Table of Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................3
Scene Analysis
Scene One.................................................................................................. 4
Scene Two...................................................................................... 5
Scene Three ................................................................................................. 6
Scene Four..................................................................................... 7
Scene Five .............................................................................................. 8
Scene Six ......................................................................................................... 9
Scene Seven ................................................................................................. 10
Scene Eight ............................................................................................. 11
Scene Nine ....................................................................................................... 12
Scene Ten .............................................................................................. 13
Reflections
Reflection One .............................................................................. 14
Reflection Two ......................................................................... 15
Reflection Three ................................................. 16
Reflection Four .................................................................................. 17
Conclusion .......................................................................................... 18
References........................................................................ 20
Group Member List ..................................................................................... 21
Introduction
The film, The Wall, unlike most others, is special for many reasons. First, the plot of the story and the setting is not your typical where the storyline changes a lot. The entire storyline was conducted in one location and there was a lot of dialogue, which was interesting in a way because the movie keeps your interest on what is being said as opposed to the environment. The setting of the film connects with our course concept on how to be able to access emotional intelligence in negative real life events and how to control conversation in a personal matter in order to get the job done.
Secondly, in the setting, two American soldiers were trapped between a thin wall, and a deadly sniper in an unknown location directs his shots at the soldiers. Isaac, who is left wounded by the knee, was unable to move was accompanied by another soldier who was also injured, laying in plain sight and playing dead to confuse the Iraqi sniper. The sniper was able to get access to the U.S. military’s radio feed and engaged in a dialogue with Isaac. Isaac, in life/death situation is vulnerable, and the Iraqi sniper tried to break his spirit and mental state. As Isaac was being put through these mental battles by the sniper, he broke down a few times; however, he was being able to rethink he is able to convert those negative thoughts and actually found a way to locate the sniper, but he was killed at the end. These actions show some managerial skills connected to our course through cognitive skills and global communication (to name a few) that are discussed in the paper. Thirdly, the movie demonstrates a lot of leadership skills to tackle complex situations. The managerial development concepts will be analyzed and discussed below by our group based on relative events that occurred within the movie.
Sergeant Matthews Assessing the Deceased Victims
Nine minutes and 45 seconds into the film, Sergeant Shane Matthews evaluates his surroundings and discovered/noticed that all the deceased victims have been shot in the head.
In this scene, we believe that his cognitive capabilities/competencies activated abruptly and that enabled him to critically diagnose the problem based on his assessment of his surroundings as well as the victims. Moreover, Matthew in that instant realized that something wasn’t right and that there was a high possibility of an active sniper/shooter within close proximity. The aforementioned scene in particular underscores the copious techniques individuals (like Matthews) process vital information and make abrupt decisions based on circumstances. Thus, he noticed the pattern/signs of headshots from the deceased victims (gathered evidence) and concluded that there was a probable active sniper (processed information). Furthermore, the scene also highlights how certain entities plan judiciously and examine information methodically, as compared to others who prefer to do what they consider to be the right action to take or the right thing to do based on their intuitions/instincts.
By the same token, our group also believes that Sergeant Matthews in the above-mentioned scene was experiencing and coping with Tolerance of Ambiguity. We drew such conclusions because Matthews was not cognizant/aware of the Iraqi snipers’ precise location (unclear circumstances), but he was able to deal and cope with the indefensible results (gunshot wounds). Matthews was placed in an environment where he had little information, and that primarily constitutes to pain; however, a significant amount of pain is the best method to grow your muscles (in a fitness world). Therefore, he tried to predict the outcome with the little information available, tried to figure out how to go about it, conferred with Isaac, and lastly, tried to gather all the vital information he possibly could in that instant.
Isaac Calls for Assistance Through the Radio
Thirteen minutes and twenty-seven seconds into the movie, Sergeant Isaac intends to rescue his wounded partner Sergeant. He ended up exposing himself when he tried to save Sergeant Matthews, forcing him to be shot in the leg by the sniper and deciding to hide himself behind a short wall nearby, and seek for help through the radio.
