Essay Instructions: Movie Review: Crimson Tide (1995)
For this assignment, you will actually get to have some down time, kick back, enjoy a beverage and pop corn, and be entertained! I have used this movie in organization behavior classes since its release on videotape, and use it as stimulus material for analyses of organization culture, power, leadership, group cohesion, symbolic behavior, conflict, and group dynamics. Your task is to view the movie and write a 1100-1500 word paper, in APA format, which you will turn in through your personal forum during Week Six. The questions below will be discussed in your paper:
1. What are the leadership styles and power bases of CO, XO, Chief of the Boat (COB)? (Consider the full range of possible styles.) Cite specific behaviors and statements, with specific reference to the leadership literature.
2. Discuss how the leadership styles of the CO, XO and Chief of the Boat affect the interaction of these characters. As you do this, consider the following questions as data sources (you don’t have to directly answer these…): What is the significance of the questioning CO gives XO at the start of the movie? What is really going on during the wardroom conversation about A-bombs on Japan, in which XO is asked to reveal whom he believes the true enemy is? After the fire and the missile drill, the CO confronts XO about a verbal exchange in Con. What is the CO saying to the XO about disagreement? What is he meaning?
3. In terms of leadership and compliance, what is the role of scripted behavior (a.k.a. checklists) on nuclear submarines in real life? What function does it serve in the film before the main action? …after the main action? If you are astute, you may be able to find a deep psychological reason why scripts are needed. You may need to do a quick search on scripted behavior… and feel free to share your results of the search in the chat forum. Also, see
Gioia, D.A., & Poole, P.P. (1984). Scripts in organizational behavior. The Academy of Management Review, Vol. 9, No. 3 (Jul., 1984), 449-459.
4. At the conclusion of the movie the admiral in charge of the board (Jason Robards) states that the incident has raised an issue that will occupy the board and the Navy for some time to come. Considering what just played out regarding conflicting leadership styles, what is that issue? What are the roots of that issue? How has it played itself out over time?
Cast:
Gene Hackman Captain Frank Ramsey (CO)
Denzel Washington Lt. Commander Jim Hunter (XO)
Matt Craven Zimmer (communications officer)
Viggo Mortensen Weps (weapons officer)
George Dzundza COB (Chief of the Boat)
Facts that help explain what is going on in Crimson Tide
1. Two major types of submarines in movie are nuclear missile sub and attack sub. Attack sub's primary duty is to hunt other subs.
2. Subs cruise for 6 months without coming up. Crew selection on subs is based in part on psychological health and interpersonal skills.
3. The procedures for message authentication and weapons launch are extremely scripted. What you see in the movie is pretty accurate.
4. DEFCON "defense configuration" ranges from DEFCON 5 to DEFCON 1. DEFCON 1 is when hostilities are underway. See more below. In this movie references to DEFCON are aimed at potential hostilities between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
5. Officers on ships are commonly referred to by their job titles rather than their names (Hunter is called XO; Zimmer is referred to as Comm (Communications Officer). Chief of the Boat is the senior enlisted man. Go here for a discourse on submarine officer career progression: http://www.usna.edu/Submarines/career.html.
6. Rachinko is modeled after 1990’s Russian ultranationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky.
DEFCON: DEFense CONdition. In the event of a national emergency, a series of seven different alert Conditions (LERTCONs) can be called. The 7 LERTCONs are broken down into 5 Defense Conditions (DEFCONs) and 2 Emergency Conditions (EMERGCONs).
Defense readiness conditions (DEFCONs) describe progressive alert postures primarily for use between the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the commanders of unified commands. DEFCONs are graduated to match situations of varying military severity, and are numbered 5,4,3,2, and 1 as appropriate. DEFCONs are phased increases in combat readiness. In general terms, these are descriptions of DEFCONs:
DEFCON 5 Normal peacetime readiness
DEFCON 4 Normal, increased intelligence and strengthened security measures
DEFCON 3 Increase in force readiness above normal readiness
DEFCON 2 Further Increase in force readiness, but less than maximum readiness
DEFCON 1 Maximum force readiness.
EMERGCONs are national level reactions in response to ICBM (missiles in the air) attack. By definition, other forces go to DEFCON 1 during an EMERGCON.
DEFENSE EMERGENCY: Major attack upon U.S. forces overseas, or allied forces in any area, and is confirmed either by the commander of a unified or specified command or higher authority or an overt attack of any type is made upon the United States and is confirmed by the commander of a unified or specified command or higher authority.
AIR DEFENSE EMERGENCY: Air defense emergency is an emergency condition, declared by the Commander in Chief, North American Aerospace Defense Command. It indicates that attack upon the continental United States, Canada, or US installations in Greenland by hostile aircraft or missiles is considered probable, is imminent, or is taking place.
During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the US Strategic Air Command was placed on DEFCON 2 for the first time in history, while the rest of US military commands (with the exception of the US Air Forces in Europe) went on DEFCON 3. On 22 October 1962 SAC responded by establishing Defense Condition Three (DEFCON III), and ordered B-52s on airborne alert. Tension grew and the next day SAC declared DEFCON II, a heightened state of alert, ready to strike targets within the Soviet Union. Source: http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/c3i/defcon.htm
Crimson Tide Review (7 points). Your task is to view the movie and write a 1100-1500 word paper, which you will turn in through your personal forum during Week Six. The questions below will be discussed in your paper:
1. What are the leadership styles and power bases of CO, XO, Chief of the Boat?
2. Discuss how the leadership styles of the CO, XO and Chief of the Boat affect the interaction of these characters.
3. In terms of leadership and compliance, what is the role of scripted behavior on nuclear submarines in real life? What function does it serve in the film before the main action? . . . after the main action?
4. The incident has raised an issue that will occupy the board and the Navy for some time to come. What is that issue? What are the roots of that issue? How has it played itself out over time?
