Leadership- Kung Fu Panda

Leadership- Kung Fu Panda

Effective Supervisory Techniques

One of the most effective supervisory techniques in the movie is bureaucratic supervision. According to Demirtas (2020), bureaucratic supervision includes laying down specific rules and regulations that subordinates should follow. Bureaucratic supervision aims to create uniformity and stability by ensuring that every subordinate works towards meeting shared goals. In the movie, Shifu uses bureaucratic supervision to maintain the discipline of trainees. He sets training rules and regulations for the Furious Five and Po to improve their Kung Fu skills and prepare them to defend the Valley of Peace. This technique is effective because it creates discipline and commitment among the Furious Five and Po. The second supervisory technique is the democratic technique. This technique includes acting according to the mutual agreement of subordinates when making decisions (Demirtas, 2020). The leader encourages subordinates to give suggestions on what should be done in various situations.

In the movie, Master Oogway consults Shifu on the best approach to deal with Tai Lung resulting in the agreement to select a fighter equipped with the fighting skills needed to serve as the dragon warrior in charge of protecting the valley of peace. Master Ooogway also invites the people of the valley to attend a tournament held to choose the dragon warrior. Everyone witnesses Po’s grand entrance and Master Oogway’s decision to select Po as the dragon warrior. The third effective supervisory technique is coaching. This technique includes recognizing subordinates’ strengths, weaknesses, and motivations to help them improve (Demirtas, 2020). Master Ooogway uses the coaching technique to help Po recognize his strengths as a fighter. He encourages him to focus on the future and stop doubting his potential. Master Oogway also helps Shifu develop a better mindset to deal with the Tai Lung threat. Shifu uses coaching to help his trainees understand their strengths and weaknesses to become better fighters.

Ineffective Supervisory Techniques

The autocratic supervisory technique was not effective. According to Witzel (2019), the technique includes giving absolute power to the leader, who requires complete obedience from subordinates. Autocratic leadership may also be defined as authoritative leadership because it is characterized by having authority over subordinates. The leader using this supervisory technique requires everything to be done based on his instructions and does not like intervention from subordinates. Shifu uses an autocratic supervisory technique to instill fear in his trainees and maintain discipline. He also instructs the guards in the prison to double the security to prevent Tai Lung from escaping without assessing the existing security measures. His order creates conflict between him and the prison guards because they feel undermined. Po’s father’s autocratic leadership is also ineffective because it makes Po develop a negative mindset about himself and his abilities even when he is selected to be the dragon warrior. He makes Po believe that he is only good at selling and making noodles to the extent of making Po lie about his dreams to avoid negative feedback.

A Scene That I Would Have Done Differently As a Supervisor

In one of the scenes, Shifu gives Po the dragon scroll, but they all realize that nothing is written on it. Po begins to doubt his destiny as the dragon warrior and the other fighters are concerned because there would be no one to stop Tai Lung. Shifu instructs the fighters to evacuate the valley and protect the villagers. He volunteers to fight Tai Lung alone and hold him off long enough for the people to escape. As a supervisor, I would have mobilized everyone who could fight to secure the valley instead of just getting everyone to safety and letting one fighter hold back the enemy. I would have ensured that the selected fighters received adequate training before the enemy attacked. I would also brainstorm with the fighters to determine the best way to deal with the enemy and protect the people.

A High-Stress Environment versus a Less-Stressful Environment

Leadership environments can either be highly stressful or low-stressful. A highly stressful environment is characterized by demands to yield specific outcomes, conflicts among leaders and subordinates, and poor collaboration, while a less stressful environment is characterized by proper coordination of activities and collaboration (Rodić & Marić, 2021). These environments have different leadership demands that could dictate the supervisory technique selected. High-stress environments put leaders under pressure to deliver results, thus forcing them to adapt supervisory techniques that create the required outcome. For instance, if a leader is under pressure to improve the profitability of an organization, he or she may adopt an autocratic supervisory technique to ensure that employees meet their targets.

In the movie, it is evident that a high-stress environment may influence leaders to limit the power of their subordinates and their involvement in decision-making. For instance, Shifu is under pressure to prepare the dragon fighter to fight Tai Lung for the safety of the valley. He does not want to disappoint Master Ooogway, thus putting too much pressure on Po to improve his kung fu skills. A less stressful environment allows leaders to explore various options, thus making them apply various supervisory techniques based on the changes in the environment. For instance, leaders in a less stressful environment may use the democratic supervisory technique during decision-making and coaching to improve subordinates’ performance. Less stressful environments also give leaders composure, thus exercising bureaucracy.