In the scene, we believe that Sergeant Matthews and Sergeant Isaac practiced three steps of Analytical Problem Solving, during the instance when they made the decision to ask for help from the military base through the radio. After that, Sergeant Isaac tried to rescue Sergeant Matthews by himself; however, the sniper shoots him. Isaac and Matthews located their prior issues under the current situation by the first step in Analytical Problem Solving, which is defining problems. They noticed at the time they were injured that they were both vulnerable and exposed.
In the next concept, they activated the second step, which is generating alternatives. During the scene, they could hardly move or do anything productive due to their gun shot wounds. In order to solve the problem, Sergeant Matthews and Sergeant Isaac generated alternative solutions, which could rescue them; for example, Isaac encouraging Matthews, discovering the first aid kit and seeking assistance from military base. In the third step of analytic problem solving, they exercised evaluating alternatives among their three options. Due to the fact that they were both injured, and the hidden sniper could easily locate them while they were moving on the ground without any cover, they decided to use the first aid and ask help from the radio in order to survive.
Seconds to Think, Seconds to Act
During the seventeenth minute and one second of the movie, Isaac was hiding behind the thin wall protecting him from the shooter. He absolutely had no idea where the shots were being fired. Isaac and Mathews, who was another soldier were wounded and needed to try to locate the shooter. With his supplies being limited within his surroundings, he had to act very speedily. He quickly realized that he can use imitation process to try to get a reaction out of the shooter. He reached for the nearest stick and used his helmet to imitate a soldier looking over. This caused the shooter to take his shot. Isaac showed, “Freedom to exercise judgment; flexibility is determined by the life cycle of the position, the reward structure, and proactive personality” (powerpoint chapter 5, page 20). Isaac touches all the aspects stated. As he is in a tight situation he uses his instinct to guide himself through his troubles.
Another concept that is shown by Isaac’s action is, “Retribution: Forced others to what you say (coercion & intimidation)” (powerpoint chapter 5, slide 24). Isaac knows since the location of the shooter is unknown only way to find the sniper is by noise or the light from the barrel. Therefore his uses the act of force imitating his own head to force the shot.
Isaac Notices Juba’s Accent
Twenty-four minutes and thirty-nine into the movie, Isaac finally gets through the connection to the U.S Army radio station and applies for help. In fact, Juba contacts to him at first and wakes him up through the earphone while he is passing out. However, he notices that there are something wrong with the voice on the radio.
In the group discussion, we all believe that Sergeant Isaac makes his mistake of confusing the identity of Juba and the real signalman of U.S Army for a long while because he is under the influence of serious stress. Sergeant Isaac and his partner are both almost killed by the attacked, and neither one of them has enough psychological preparation. Meanwhile, death is one of the most effective stressors for the long-term stress. Due to the fact that stress could cause devastating effects, including a negative impact on the cardiovascular system, the respiratory system, the endocrine system, and so on. It is reasonable to understand that why Isaac spend a long time to recognize the Iraqi accent of Juba, the sniper. Apart from that, because the mental stress affects the regular ability of Isaac to think and react in an effective way, he makes two mistakes during his problem-solving. Even though the sniper make some mistakes while he is pretending to the telephonists of the U.S Army Radio station, Isaac falls for his lie immediately because he used to the accept the experiences about that the individuals who could talk through the radio must be one in the U.S Army. In this way, the thinking method about Stereotyping Based on Past Experiences and ignoring commonalities affect his problems solving in a negative way.
Isaac’s Dialogue with Juba After Unraveling His Disguise
Twenty-four minutes into the movie Isaac hears signals from his headphones, thinking it is from a reliable US military source, however, he soon realizes it’s the sniper.
