Saving Private Ryan, 1998

The story begins during World War II, at the commencement of D-Day as Charlie Company of the Second Rangers land on Ohmaha beach in Normany.  Their commander is Captain John H. Miller (Tom Hanks).  After pressing through what seems like an impenetrable German front, Miller and his men are immediately called upon for another mission, this one straight from the top.  In an act of compassion, a woman from  in the military’s typing pool, while in the middle of typing hundreds of letters of condolence for those who have lost their lives, notices three men with the same last name and address in her correspondence.  When realizing that a mother in Iowa is going to receive word that three of her sons are not coming home, General George C. Marshall sends order that the fourth and youngest brother be found and sent home.  Thus, Miller gathers up his troops to find the soldier who has just been granted "a free ticket home".  Home is something all of the soldiers of the squad assigned to Miller want to see.

Their search for Private Ryan takes them deep into enemy territory.  Miller is not on a mission to save the world, or even to turn the tide of war for that matter. He is on a mission to save a single man, risking his own life and the lives of his men, in an act that requires courage in the face of what seems to be a meaningless objective.  "Saving Private Ryan" seems to celebrate the singular acts of human decency completed by its characters.  In the end, saving the life of Private James Ryan, a farmboy from Iowa, may be the one moral and decent thing Miller and his men are able to do in the midst of the confusion and suffering during a horrific time in history.


 Lessons Learned

Lewin’s Change Model1

                       

When Miller wants to take out a German bunker, even though that is not specifically part of the mission, the men in his unit are not interested in this.  Miller must unfreeze their attitudes toward what the mission is (to save Private Ryan and to win the war), change their attitudes to support the overall goal (movement), and refreeze their attitudes.  In the end, the unit chooses to take out the bunker and eventually to stay with Private Ryan to protect the bridge in France and help win the war, which demonstrates their changed attitudes.

Initiating Structure and Consideration2

Captain Miller shows both Initiating Structure and Consideration in his leadership.  In the opening scenes of the movie, Miller uses a delegating style of leadership which is task-oriented to initiate structure among the men.  Later, Miller shows consideration in his interactions with the unit while explaining why they cannot take a German child, whose family wants the men to take her to safety.

Leader - Member Exchange Theory (LMX)3

LMX assumes that high quality relationships between leaders and followers results in better performance and greater organizational commitment.  Throughout the movie, we see that Captain Miller obviously has very close and meaningful (ie – high quality) relationships with his men.  Perhaps this is why they are the unit asked to save Private Ryan, and why they go above and beyond what is asked in their specific assignment.


Discussion Questions

* During the opening scene Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) successfully leads the invasion to break through the enemy lines.  How is his leadership here different from his leadership in other situations during the movie?

* Throughout the movie Captain Miller continues to lead the unit even when he feels the mission’s objectives are not worth risking the lives of his men and his own.  How and why does Captain Miller convince his men to continue in this meaningless assignment?

* Why does Captain Miller choose to stay when Private Ryan refuses to leave the bridge in France?  Why do his men choose to stay with him?

* Captain Miller refuses to “gripe” to his unit, stating that “gripes go up, not down”.  Why does he do this, and what does it demonstrate to his team?

* Do the Second Rangers follow Captain Miller because of his title, or do they follow him for other reasons?  If so, why?

* Was the mission a success, even after all of the sacrifice and losses?


 Competencies Addressed

Leading Others

When his medic is shot, the unit wants to kill the German responsible, whom they have taken captive.  Captain Miller seems to understand the actions and the conflict that unravel during this situation.  He is able to find a way to show his team he understands their anger while at the same time relieving the conflict by placing the focus on himself and saving the German’s life.

* Interpersonal Awareness – Captain Miller is especially perceptive toward how and why his team is thinking and acting in certain situations.  Moreover, the unit understands Miller just as much.  They are all committed to each other, maybe more than they are committed to the mission.

* Motivating Others – Miller takes charge in confusing situations such as the beach of Normandy, yet asks for a vote when the task is more ambiguous, like staying with Private Ryan.

* Influencing – This core competency seems to be what Miller is best at.  Cooperating with his men as a team, Persuading them to go above and beyond their assignment, inspiring them to see the big objective of winning the war, Resolving moral conflicts among his men, and empowering them to face German forces that are much greater than they.

Self Management

Miller refuses to “gripe” to his unit, yet allows them to freely gripe to him stating that “gripes go up, not down”.  The ability to listen to others complain while retraining your own complaints shows extraordinary self control.  Moreover, the stress of war makes the Captain’s hand shake, yet he tries to control or hide this weakness in front of his men.

* Stress Management – Captain Miller shows self control in what he tells his unit about himself and his objections to the mission.  This also demonstrates Millers ability to tolerate the tremendous stress of being a Leader during WWII.

* Self Insight – The Second Rangers are able to recognize the self-confidence, self-awareness, and humility of Miller.

* Work Habits – The goal orientation, both for the unit’s assignment and the overall objective (winning the war) is another of Miller’s strongest traits.  Moreover, he follows through his goals, such as staying with Private Ryan once they find him.


Task Management

During the Opening Scene, the men on the beach look to Miller for direction.  In the midst of the killing and hopelessness, he is able to pull the surviving men together to break through the German forces by making quick decisions and delegating what needs to be done.

* Executing Tasks – On the beach of Normandy, Miller demonstrates his ability to delegate orders and to coordinate work activities in the most debilitating circumstances.

* Solving Problems – Miller is forced to make life-or-death decisions during the movie for both him and his men.  Furthermore, he is forced to use analytic thinking to find Private Ryan.


Innovation

In attempting to stop German forces and to save Private Ryan, Miller introduces his team to a “sticky bomb” to stop the German tanks when they have nothing else.

* Creativity – When faced with problem after problem, Captain Miller seems to find a way to save the lives of his men by thinking outside the box.

* Managing Change – When the assignment’s objectives are changed, because Private Ryan refuses to leave his own men, Miller is able to be sensitive to the situation in motivating his men to fight one more time.

Social Responsibility

Miller chooses to take out the German bunker, even though it is not in their assignment, because he feels a civic and ethical responsibility.  If he does not do this, more allies may be killed.  Furthermore, when his team wants to kill a German hostage in revenge and anger, Miller will not allow it.

* Leading Others Ethically – Throughout the movie, Miller obviously puts the lives of his men before his own, probably because he feels responsible for their safety.

* Civic Responsibility – Miller also goes above and beyond the unit’s assignment to save more than the lives of his men and his own; such as the German’s life.


References
 

1 Cummings, T.G., & Worley, C.G.  (2005).  Organization Development and Change (8th edition.  Cincinatti, OH:  South-Western College Publishing.

 2 Judge, T.A., Piccolo, R.F., & Ilies, R. (2004).  The forgotten ones? The validity of consideration and initiating structure in leadership research.  Journal of Applied Psychology, 89, 36-51.

3 Howell, J.M., & Hall-Merenda K.E.  (1999).  The ties that bind:  the impact of leader – member exchange, transformational and transactional leadership, and distance on predicting follower performance.  Journal of Applied Psychology, 84, 680-694.

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