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