In this scene we were able to observe the development of supportive communication between Sergeant Isaac and the Iraqi sniper talking while the sniper is trying to locate the Sergeant’s location. In this scene the Iraqi sniper, Juba, is the one who has more capabilities of using management skills during the conversation. His plan pretending to be the signalman of the U.S Army and trick out the exact position of Isaac is being undisguised by Isaac because of his Iraqi accent. He immediately switches his plan and successfully builds a positive relationship between him and Isaac trough making supportive communication. During their conversation, they talk about their own thinking and reflections of the war and even more private information about their feelings and background. In order to build such kind of a bond, the attribute that Juba firstly chooses to use is Congruent. Even though Isaac simply notices that he is not the one he claims to be, he directly exposes his real identity of that he is the hidden sniper. Apart from that, except for the basic reason which causes him virulently connect to Isaac through the radio, the rest of information that he gives Isaac is true including his original career and how he becomes a sniper.
An attentional attribute to their communication is the validating way of talking. During the conversation, Juba transforms the conversation between himself and Isaac into a personal communication. He expresses that he cares about the thoughts and experiences of Isaac himself while willing to exchange them for his information.
Sergeant Isaac is Trying to Locate the Sniper
Thirty-one minutes and thirty-five seconds into the film sergeant Isaac is trying to locate the sniper’s position while talking to the sniper and calculate the bullet angles.
In this scene we observed Isaac ability to use creative problem solving, in order to narrow down the sniper’s location’s possibilities. According to Whetten & Cameron (2016) “creative problem solving is focused on generating something new” (p.143). Isaac is trying to gather new information, which will help him to find the sniper’s location. As part of his creativity Isaac “approves” his conversation with the sniper to utilize the background sound and to have a general idea of his location (based on the metal sound and the winds). As part of his approach he uses imagination to help him evaluate Juda’s location; based on his and Matthew's location he draws on the sand and calculate the different position angles, including the angle of the bullet in his leg. The drawing helps him to vision Juba’s location, and although he did not achieve final solution yet, the new data and exploration helped him to progress toward it.
The other concept from Whetten & Cameron (2016) relates to the four stages of creative problem solving: “preparation, incubation, illumination, and verification” (p.157). In this short scene Isaac used preparation while he gathered data, tried to generate alternatives, and evaluated the information he had. He used different methods such as: sound, calculations, and drawing. The incubation is the second step when he continues with his imagination and added the bullet calculation. The illumination occurred when he added all the data together. The final stage, which is verification, occurred when Isaac looks back in his scope behind the wall, trying to evaluate Juda’s location based on the calculations and the vision he gathered together.
The Iraqi Sniper Asking Personal Questions
Thirty-six minutes and twenty-three seconds into the film, the Iraqi sniper, Juba, asked Sergeant Allen Isaac personal questions about his family, and the American soldier refused to respond. Juba then threatened to shoot his colleague’s (Sergeant Matthew) face off if he doesn’t talk/respond to his questions.
For the class concept, we believe that both characters were experiencing Global Communication. According to Whetten & Cameron (2016), “this type of communication entails the either-or statement” (p. 204). Juba is trying his due diligence by playing mind tactics to not only retrieve as much information from Isaac as possible, but to also discover his vulnerabilities. Therefore, he implemented the either-or statement as a form of a threat and at the same time refuting any possible discretion; hence, “you either answer my questions about your family or I shoot Sergeant Matthew’s face off” (Liman, 2017). Isaac had no other alternative but to abide by Juba’s instructions and avoid the possibility of his colleague’s death by answering the questions.
The other class concept that relates to this scene is the Disjunctive Communication. According to Whetten & Cameron (2016), this type of communication “result from long pauses before a response or one person deciding the topic of conversation” (p. 205). When Juba initially asked the aforesaid questions, a lot supposed characteristics ensued in this scene. First, Isaac hesitated to respond (long pause) and asked Juba why he wanted to know about his family. Second, Juba responded by saying that he wanted to get to know Isaac on a personal level. Lastly, Isaac refused to respond and Juba threatened to shoot Matthew’s face off. As the scene carried on, Juba began to decide the topic of conversation by asking questions about Isaac’s friend, Dean, and also his primary motive behind his decision to come and fight the war in Iraq. Isaac, in this instance, was vulnerable and had no other option but to respond to Juba’s demands.
