The film Hidden Figures is the story of overcoming gendered and racial stereotypes and prejudice on the way to success. However, it can be regarded as a demonstration of various aspects of leadership that is neglected on the business arena. It is possible to focus on such terms as emotional intelligence, upward management, and aspirational challenges. Detailed analysis of various plot lines demonstrates that it is necessary to distinguish separate exhibitions of these aspects to achieve success and meet the company’s and employees’ goals. Furthermore, the film depicts main approaches to conflict resolution in the scene of segregation of the ladies’ room
In recent years, it has become evident that it is crucial for subordinates to manage their relationships with bosses. There are various interpretations of what can go wrong with the company if clear boundaries and cooperation are not established. For example, in the book Managing Your Boss, Gabarro and Kotter (2015) focus on the case of Gibbons and Bonnevie. The two shared a sour relationship due to continuous misunderstanding that eventually transpired into a loss in millions of dollars for the company as the newly built plant was not able to keep up with the company’s demands and standards (Gabarro and Kotter, 2015). In this case, low trust and miscommunication can be indicated as the forecasters of the losses.
In the film, the prejudice against African American workers and women in general could have led to drastic consequences for the launch of Friendship 7. The film demonstrates how biased thinking can lead to destruction and that it is necessary to understand that within the company, employees and management share the same goal (Gabarro and Kotter, 2015). The upward management here could be defined in the relationship between Katherine and Harrison. The relationship with managers should be defined by the working styles of both and include mutual expectations, trust, and honesty (Gabarro and Kotter, 2015). It is necessary to keep the boss informed, which was done by Katherine eventually and led to the abolishment of segregated bathrooms.
This part of the film is a representation of the conflict unfolding with Personal variables on work environment. It was resolved via reciprocity principle – give what one wants to receive (Cialdini, 2001). However, before using it Katherine was willing to oblige the social rooms until it was the time to compete as the compromise was no longer fruitful. Then she finally revealed the difficulty to her boss who considered the feelings of Katherine and resolved himself do the decision mentioned above.
The character of Harrison in the film demonstrates the qualities of high emotional intelligence. Harrison demonstrates most of the five components of emotional intelligence at work highlighted by Daniel Goleman (2017). He understands personal emotions, strengths, limitations, desires, values, and goals—as well as how they affect others. He has unwavering motivation to bring the project to successful completion. He takes into account the sentiments of others, especially while making decisions. These characteristics demonstrate self-awareness, motivation, and empathy, respectively, that raise him to his leadership position.
Leaders also need to be aware of their aspirations and operations. In detail, the aspirations of CEO should be large, their image should be deliberately chosen, and decisions made should be held accountable and followed until the end (Dewar et al., 2021). These processes could be seen in Dorothy, who managed to set the goal of retaining fellow African American workers’ jobs by making their skills applicable to the changing era. Namely, she transformed her entire team of computers to programmers that are able to perform better by operating the machines. The goal set was insurmountable but during this process, her image was unwavering and strong, which helped her to stand up against discrimination with her ability and reveal her leadership skills.
In conclusion, the film hidden figures is a novel piece with a large exhibition of successful leadership and management decision-making and characteristics. The film demonstrates how the conflict with the boss should sometimes be confronted and managed via reciprocity in the scene about the ladies’ room. It shows the importance of Harrison’s emotional intelligence in the leadership characteristics. The necessity of courage was emphasized during the whole movie that it is possible to overcome unequal behavior and digitalization by transforming the available workforce via professional development. The protagonists of the story demonstrated the courage to lead their generation to change which can be seen in numerous scenes including the court petition of Mary Jackson which demonstrates that leaders lead by example. Therefore, the piece has not only inspirational value as the story of overcoming gender and racial discrimination but also as a leadership guide for future entrepreneurs and CEOs that aim to change the industry.
References
Cialdini, R. B.(2001). Harnessing the science of persuasion. Harvard Business Review, 72-79.
Dewar, C., Keller, S., Sneader, K., & Strovink, K. (2021). The CEO moment: Leadership for a new era. McKinsey & Company. Web.
Gabarro, J. J., & Kotter, J. P. (2015). Managing your boss. Harvard Business School Press.
Goleman, D. (2017). What Makes a Leader? Harvard Business Press.