BMGT 2309 Leadership

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Final Exam The Last Castle
Due Date: December 10, 2013. You may email me your paper or drop it by my office on or before the
due date. Your paper must be word processed.
During this semester we have explored various concepts of leadership and its relationship to
management. We have defined leadership as an influencing process between leaders and followers to
achieve organizational goals. Our exploration began with Trait Theory: Leaders have a set of
characteristics or traits, physical and psychological who leaders are. Next, Behavior Theory: focuses
on how leaders behave - task oriented/people oriented. And continued to Skills Theory: based on
administrative, interpersonal and conceptual skills what leaders do.
From here we discovered how leadership is related to team building by creating a vision, setting the
tone, listening to outgroup members and handling conflict allowing obstacles to be overcome.. Along
the way we determined that leadership and management are different Managers do things right
Leaders do the right thing. Lastly, we explored the concepts of Ethics in Leadership
Leadership Defined: The influencing process between leaders and followers to achieve organizational
objectives through change. (Lussier/Achua).
The Process of Great Leadership: The five fundamentals of leaders:
Challenging the Process
Inspiring a Shared Vision
Enabling Others to Act
Modeling the Way
Encouraging the Heart

The final exam will consist of five essay questions using the behavior of the characters in
the movie The Last Castle as examples of the theories presented this semester. Answer
each question in essay form. Your grade will depend on the thoughtfulness and
thoroughness of your essays. I am interested in the value you received from this
particular course. Your paper should be emailed to me by December 10, 2013 or you
may drop off your paper at my office on or before the due date.
Background: The film portrays a struggle between inmates and the warden of the prison, based on the
United States Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth. Eugene Irwin, a highly decorated U.S. Army
Lieutenant General, court martialed and sentenced for insubordination, challenges the commandant,
Colonel Winter, over his treatment of the prisoners. After mobilizing the inmates, Irwin leads an uprising
aiming to seize control of the prison and remove Winter from command.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Castle)

BMGT 2309 Leadership
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Questions:
1. Arriving at the prison to serve his sentence, court-martialed General
Irwin (Robert Redford) is escorted to the reception area where he must
surrender all his personal belongings. Later he is escorted to Colonel
Winters (James Gandolfini) office the prison warden who is some-
what awed by Irwins presence, but eventually feels his command
threatened by the general-turned-prisoner.

a. Based on the assumptions of Theory X and Theory Y, how would you describe Colonel
Winters philosophy and style of leadership? In what way did Colonel Winters attitudes
about the prisoners affect his leadership?
b. How would you describe the conflict between Colonel Winter and General Irwin? (Refer
to Chapter 9.)

2. In Winters mind, hes doing the right thing. His prison is very secure, his guards are safe, and
the prisoners dont like him. Hes good at his job, which is all he knows, so when his authority is
challenged by Irwin coming to the prison, it throws everything in his life off-balance.

a. What kind of leader is Colonel Winter what is his personal style? Explain.
b. What aspects of the situation are under Colonel Winters control? Which aspects of the
situation are out of Winters control? Explain
c. What is the difference between Management and Leadership? Provide
an example of each from the movie

3. Captain Peretz doesnt like his job; hes just following orders, but he sees the
Colonel start crossing the line with the inmates after Irwins arrival. Even
though they are seemingly on opposite sides, General Irwin gives Peretz his
self-respect back and forces him to make a choice between being a yes man and standing up for
whats right.

a. What leadership characteristics and/or behavior does Peretz display?
b. Using the information presented in Chapter 11, would you describe Colonel Winters
leadership of the prison facility ethical? Why or why not?

4. Aguilar, the prisoner most influenced by Irwins arrival, is the first person to befriend the great
General Irwin. Prison has just broken him down, but the general teaches Aguilar and the others
to be proud again and to have honor.

a. List some of the things Irwin did to help Aguilar include examples from direct
interaction with Aguilar and with other inmates concerning Aguilar.
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b. Explain how the interaction between Irwin and Aguilar relate to the five fundamental
leaders in the leadership process listed above.

5. General Irwin gives the characters in the movie a sense that there is still
hope the hope of persevering and reaching beyond your limits. Going
through his own individual journey, he carries us along with him, and in
essence is our bridge to another place of empowerment, faith and hope.

a. What core values did General Irwin display? Explain your answer.
b. Throughout this course, the concept that you can control your own behavior has been
stressed. What are some behaviors you can adopt or alter that will make a positive
change in your life?