Crossing behind the Wall
Fifty-six minutes into the movie sergeant Isaac leaves the wall toward the deceased soldier, to take the soldier’s radio and backpack, while risking his life.
In this scene we witness Isaac’s commitment to increase his physical and emotional abilities to survive the current situation. Although his main goal is to stay alive and to find Juba, he understands that he needs to follow small steps to get there. Isaac experiences a combination of stressor and in this scene he tries to “minimize anticipatory stressors by focusing attention on an immediate action or accomplishment” (Whetten & Cameron, 2016, p.104). By risking his life and crossing the wall, Isaac actively tries to gain a “small win” (Whetten & Cameron, 2016, p.105), which can help him get to his desire goal, staying alive. He reaches to the deceased soldier’s backpack and he finds a little water that helps him stay hydride in addition to military radio which did not work, however was found useful later in the movie. This small accomplishment helps Isaac to stay focus on his main goal and helps him feel active and determined.
The second concept related to the scene is Isaac’s resiliency and well-being. His capacity to cope with the frightening situation and being able to function while is life under constant threat. Isaac was able to “bounce back from adversity, and to endure the situation” (Whetten & Cameron, 2016, p.106). For one second in the scene, Isaac eyes are focusing on the tourniquet on the leg of the deceased soldier, assuring of his understanding of his own medical condition and the near death expecting due to blood loss. Isaac does not lose his mind; instead, he remains very focus enabling him to successfully get back behind the wall without getting hurt.
Trying to shoot at the Iraqi Sniper
One hour and six minutes into the movie, sergeant Isaac guides his friend Matthew to shoot and attack the Iraqi sniper.
In this scene we perceive Isaac’s efforts to coach and support his friend Matthew while they try to shoot back toward Juba, the Iraqi sniper. Isaac identifies a slow movement from his friend, sergeant Matthew, which makes him understand that his friend is alive and ready to act. At this moment Isaac realized that they can act together and he started to coach his friend in order to improve his performance. He tries to “pass along advice and information” (Whetten & Cameron, 2016, p.196), and to guide his companion on the angle and direction he should shoot in order to be successful and reach the sniper. Isaac advised Matthew based on the abilities they had and the information and data he managed to gather in advance, trying to be accurate and successful.
Unfortunately their plan failed and Matthew was shot and hurt by Juba. Isaac walks to the edge of the wall and scream to his friend desperately, trying to support and motivate him to crawl faster and to hide behind the wall. As mentioned in Whetten & Cameron (2016) “ Performance = Ability x Motivation/ effort” (p. 265). Isaac’s desire to help and save Matthew was extremely high, as he knew that these seconds would determine the different between life and death. However, Matthew’s physical ability of was very limited and therefore he was not able to perform well and to get behind the wall to save himself.
Sergeant Isaac’s Confession to the Iraqi Sniper
One hour and twelve minutes into the film, Sergeant Isaac confessed to the Iraqi sniper through the radio feed about the series of events that transpired, leading to Dean’s death.
In this scene, we believe the class concept relates to Power. Juba influenced Isaac to finally confess and hold himself accountable for his actions, starting from the beginning of the movie when he initiated supposed topic/discussion. In the first part of the movie, Isaac was in denial and deviated from the question by asking how Juba knew Dean. However, during his tormented state in the ending of the movie, he decided to answer the question by confessing due to Juba’s persistence and influence. He sobbed, claimed he was responsible for Dean’s death and had to constantly lie about the story.
By the same token, we believe Isaac was experiencing Internal Locus of Control. According to Whetten & Cameron (2016), “individuals differ in how they interpret information about their failure based on their own actions” (p. 62). Isaac’s confession pertains to him owning up to his actions and accepting the fact that he was the primary cause of Dean’s death. In other words, he was highlighting his failures, which possibly could have prevented his colleague’s death as well as accepting responsibility/accountability for his actions/failures.
