Organizational Behavior

Organizational behavior is the application of knowledge about how people, individuals, and groups act and react in an organization, in order to reach and accomplish the highest quality of performances, and dominant results. The movie We Were Soldiers illustrates effective leadership styles within the individuals, group, and organization. In the movie the soldiers demonstrate the ability to overcome disaster, adversity, and the challenges of war. We will describe and relate leadership styles, theories, characteristics, and strategies covered in Fugate and Kinicki text Organizational Behavior (fifth edition).

We Were Soldiers revolves around a leader, Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore and his unit, who are set for their first battle of the Vietnam War. Lt. Col. Moore is commander of the first Battalion, 7th Cavalry regiment. A born leader, Lt. Col. Moore uses various leadership styles to lead his unit to victory. The first style that Moore uses even before he and his troops get to the battlefield is that of leading by example. Setting examples for others to follow involves practicing what one preaches and earns a leader respect and loyalty. At a ceremony the night before Moore and his troops were to depart, Moore delivers a speech to his unit and their families “I can't promise you that I will bring you all home alive. But this I swear, before you and before Almighty God, that when we go into battle, I will be the first to set foot on the field, and I will be the last to step off, and I will leave no one behind. Dead or alive, we will all come home together. So help me, God.” (Davey and Wallace, 2002). True his word, when the battle begins he is the first one on the battlefield and when the battle is over, he ensures that every single one of his men is removed from the battlefield before being the last to set foot off the battlefield. During the battle, Moore also leads by example numerous times in the battlefield through his acts of heroism and his refusal to give up.

The second leadership style that is evident in Lt. Col. Moore is his treatment of his battalion by showing them respect and dignity. By ensuring everyone understood this, Moore was building confidence, self-respect, and group cohesiveness that would go a long way in ensuring that the members of his unit trusted each other.

Lt. Col. Moore’s last leadership style is his unrelenting in his commitment to winning the war in Vietnam. He had a vision which he has every intention of achieving. A great leader who commands the ultimate respect of his soldiers, Moore is maniacal in his commitment to war and believes that he will prove victorious. When Lt. Col. Moore is told the size of the enemy troops, he is not concerned that his troops are outnumbered by the Vietnam soldiers.

The movie We Were Soldiers three leadership styles that Lt. Col Moore uses in the battle with his troops. The text reflects leadership theories and how enacted values

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