Observation Techniques- Film Analysis

Observation Techniques- Film Analysis

Individuals are expected to behave in a certain way when in the workplace. Organizational ethics and rules inform this behavior. However, group behavior in the organization may vary like in any other social setting. In other words, even though the organization may have roles for every person in the office, there are outgoing individuals and introverts within the organization. Some outgoing individuals may be more active than their supervisors. In this analysis of group behavior in an organization, the “Boardroom” clip of the movie Hidden Figures will be analyzed using psychological theories. The person of interest is Taraji P. Henson, who acts as Catherine Johnson (Melfi, 2016). It is noteworthy that this story depicted a time in America when racism was very intense. For an African American woman working in a company like NASA, prejudice against Africans combined with sexism created a poor working environment.

The story describes the challenges and successes that Catherine Johnson went through when she got a chance to work at NASA as a human-computer. She faces racism, but still, her brilliance in solving mathematical equations that eventually ensure the successful journey to and from the moon is manifested. The specific clip of interest that can help explain group behavior in the organization is the “Boardroom” Clip, where Catherine is welcome to sit in a board meeting of scientists (Melfi, 2016). Out of more than ten men in the boardroom, she is the only African American, and she is the only woman. While everyone is influenced by the psychological sense of belonging in the group setting, Catherine chooses to sit back, watch, and listen until she is called to solve the equation when all the men in the room have failed.

The two group psychology theories manifested in this segment of the movie are Belonging and individuality. Cadinu, Carnaghi, and Guizzo (2020) have described belonging as the human mentality of wanting to be a part of a given group. This belonging is often influenced by characteristics that all members feel they share. Cadinu, Carnaghi, and Guizzo (2020) have further argued that in a workplace where united groups are missing, there is always the creation of a minimal group paradigm, also called ‘clique.’ This is manifested in the movie when the White male scientists at NASA form their group and hence discriminate against the African American workers. In the boardroom, Catherine is not given a chance to contribute even when her presence is notable at the table. On the other hand, Catherine displays individuality, which is defined as the desire to be unique in a group. Unknowingly, Catherine emerges as a unique character because of her brilliance and composed behavior. She remains quiet until given a chance to solve the equation. When she gets the chance, she demonstrates excellence and stands out.

References

Cadinu M, Carnaghi A,&  Guizzo F (2020) Group meaningfulness and the causal direction of influence between the ingroup and the self or another individual: Evidence from the Induction-Deduction Paradigm. PLoS ONE 15(3): e0229321. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0229321

Melfi, T. (2016) Hidden Figures. 20^th Century Fox. Retrieved from [Accessed Date 4^th May 2022]

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Instructions
Observation Techniques: Film Analysis
This week, you will analyze a three- to five-minute segment of a movie or a television episode depicting group behavior in organizations.

Observation Techniques- Film Analysis

After watching the movie segment, create a report on your analysis. In your report:

Mention the name of the movie.
Describe the setting and overall storyline of the movie.
Describe the main characters in the observed movie section.
Describe the situation that you analyzed and interpret the action of the characters depicting group behavior and organizations.
Draw conclusions based on social psychological concepts and theories.