The last concept that relates to this scene is “Emotional Intelligence”. Thus, the Iraqi sniper’s ability to diagnose and recognize that Dean’s death was “eating Isaac alive” or taking a toll on him, and Isaac’s ability to control his own emotions due to the severity of the subject matter relates to emotional intelligence. Juba’s motive was to play with Isaac’s psyche because he recognized his vulnerability. However, it allowed Isaac to diagnose/manage and cope with his own failures that resulted in Dean’s death.
Reflection – Nina Asor
In watching The Wall (Bartis and Liman, 2017), I was able to recognize and more deeply understand many of the managerial development concepts we discussed in class.
The movie mainly portrays the psychological conflict and the intense mind games between Sergeant Isaac and the Iraqi sniper, Juba. Isaac’s resiliency and his ability to cope with the immensely stressful situation while developing a reactive strategy, which helps him to survive, left a deep impression on me. The foundation of his strategy mainly relies on his self-awareness aptitudes and personal skills he has obtained. His emotional intelligence and his tolerance of ambiguity affect his ability to persist to level-headedly confront his situation.
The movie reassured me of the importance of solving problems creatively and thinking “outside the box” to achieve success. I learned I should not let failures determine the final solution; rather, the failures should encourage me to keep seeking alternatives and new options that will get me closer to my main goal. I also came to more clearly understand that to develop my skills as a manger or a leader, I should be consistent and I should reconsider my resources and abilities. Conditions are dynamic and always changing, and it is important to be keenly aware of the need to re-evaluate.
Although some people focus mainly on the final goal or solution, I will acknowledge the importance of appreciating the way there, the process that involves many small wings and simple goals-setting that contribute collectively to meaningful achievements and accomplishments.
Jamie Sun’s Reflection
The film tells a story that about two years later after the that the U.S Army withdraw from Iraq, two American are trapped and shot by the experienced Iraqi sniper and even cause the casualties of the rescue team from Mobile HQ. From the process of watching the film The Wall, I realize the management skills in our course are a better way.
The first point is that it is an essential base within management skills development through building self-awareness because it could help individuals to learn to improve their strengths and weakness. In the film, at first Sergeant Isaac and Sergeant Matthews are both safe under their cover. However, due to the fact they have no exact aware of their weakness in the emotional intelligence, they easily fail into the trap and get ambushed. The impatience personality of Sgt. Matthews leads to that he steps into the view of the sniper too early and too reckless. Meanwhile, the impulsive personality and sensitive character of Sgt. Isaac causes him expose himself to the sniper as well the moment he sees that his partner is wounded.
Secondly, I learn that it is also important for people to manage their stress, especially while they are under the impacts of an emergency. The physical hurt of Isaac and Matthews and their near-death situation as driving force overcome their mental preparation and become an efficient stressor. Meanwhile, Sgt. Isaac is under another long-term mental pressure caused by killing his friend. The overwhelming stress damages the capacity for the act and thinks of Sgt. Isaac. As the one who is responsible for the wireless communication, he fails to notice that the sniper keeps trying to contact to the HQ in the use of his identity. His negligence leads to the casualties of the rescue team in that he could not manage his stress.
Emanoel Terohanian’s Reflection
The film “The Wall” directed by Bartis and Liman, in 2017 shows a war setting where American soldiers Isaac and Matthews are in a battle with a deadly sniper whose location is unknown until the end. Being in a tight situation Isaac must use his proactive thinking skills, cognitive awareness, as well as creative problem solving skills into use in order to make it out alive. Even though management is not like war, it is very comparable to the critical thinking aspect.
Being a sales manager I find myself dealing with similar scenarios at work where even though I might find myself dealing with an issue whether its with a representative or client I can not just approach a problem without care, because losing a client or a productive sales representative could be harmful to the firm. Isaac being able to have the ability to make decision out of spite while being able to consider the outcomes shows proactive problem solving. As managers we must always try to have cognitive advantage to be able to take a scenario and try to find the better ultimatum for followers. This will also allow an easier transition for the manager to be able to use creative problem solving skills to provide great leadership examples. Overall, I also learned that breaking points could be harmful to show signs of weakness. Therefore, I am going to try to work on always trying to remain calm, which will allow me to have a more positive approach for my clients and representatives.
