Twelve O’clock High*

 Let's begin by analyzing the situation. What did you observe during this movie?
 
Q: 	Why is the 918th Bomb Group having problems? 

A: 	Colonel Davenport is over-identifying with his men. He defends them, (navigator) and 	takes responsibility for errors made by his men. 

Q: 	Using the Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership Model, what is the development, 	readiness or maturity level of the men of the 918th? 

A: 	Level 2 - some competence, low commitment.
 
Q:	What are some of the cues that indicate the men of the 918th are at level 2 of 	development, readiness or maturity.
	 	
R: 	In terms of competence or ability (some) 
		Not staying in formation, heavy losses, and navigation errors. 
		Commitment or willingness is low.
		Not secure of their ability to complete a mission, high sick-call rate, always 			looking for someone to lean on, Col Davenport was not willing to push for more 			planes for a mission - he accepted what was offered. 

Q: 	Using the Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership Model, what is Colonel Davenport's 	style of leadership and why is he failing or succeeding? 

R:	His style is S3 (low task and high relationships behavior).  He's failing because he is 	misreading the development, readiness or maturity level of his followers. He is using a 	leadership style that is mismatched for the development level of the followers. (see case one notes on underdirection or underleadership. Col 	Davenport is using Style 3 on a 	group which is asking to be told what to do. This style has created an atmosphere of 	anxiety and confusion. The result - the mission is no longer being accomplished, even 	though his men are loyal to him. Col Davenport is also failing because he lays blame 	elsewhere and is looking for excuses.
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*As noted earlier, the terms development level, readiness level and maturity level are equivalent. Also, I have deleted the one word descriptors of the leadership styles and refer to them by number only – see case study 1 notes.

Q: 	Using the Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership Model, what is General Savage's 	leadership style at Pinetree and why is it successful or unsuccessful? 

A: 	His style at Pinetree is Style 2 (high task and high relationships behavior). He is still 	making the decisions and providing the structure; he also says why a decision is 	made.

Let's go back to the Hersey-Blanchard Model and see what else we picked-up from the movie. 

Q: 	When did General Savage change leadership styles? 

R: 	Just before he entered the base to assume command, he got out of his staff car on the 	right and called his driver by his first name. He reentered the car on the left and called 	his driver "Sergeant." 
 
Q: 	What leadership style did General Savage initially assume when he took command of 	the 918th Bomb Group?
 
R:	His style is S1. He makes all decisions and tells people exactly what to do. 

Q:	Savage came in as S1, but his men were actually development, readiness, maturity 		level 2 - some ability or competence and low willingness or commitment, so why did 	this mismatch style work for him? 

R: 	It worked when he first arrived because Savage was focusing on the men's need to 	improve their competence. If he had stayed Sl much longer, their morale wouldn't 	have improved and the mismatch could have backfired. 

Q: 	Explain why General Savage treats Major Stovall differently from the aircrew. 

A: 	General Savage uses a mix of styles 2 and 3 with Major Stovall. Unlike the aircrew, 
	 Major Stovall has a higher, 2 to 3, development, readiness, maturity level. General 	Savage must still provide the basic structure in some instances, but in other instances, 	like the delaying of transfer requests, General Savage gets Major Stovall to participate 	in the decision.
 
Q: 	What is the purpose of the practice missions? 

R: 	The purpose is to tell them how to fly and develop their skills, abilities and overall 	competence. 

 
Q: 	When does General Savage introduce leadership style 2?  Is it appropriate? 

R: 	1. He starts explaining WHY they are flying missions after the group's second 	successful mission. Yes, this is the appropriate time because willingness and 	commitment to fly is increasing. They know they can fly a mission with a reasonable 	chance of returning. 
	2. General Savage tells Bishop why they went to Germany. 
	3. The overall changes in competence and commitment justify the change.
 
Q: 	What is the significance of General Savage taking the 918th to the target when 	everyone else returned with the recall? 

R: 	To build pride and unity. To show they could do the job when others couldn't. 	It was 	a risk of the magnitude leaders must occasionally take to pull a unit together. 

Q: 	How do we know General Savage is becoming successful at this point in the story? 

R:	 Bishop removed his request for transfer in front of the IG. 

Q: 	Why did General Savage change lead pilots? 

A: 	He needed more able commanders and what better way than by having them fly lead 	on some missions. He was building responsibility and leadership so he could then 	support and participate with his people. Ability and competence was growing from 	moderate to high, however commitment remained variable. The way to develop more 	able commanders was to instill confidence and motivation. S3 (low task and high 	relationships behavior was appropriate for the situation. 

Q: 	What's the difference between Colonel Davenport and General Savage? 

R: 	The only difference is their manifested (behavior) leadership style.

Again, let's discuss the movie and analyze the leadership you observed.

Q: 	What are some additional indicators that General Savage is successful with his leadership 	style? 

R: 	The ground crews were stowing away to fly on missions (pride). Gately flew until he 	passed out (dedication). 

Q: 	Why did General Savage break? 

R: 	Maximum effort. He is actually delegating by default. Remember when Colonel 	Davenport said to General Savage "You are riding in every crew station and cockpit" 	You are truly delegating when the job gets done the way you want and you don't have to 	be there to influence the job. 

Q: 	What are Colonel Davenport's primary and secondary leadership styles? 

R: 	Primary is S3 - he tries to identify and be with the men he commands. Secondary is S2 	- he feels he owes a reason to his men. 

Q: 	Why was General Savage able to turn the 918th around? 
 
R: 	He successfully met the needs of his followers, whether the followers recognized it or 	not. By matching his leadership style to the follower's development, readiness, maturity 	level, he was able to turn the unit into a productive and effective fighting machine. 

Q: 	What are General Pritchard's primary and secondary leadership styles? 

R:	Primary is S4 secondary is S2. He seems to use S1 as a secondary style except that he 	will usually explain his reasons to the staff. This makes his secondary leadership style 	S2.
 
Q: 	What lesson is Ben Gately teaching us all?
 
R:	 To be a leader you must take risks and direct others. He avoided the risks of flying in 	the beginning but later showed that he had the talent to train his men and lead. 

Conclusion

The application of the appropriate leadership style contributes to yielding the best results. We must diagnose assess the situation and choose the most appropriate style. Inappropriate styles can lead to poor performance (this is a good time to review the mismatches discussed in the notes for case one.