Executive Summary
The movie, The Avengers, is a Marvel comic book series brought to life on the big screen wherein a group of superheroes from different backgrounds are supposed to protect the Earth from the machinations of Loki (the antagonist), a mischievous God from the realm of Asgard (Rainer). A minor plot point in the story is the fact that there is a considerable degree of tension between the different members of the team.
This level of conflict is brought about through their different personalities, perception on how best to solve the problem at hand and how they deal with conflict. Towards the end of the film, the individual heroes are able to put aside their differences and work together for the shared common goal of saving the Earth from the army that Loki has transported into it through the use of a portal in space (Rainer). Overall, the movie serves as a good metaphor for conflict management within companies and how proper management and understanding the individual nuances of workers can help immensely in settling workplace conflict and creating shared goals for everyone to work toward.
Introduction
There are four characteristics that are in demand within a technology oriented enterprise, namely: high market responsiveness, fast developments, low cost, and finally high levels of creativity, innovation and efficiency. What must be understood though is that such characteristics are dependent upon the type of technical teams that are the backbone of a company wherein through the utilization of a variety of management practices, workers with their own unique quirks are brought together to achieve a shared goal (i.e. create profit for the company). It is based on this that this report will focus on the various managerial issues that were represented in the movie and attempt to connect them to the various topics provided in class. It is expected that through this activity, a better understanding of the application of proper managerial practices can be implemented.
Managerial issues
Examination of Tony Stark (Iron Man)
Based on an examination conducted by the group, it was quickly realized that Tony Stark is an extrovert who was not conscientious at all of other people. He was depicted as a self-absorbed playboy who believed that he could do no wrong. Within the context of managerial issues in the workplace, the personality of Tony Stark suffers from: hubris, the inability to see beyond his own ideas, he judges before knowing all the facts and is a pessimist. These characteristics result in such an individual being incapable of properly working with others in a team which can lead to significant issues related to proper performance during normal company operations.
On the other hand, it should be noted that this type of personality characteristic often enables a person to be more confident when it comes to making decisions, is more likely to get things done and is more creative in their thinking processes. All there are characteristics depicted by Tony Stark in the movie and is evidence of the positive aspects of having an extroverted personality.
However, it should be noted that teamwork is an absolute necessity in modern day corporations and, as such, if someone is so self-absorbed that they refuse to work properly with others and focus more on believing that they are right in their actions, this can lead to erroneous judgement calls being made which usually end up in disastrous situations for the company. It is based on this that it would be necessary for a manager to talk to an employee with the same personality characteristics as Stark and tell him to adopt a more appealing and open attitude when it comes to working and dealing with other people. The reason behind this is quite simple; a person with the sort of behaviour depicted by Stark cannot be allowed to work in a company since this jeopardizes normal operations. They either have to change their personality or be fired in order to preserve a harmonious corporate environment.
Examination of Steve Rogers (Captain America)
Within the movie it was shown that Steve Rogers (Captain America) had a personality characteristic of openness as evidenced by him allowing Stark to hack the system and by advocating that people in the Avengers should work together towards a common goal. This character trait is often sought after by managers in their employees since this often indicates that this individual is more willing to work with others and will do as they are told for the good of the company. However, unlike the extroverted qualities of Stark, the openness of Steve Rogers does come with a few negative characteristics such as the inability to think independently, lacks creativity and is unable to perform outside of the job role that they are given. When it comes to dealing with individuals such as this, managers often have to ensure that proper instructions are given to them since they are limited in their capacity for independent thought and action.
Examination of Clint Barton (Hawkeye)
The character of Hawkeye can be described as being emotionally unstable due to his shifting personality in the movie and his unreliable nature (i.e. one moment he was one of the good guys, then he became one of the bad guys, then be became of the good guys again). This lack of sufficient emotional stability is a definite issue when it comes to workers within a company since it could lead to possible outbursts in the office at inopportune moments. Taking this into consideration, managers would need to ensure that employees with the same character traits as Hawkeye are not exposed to environmental or work factors that could possibly result in more emotional instability.
Examination of Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow)
The character of Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow) can be considered as another good example of a character that has an open personality. She is willing to work with others in the team and advocates cooperation in order to deal with the problem at hand. It is also shown that she is emotionally stable as evidenced by her calm demeanour in one scene despite being strapped to a chair. Taking this into consideration, managers should assign employees with the same personality traits as Natasha Romanoff in areas where their open personalities would be of best use such as customer service or human resources.
Examination of Dr. Bruce Banner (Hulk)
Throughout the movie, the character of Dr. Bruce Banner (Hulk) is a classic example of an introverted personality. He is shy, not outspoken and prefers to be alone as compared to being around people. When it comes to dealing with employees like this, managers need to place them in job roles that enable them to be alone and not always interact with people. By doing so, this enables them to do their best and not be placed in social situations that they hate to be in.
Examination of Hulk (Dr. Bruce Banner)
The character of the Hulk is a classic example of someone suffering from severe emotional instability characterized by his explosive anger. This type of employee is often the hardest to deal with by a manager and often needs constant supervision in order to ensure that his anger does not get out of control leading to potential violent altercations.
Examination of Thor
The character of Thor can be characterized as an individual that has a considerable level of agreeableness as evidenced by his capacity to get along with some of the members of the team and his willingness to save the life of the Black Widow when the Hulk was after her. However the character also has a certain level of emotional instability as evidenced by his indifference, closed off emotions, reluctance to resolve social problems in the workplace and finally his inability to think on his feet. This inherent overconfidence and faith in a flawed set of skills will cost him dearly in the future should they not be resolved and is evidenced of an unstable worker. Managers should keep a close eye on employees like Thor since their emotional instability and independent streak can often result in misplaced anger against either the company or a client.
Examination of Loki
The character of Loki can be considered as severely lacking in agreeableness and emotional stability and he also has a high degree of hubris. It is due to characteristics such as these that managers should isolate this particular type of employee away from others and attempt to have them focus on their career. By doing so, this maximizes their capacity for free thought and creativity.
Examination of Nick Fury
Nick Fury can definitely be considered as a conscientious individual since he immediately took charge of the situation when one of the engines on the vehicle that they were on stopped working all of a sudden. This characteristic is a positive trait in employees since this gives them the capacity to think on their feet, assume responsibility in dealing with situations as they arise and makes them born leaders. On the other hand, it should be noted that this particular personality trait also makes conscientious people sometimes hard to work with since they continuously express their opinion, want things done their way and always seem to believe that they are right. Taking this into consideration, managers should place such individuals on the path towards being managers or executives within the company since they are most likely to flourish in such roles.
Examination of Agent Phil Coulson
The character of agent Phil Coulson in the film showcases a level of agreeableness and willingness to associate with others on a social level. This sort of employee is ideal for a company since they are usually able to get along with a wide assortment of individuals.
Conclusion
Managers often have to deal with is the varied personalities of employees and how this impacts their interpersonal relationships with other workers and their capacity to perform their job. It is within this context that this paper has examined the characteristics of the Avengers and showcased how their unique personality quirks would create managerial issues over time.
Works Cited
Rainer, Peter. “The Avengers: movie review.” CS Monitor. The Christian Science Monitor, n.d. Web.