Charles Donkor’s Reflection
The Wall (Bartis and Liman, 2017) addresses several managerial development proficiencies a leader would need in order to be successful in the corporate world; especially, when that individual encounters complex challenges.
First, the movie illustrates the importance of teamwork. For example, Matthews and Isaac were pinned down by Juba in a war-filled zone and had to communicate and work as a team in order to prevail/survive. Moreover, with only a wall protecting him, Isaac had to implement his creative thinking capabilities (cognitive skills) to maneuver his way out of the precarious situation.
Second, the movie provided me with a different perspective as it pertains to Tolerance of Ambiguity. It showed me that the concept could be a pronounced managerial attribute after all. Thus, putting myself in different environments or learning new languages or skills could be beneficial, especially when placed in corporate situations with little information/relevance; for instance, generating hypothesis based on my instincts and available information, and developing theories/structure on how to resolve such intricate situation (e.g. Matthews assessing deceased victims).
Third, I realized based on the movie that power is of great importance when wielded corrected, especially from a managerial perspective. Power gives you influence and respect, as we learned in class. On the other hand, influence can also become very addictive because an individual may behave in a pompous manner when given too much power. However, wielded power can influence your subordinates and shape company culture and society.
Lastly, I learned that it is vital to recognize and accept responsibility for my failures, and to not deviate or blame others instead. It is a learning process and with failure comes growth/success; thus, it will help me develop my skills and become a better leader in future.
Conclusion
The film The Wall (Bartis and Liman, 2017), portrays many leadership skills that can be transferred out in perspective of everyday life and diverse managerial situations. Being a war movie the film shows in depth the mind games between both sides, allowing the viewer to observe different perspectives of the war. The communication method between Isaac and the Iraqi sniper presents the mental coping needed before breaking the anger barrier. In addition, simple reactions can have a major effect on the attention of the listener or viewer. The film presents many communication skills that are used to force conversation, and receive wanted information. Toward the end of the movie, while Isaac almost loses hope, he notices that his friend Matthews is still alive.
This provides him with hope and empowerment to act upon his survival. The hope is the turning point when he starts coming up with different tactics. Then, another major climax ensue where Mathews is shot as Isaac is watching him helpless. That’s where he realized that he had to find ways to survive. Seeing Matthews acting bravely gave him no excuse but to try to survive. He starts to realize the only way to try to survive is to take risks; hence, big risk equates to bigger reward. This is relatable in a business culture because at times, we tend to get scared to take a foot out of our comfort zone. This causes us to miss out on big opportunities just because we are too scared to take that risk. As Isaac was unarmed and overpowered by the sniper, he was hopeless. However, as soon as he started using his cognitive skills to tie the rope to a stick and get the gun, it puts him on an even playing field. From a management perspective, this could be relatable because if you’re experiencing a major issue within the firm or the numbers of the business and are not as stable, an individual might feel pressured or feel like there is no way out. However, remaining hopeful and not oblivious will help that individual to watch for areas of improvements. Discovering new motivation areas to expand the growth will always give you a better result than just allowing the problem to fix by itself. Overall, this film shows numerous leadership skills as well as different styles of communication and the use of power to control conversation.
References
Bartis, D. (Producer), & Liman, D. (Director). (2017). The Wall [Motion picture on DVD]. United States: Roadside Attractions.
Whetten, D. A., & Cameron, K. S. (2016). Developing management skills (9th ed.) [Kindle]. Retrieved March 25, 2018, from www.amazon.com
Group Member List
Charles Donkor’s contribution:
1. Scene 1
2. Scene 7
3. Scene 10
Nina Asor’s contribution:
4. Scene 6
5. Scene 8
6. Scene 9
Jamie’s contribution:
7. Scene 2
8. Scene 4
9. Scene 5
Emanoel Terohanian’s contribution:
a. Introduction page
b. Conclusion page
10. Scene 3
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