MANAGEMENT TRAINING AT THE MOVIES

[Bernardo]

How many of us have spent an eternity tucked away in a characterless room in some characterless hotel, banged up with our fellow management grades all trying to catch the bosses eye? You have? Then, being a film buff, you will recall how the trainers pirate bits of film to underline a learning point. I do not mean the Monty Python style training films of John Cleese which are admittedly a hoot but not released films.

One great movie is Dead Poets Society where there is a scene where lecturer Robin Williams wants to educate his charges in life rather than learning by rote, marches them down to the hall where all the team photos of long dead footballers are exhibited, delivers the point that they are dead and gone so while on the planet 'Seize The Day' (Carpe Diem). Another one is in the Lion King when the youngster looks at his reflection in the water.



I wondered if we could help the trainers by suggesting clips with learning points attached. My vote would be the opening scene in The Intelligence Men where Eric Morecambe follows girls on his way to the office, each one going at a tangent to the other so he goes in erratic directions, eventually one female's destination is the same as his so he arrives at work. A jokey way to underline a lack of direction or organisation where 'they' get the job done well, after a fashion eventually.

[Steve Crook]

name='Bernardo' date='02 July 2010 - 10:21 PM' timestamp='1278105716' post='446943']

How many of us have spent an eternity tucked away in a characterless room in some characterless hotel, banged up with our fellow management grades all trying to catch the bosses eye? You have? Then, being a film buff, you will recall how the trainers pirate bits of film to underline a learning point. I do not mean the Monty Python style training films of John Cleese which are admittedly a hoot but not released films.

One great movie is Dead Poets Society where there is a scene where lecturer Robin Williams wants to educate his charges in life rather than learning by rote, marches them down to the hall where all the team photos of long dead footballers are exhibited, delivers the point that they are dead and gone so while on the planet 'Seize The Day' (Carpe Diem). Another one is in the Lion King when the youngster looks at his reflection in the water.



I wondered if we could help the trainers by suggesting clips with learning points attached. My vote would be the opening scene in The Intelligence Men where Eric Morecambe follows girls on his way to the office, each one going at a tangent to the other so he goes in erratic directions, eventually one female's destination is the same as his so he arrives at work. A jokey way to underline a lack of direction or organisation where 'they' get the job done well, after a fashion eventually.

Check the bit near the start (not quite the opening scenes) in Sebastian (1968) where all the dolly birds (actually very clever code-breakers) all go into their offices through different doors - but all finish up in the same room



Management Lesson: It doesn't matter how you get there, it's where you finish up that is important



Steve