Week 11: Participation and Teamwork
This week’s reading and videos were really interesting and I had a lot of fun analyzing and applying the theories to the two video examples. To start with this was my first time watching Lost and by the end of the first episode I was left with a lot of questions that are probably irrelevant to the analysis in this post but I still feel the need to ask them.
What was the giant-like creature following the survivors?
Does Charlie have anything to do with the crash of the plane?
What is a dog doing on an island? How did he get there? Was he on the plane? if so why is he not hurt?
The show begins with the impromptu gathering of the survivors of the plane crash. As Professor Hemphill states in her post “these characters do not have the luxury of choice in their position on the island or of their coworkers” as they become members of this group when their plane crashes. What I realize while watching this episode is that we are all members of teams or groups every day of our lives, in different situations, and for different reasons. Most of the time our membership within these impromptu teams are a result of our participation in the world and the cultures that we live in. When we get on a plane, a bus, a train we become members of these teams with a common goal (of getting somewhere at a specific time) and we inherently develop a bond when there is a need to help a member of that group or when we feel the group is in danger. However, often members only become involved in helping others when their own safety is threatened. Examples that come to mind is the movie Daylight (it’s an older example but I think the themes are still relevant) where a group of individuals become survivors of a tunnel collapses under the Hudson River and they have to work together to find a way of getting out alive.
In this example there is a struggle for leadership between Roy: an extreme sport’s celebrity who claims to have an idea of how to get out and Sylvester Stallone’s character: Kit who was an EMS chief who lost credibility in a previous emergency situation. We also Maddy (a writer) who takes control of several situations and helps others keep a level head (she becomes Kit’s right hand girl). We see examples of conflict and groupthink (when everyone decides to follow Roy) and are unwilling to believe Kit.
In Lost, the organization is affected by the shock of having crashed and there seems to be a lot of things happening all at once (a woman having contractions by the beach, another one not breathing and in the process of being resuscitated by a young lifeguard , a man stuck under plane debris, people looking for loved ones, people in shock either standing still or walking around aimlessly). At this point, the members of this organization are looking out for their own benefit, for their own interests whether these interests are conscious decisions or are part of a reaction brought on by their own traumas.
The group starts to come together when the (assumed leader) Jack acquires a task role as he begins to rally up people in order to help the man caught under the plane debris. Originally, we see this man call out for help to other members of the group but everyone seems not to hear him. Jack instills a sense of duty to the other members as he asks for their help in freeing the trapped man. The team in this situation works well together and we do not see a struggle for power from anyone or anyone challenging Jack’s commands.
He then helps a woman who is having contractions stay calm and directs another member of the group to assist and stay with her while she is in need and vulnerable. It’s interesting how the members of this group would not react until someone like Jack (a leader) takes the reigns and forces them to participate. We can make the argument that the members of this organization are getting to know one another and they are still not fully involved in their organization, which could result in a sense of reluctance to participate. This could very well be because of how traumatic the situation is. I’m reminded of the four phases of negation process that the Eisenberg book outlines. “To develop productive work relationships, the members of a newly formed intercultural team need sufficient time to build trust and adapt to cultural differences” (Eisenberg Pg. 242).
Later in the episode we see Jack, Kate and Charlie go looking for the transceiver (which they believe will allow them to signal for help). What I find interesting in that is that when they find out the pilot is alive and Jack asks him questions, the pilot sort of falls in line to Jack’s authority. He answers his questions and takes command of the things that Jack is saying.
We also see the team’s behavior during the night and what we see is that they are all disconnected. Each one has a different understanding of what is going on (Shannon believes they will be rescued soon) and Boone has a different perspective. We see Sayid asking Charlie for help in building the fires as he states that they need to make them as big as they can for visibility. In this situation I would see Sayid as a leader as well, the only difference is that his leadership is focused on being more reactive than Jack as he seeks not only to set up distress signals that will help a rescue party see them but in cleaning up the dead bodies. Jack is more proactive, he wants to find a way to contact someone to let them know where they are and essentially help them find them.
I think that in this situation especially, the group will encounter similar struggles like virtual cross cultural groups encounter as these members come from a range of different cultural beliefs and values and they might not have the tools to be a successful working team. Additionally, these groups will face conflict in a very intense way as they will fight to have their own ideas be heard, especially as any decision could put the individual members at risk.
In Pitch Perfect we see a group of college freshman women become members of the Barden Belles. The differences between the organization in Pitch Perfect and the organization in Lost is the fact that the Barden Belles is an organization that is established, has a history to reference, has current members and are looking for new members to join. One of the challenges that I see that the Barden Bells have is integrating new members to the established group and norms. I think Aubrey struggles to have these members perform to the Barden Belle’s standard because 1. they are not very familiar with A Capella culture, 2. they come from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds and 3. they have hobbies and lives outside the A Capella culture.
Additionally we can see the different roles each belle takes and how their behavior affects the well being of the team. Aubrey takes the “self-centered role” as she dominates what should be done, what is expected of each belle within the constrains of the group (ex. the cardio tips), and the restrictions that they have outside of the group (not having sexual contact with the treblemakers). Chloe is Aubrey’s right hand girl and she exhibits the “task role” by suggesting Becca as a potential member/asset and helping Aubrey be open to the challenges and changes this diverse group has. Fat Amy exhibits the “maintenance role” throughout the film by keeping the mood light (with her horizontal running and other jokes) and really bridges the gap between members as she is open and honest with everyone and makes them feel comfortable around her.
Aubrey faces challenges in getting her team to comply to the specific model of the Barden Belles even when she sees that the members of this unique group do not reflect the same values she does. The group is looking for individuality and unity, they want to be a part of this group but they do not want to conform their personalities in order to accomplish this. We see this when they have the “riff off” and Becca temporarily takes leadership of the group, allowing the team to get to know each other and build trust. Aubrey struggles with this because she is stepping into cultural norms that she is not familiar with.
I think the Belles initially lacked certain aspects of Fisher’s model of group decision that either are displayed later on in the movie or that they could have implemented in order to be successful. Fisher states that the first step in group decision making should be orientation in which the members of a team get to know one another and learn to trust each other. Initially, the Belles didn’t really take the opportunity to learn about each other and simply focused on the goals that Aubrey identified, making them struggle individually and silently. When Becca rejoins the group, the girls individually open up with each other to share a little bit more about themselves and their struggles. We see a good amount of conflict throughout the film as Aubrey struggles to regain control, Becca struggles to retain her individuality and eventually Chloe venting her frustration of Aubrey’s behavior. The emergence and reinforcement occurs in both the beginning of the film when Aubrey was very strict and unwilling to change as most members were new to the team and complied with “the way things were” and in the end when Beca’s creativity coupled with Aubrey’s vision and drive helped the group be confident enough so that each member really expressed their individuality while maintaining strong ties.
Pitch Perfect really reminds me of Bring it on — a cheerleading competion movie that follows the journey of the Toros in their attempt to win the Nationals. I think both films display similar traits and struggles as the Toros undergo leadership changes, addition of new members to the established organization and similarities in the “task role” that Chloe and Torrance plays. Additionally both films portray protagonists that initially don’t feel like they would fit in and who have ulterior motives for joining the group (Missy trying out for the vacant cheerleader position because the school does not have a gymnastics team) and Becca joining the Barden Belles because of her arrangement with her father. Below is a clip from Bring it on that illustrates my example.
