Lord of the Flies, 1990

After their plane crashes in the ocean, a group of young boys from a military academy are marooned on a deserted island iwth only one, very sick, adult. The boys band together to survive and to hopefully be rescued. Ralph (Balthazar Getty) is chosen as the leader by the other cadets because he has the rank of colonel. However, as the chance of being rescued starts to seem more far-fetched, and everyone becomes accustomed to being on the island, Jack (Chris Furrh) emerges as a leader of a dissenting group. Ralph and Jack represent two opposing styles of leadership and Jack's group eventually declares war on Ralph.

Relevant Lessons

Power

Power is an inevitable part of being a leader. It can be good or bad, and comes in many different forms. Jack and Ralph demonstrate different kinds of power.

Jack employs:
* Coercive Power: He reserved the right to punish his subordinates.
* Reward Power: He is able to reward desired behaviors with meat and fun.
* Referent Power: He has power simply because he is liked by others. It is through this power that he is able to take Ralph's followers   away from him.

Ralph employs:
* Legitimate Power: He holds a position (colonel) that they respect.
* Expert Power: His subordinates believe that he has knowledge about their situation and what they should be doing.

Piggy employs:
* Informational Power: He has important information that the others would want. It is possible that Piggy had this kind of power as he was highly intelligent.

Influence

Influence is a major theme in this movie. Leadership theory outlines a number of different ways that leaders influence people. Jack and Ralph each influence others in different ways.

Jack employs:
* Exchange: He can offer them meat and fun in return for their compliance.
* Pressure: He threatens them and keeps an eye on them to be sure they comply.

Ralph employs:
* Rational Persuasion: He tries to make them understand the reasons for his requests.
* Inspirational Appeals: He tries to remind them of the societal values that they have.
* Legitimizing: He announces his authority with the conch and reminds them of what the conch means.

In-Groups and Out-Groups

Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) is a model of leadership that incorporates different kinds of relationships with different subordinates. The model states that a leader develops a unique relationship with each subordinate and that while some relationships are positive, others are not. It is relevant here because it also utilizes the concept of in-groups and out-groups. Some people are close to the leader and are trusted (in-group), while others have more formal, distant relationships with the leader (out-group). At the beginning of the movie, Jack is part of Ralph's in-group. After he dissents and has a group of his own, Jack has an in-group and an out-group of his own.

Discussion Questions

* At the beginning of the film, Ralph displays many of the Leading Others and Task Management competencies. What were they?

* Social Responsibility was a major theme in this film. Discuss the differences between Ralph and Jack in this dimension. What competencies did Ralph possess that Jack did not?

* Even though Ralph was a far superior leader in Social Responsibility, Jack still got people to follow him instead. What competencies was Jack better at than Ralph?

* Piggy makes the statement, "We did everything just the way grown ups would've. Why didn't it work?" Discuss why this might be. What was Ralph's style of leadership missing that might have been able to keep peace among the group?

*Both leaders in this movie display certain aspects of innovation. Discuss competencies were shown.


Competencies Addressed

Leadership Central Home
Competency Model • Leadership Assessment • Development Plan • Development Guide • Research Reports
CMU • Psychology Department • About This Site • About Us
©2004