Learning Organizational Behavior through Movies.
Hello! Hope you're enjoying the lovely monsoons that we're having this year and this is exactly why I actually forgot writing a blog last week and my sincere apologies for the same!
So, the Second Year of the Master of Management Studies Degree just began this week and before I embarked on the journey towards becoming a fully professional HR, I thought I'll do some study-desk cleaning, sort things out and brush up through a few lessons. While I was doing so, I came across the subject that our Professor called as the base of Human Resources which is: Organizational Behaviour (OB). While I was going through that book, rather than remembering lessons, I remembered the striking way with which we were taught the various aspects of OB which was through movies. Yes! Our Professor co-related behavioral aspects such as Attitudes, Emotions, Perception, Motivation and others with largely popular movies and that's how we learnt OB and also the fact that everything that you see may have a lesson to teach.
Hence, I'm writing this blog-post to share with you'll the wonderful way in which I was taught OB through movies. Read on to know more about it and perhaps catch one of those movies, this weekend, with a learning perspective in mind:
Hence, I'm writing this blog-post to share with you'll the wonderful way in which I was taught OB through movies. Read on to know more about it and perhaps catch one of those movies, this weekend, with a learning perspective in mind:
1) Lesson: Values, Attitudes and Emotions • Movie: Nelson Mandela - A Long Walk to Freedom:-
We all know the legend of Nelson Mandela who fought for the freedom and futuristic well-being of the folks of South Africa. This biography captures that leader's 'values' and his 'attitude' towards achieving his ultimate goal of freedom even though there were numerous hard-ships on the way. That's the thing that could be beautifully learnt from this film.
2) Lesson: Personality • Movie: 3 Idiots:-
3 Idiots has always been a movie that captures the heart-and-soul of college life, more-so the Engineering Life and the career pressures that every young-adult goes through when in Graduate College. Through this movie, we can learn about various personalities: Be it Aamir Khan's liberal, care-free and 'looking to challenge norms' attitude, to Boman Irani's ego stricken, 'unwilling to accept change' attitude. The movie also portrays various conflicts among friends and among professors which gives an insight as to how to tackle them based on 'personalities' through ease.
3) Lesson: Perception • Movie: Queen:-
Queen quintessentially talks about the life-turning events of Kangana Ranuat after she was almost left at the altar of her wedding, and that was all because the male protagonist, Raj Kumar Rao 'perceived' her to be someone that wouldn't match his levels of new found sophistication. Also, through the fashion trends that Lisa Ray sported in the movie, made Kangana's parent's 'perceive' her as someone who was 'too outgoing' and of bad influence on their daughter, but little did they know that she was actually her saviour. That's how 'perception' can be learnt through numerous instances in the movie.
4) Lesson: Motivation • Movie: Milkha Singh:-
They say 'Winners don't Quit, and Quitters don't Win' - This movie talks essentially about the journey of Milkha Singh right from a disturbed and abandoned child-hood to his days of immense glory. The movie depicts 'motivation' in various forms through various scenes, be it his self-motivation drive when he loses a race in Australian Olympics to his coaches that stood by him through every race, and even his sister, these being a few examples. The movie ends with a quote which captures the essence for winning in every walk of life:
5) Lesson: Team Behaviour • Movie: Chak De India:-
As per a broad classification we often observe two types of people, one who works more efficiently in a team and another who works more efficiently single-handedly. But every individual, at some point of the time, has to work in teams and this movie captures every essence right from team building to conflicts to finally being a team that always wins through all odds. Hence, Chak De is a perfect movie example to learn team and group behaviour.
6) Lesson: Conflict Handling • Movie: Lagaan:-
Lagaan was one of the break-through films of Indian Cinema. While people still admire it for its patriotism and cricket infused story, this film also has wonderful lessons of conflict management. The initial stage of demotivation that Aamir Khan experienced, followed by his un-matched efforts to build a team of people with various talents through a hard-time and treachery, various aspects of 'conflict' and its management could be learnt from this film.
7) Lesson: Communication • Movie: Munnabhai M.B.B.S.:-
We all enjoy this film thoroughly for the Munna-Circuit friendship and the antagonist who is egoistic yet funny. But, if you actually want to learn something from this comedy movie is the fact that simple methods of communication and 'care' shown towards patients, or people, for that matter could work wonders for the well-being. Communication, mis-Communication and the understandings and mis-understandings, everything is shown in this film with a humour element attached to it.
8) Lesson: Leadership Qualities • Movie: Gandhi:-
The name of the movie itself speaks for the lesson that could be learnt from the same. Every essential quality of a leader: Vision, Communication, Empathy, Hard-Work, Dedication, Team Spirit, everything is shown in this film which can be an entertaining channel to learn about leadership behavioural qualities.
9) Lesson: Power and Politics • Movie: Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year:-
This film was widely appreciated because it captured the reality of 'jobs', more-so of 'sales' jobs and the kind of politics that comes with increasing hierarchy and power. Politics, now-a-days, isn't uncommon in organisations. While you can't escape those traps, the only way out is to learn how to deal with them, and if you are someone who isn't a reader, take help of such movies to learn a thing or two. So, we have power and politics to learn from Rocket Singh, the Salesman of the Year!
10) Lesson: Change Management • Movie: Swades:-
Change is the only Constant - Heard that tonnes of times right? But do you know how much effort goes into bringing about change in people and the organizations It is immense. Not many embrace change, not many take charge to manage and apply change. But in today's time of 'Survival of the Fittest', change is extremely crucial and all the aspects of change management are rightly shown in this movie.
Ever wondered such light-hearted movies could actually be a source of valuable lessons?
I'm taking this opportunity to thank my professor, Dr. Farida Virani, who has taught us about life and academics more than just books, the woman I look up to for inspiration!
Hope you all liked this post and I'm glad I can take this platform to share the lessons that I learnt. Share this post with your fellows and comment down if you have any views over the same.
Much Love, Positivity and Gratitude.
- Binal R. Chitroda
(#TheHRConnect)