essay cene

1

CENE 286: Conflict and Teaming Assignment

Teams under duress: The roles of leadership, communication, team work in conflict management

Let’s see how much of this applies to two separate team situations where the team is faced with serious crisis.

Both situations are nautical in nature.

Watch the following two movies:

The Perfect Storm and The Finest Hours, both Hollywood productions of true events regarding seafaring

teams in crisis situations. In these films, the characters have to depend on each other, as teams, for their

survival. Despite the similarity of the crisis, there are two very different outcomes to each story. This can be

ascribed in large part to the success of the team work of each crew.

Individually, write a short essay (3000 words, max) that addresses the following:

1.) The nature of the crisis.

2.) The teams (keep an open eye, there are more than one in each story) and who are in critical roles, such

as leadership or critical functions/activity (like a helmsman or engine room foreman).

3.) Address the conflict and style being displayed by the various individual team members in each story.

4.) Which teams rallied around positive behaviors? Give specific examples (which character, at which

juncture in the story). To what end? How did the story end?

5.) Which teams failed to engage positive in positive teaming and conflict management styles? Give

specific examples. How did their experience end?

6.) What lesson(s) did you learn about yourself and your teamwork and conflict management style as a team

member from having watched these films and considered these essay questions. Be specific and provide

examples.

7.) What can/could you do to improve yourself as a team member?

8.) What are you now (better??) prepared to do to help your engineering design teams and individual design

team members in the future?

Your deliverable for this assignment is an individual (hardcopy) essay, appropriately covered...

Conversely, you are highly encouraged to watch these films with colleagues from this class other college aged

students, or perhaps at home with your family a holiday break. Discuss with them the essay questions that have

been posed. Let the varied perspectives of the individuals who watch and discussed the shows with you

demonstrate how dramatically different people can see and would react to the exact same situation. Let this

discussion inform your opinions and answers in your essay.