A Supervisory Trait That I Relate To

I relate to the supervisory trait of maintaining a positive attitude. Master Ooogway encourages Po and Shifu to maintain a positive attitude even when they doubt their capabilities. For instance, Master Ooogway encourages Shifu to believe in his leadership capability and not be afraid of taking responsibility. He also encourages Po to work on his fighting skills instead of looking down on himself because of his past. Shifu also encourages Po not to quit because he is the dragon warrior. I relate to this trait because it has applied to my career growth. During my internship, I interacted with professionals who sometimes made me develop a negative mindset about my knowledge and capabilities because, in most instances, they questioned my performance. At some point, I wanted to quit the internship job because my supervisor reassigned the tasks that had been assigned to me and asked me to observe how others completed the tasks to compare my performance with others. I told one of the interns about the incident and informed him about my decision to quit, but he was against it. He encouraged me to continue observing how my colleagues complete assigned tasks and learn from them. His encouragement changed my mindset, and I developed a positive attitude towards my work and the feedback I got from my supervisor. Since then, I have always viewed negative feedback with a positive mindset and focused on what I can learn from the feedback.

Why Supervisors Fail If They Are Using a “Textbook” Technique

A textbook technique is an art or practical method applied to a specific task. Leaders mainly use textbook techniques because they are recommended to enhance leadership effectiveness. However, these techniques often fail, especially in situations that require critical thinking. The notion of leaders being made has created a reliance on textbook techniques because leaders who acquire their leadership capabilities through training tend to do things by the book to avoid leadership errors. Supervisors fail if they use a textbook technique because they do not consider all outcomes of the decision made. For instance, when Master Ooogway informs Shifu about his concerns that Tai Lung may escape prison, Shifu rushes to decide that prison guards should be doubled, thus creating tension among the prison guards who feel that the decision undermines their security measures. Shifu may also have made Ooogway select an incompetent fighter to be the dragon warrior because he believed that the dragon warrior could only be among the five fighters he was training. He questions Master Ooogway’s decision to select Po as the dragon warrior because he has not been trained to fight Kung Fu even though he has the power to defeat Tai Lung.

I have also experienced the ineffectiveness of textbook techniques in my personal life. For instance, I was selected as a team leader for a team required to improve customer relationship management. We applied the textbook technique that requires increasing customer engagement, but it was ineffective because the company’s communication channel was poor. I later realized that we should have focused on customer feedback on the company’s social media posts and started the conversation from there. Social media comments would have guided us on improvement areas and encouraged customers to give their feedback based on our active participation in the conversations in the comment section.

References

Demirtas, O. (2020). A handbook of leadership styles. Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Rodić, M., & Marić, S. (2021). Leadership style and employee readiness: Basic factors of leadership efficiency. Strategic Management, 26(1), 53-65. https://doi.org/10.5937/straman2101053r

Witzel, M. (2019). Autocratic leaders. A History of Leadership, 145-160. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315161846-10

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

We’ll write everything from scratch

Paper Content

A. After viewing the movie or TV show, select one of the supervisors (leaders).

B. Discuss THREE supervisory techniques that they used, using specific examples from the movie or TV episode. Do not spend too much effort explaining the background or details of the scenario; get to the point of how they lead (or don’t).

Leadership- Kung Fu Panda

C. Make sure to discuss the following topics:

i. Which of the supervisory techniques were effective? Why?

ii. Which supervisory techniques were not effective? Why?

iii. Pick one scene and discuss what you would have done differently as a supervisor and why.

iv. How does a high-stress environment affect supervisory techniques, as compared or a less stressful environment?

v. What supervisory trait do you most relate to and why? You should include a personal account from your life.

vi. Why do supervisors fail if they are using a “textbook” technique? Explain using the scenes from the movie/show or your own personal life to enhance your explanation.

If you have already seen the movie or TV show episode, you may “skim” it to refresh yourself.

If you do not want to watch any of the above movies or TV shows, you must email me by week 6 for an alternate assignment. Here are some ideas for alternate assignments:
Alternate topics include Leaders in the News, Corporate Leadership Failures/Successes and/or Government Failures/Successes, Leaders in Politics, and Visionary Leaders.

You should have a title page, and some pages of body content, and the last page should be your paper’s references. If you have a title page and reference page, that leaves you with 5 pages for the body.

Use at least 3 references for your paper. They should be articles/sources that support your paper.

Your paper should contain no more than 20% direct citations or quotations. That means 80% should be your own analysis, thoughts, and ideas.

Please do not wait until the end of week seven to ask if you have questions about the assignment.