Management Applications Found in the Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings trilogy of films’ main theme is the classic saga of good versus evil. For good to triumph over evil, the Ring of Power must be destroyed and the race of man must unite in order to battle their common enemy, Lord Sauron. These movies possess a rather large and diverse cast of characters, each of whom displays at least one form of the four management functions as well as multiple management skills. The two main management/authority figures in the series are Gandalf and Aragorn, both of whom incorporate all four management functions – planning, organizing, leading and controlling – in addition to all of the management skills – conceptual, human and technical.
Gandalf is an old and wise wizard who discovers the Ring of Power still lingers in existence, an item which if gained by Sauron is capable of destroying all life on Middle Earth. When Gandalf finds the enemy is looking to obtain it, he makes plans to have the One Ring destroyed. He organizes this mission by designating Frodo, a young and naïve Halfling, as the ring bearer who must destroy the Ring. Gandalf leads Frodo by telling him that he is the only one who can complete this task and reassuring him that he has all of Gandalf’s trust, faith and confidence. As the story progress, Gandalf sets out to find Théoden, King of Rohan, one of the two remaining free settlements of man. Gandalf informs the King that his people will soon be under attack. As opposed to fighting in their capital city of Edoras, a disappointed Gandalf finds that Théoden will be evacuating his people to seek refuge in Helm’s Deep, a fortress in the mountains. The wizard feels that this is a death sentence and knows that in order for the enemy to be defeated the Kingdom of Rohan must aid in battle. He controls the situation by making changes to his course. Gandalf ventures off in search of fighters, men who had previously been banished from Rohan, in hopes that these men will return and help their kinship in battle. Before leaving, Gandalf tells Aragorn that he will return, in turn giving Aragorn hope that all is not lost. This new found hope motivates Aragorn to become the man he is destined to be.
Aragorn is a Ranger who had once forsaken his right of to the throne. He realizes that it is time to fulfill his destined role and become the leader of man. To complete this goal he plans to unite the two remaining colonies of men and encourage them to fight together in the Battle of Minas Tirith. Aragorn is able to convince Théoden of this plan and the two worked together in mustering up all of Rohan’s forces. The evening before their departure to Minas Tirith, Aragorn met with an unexpected guest, the elf Elrond, Lord of Rivendell. Elrond presented him with a sword reforged from the shards of Narsil, the weapon which had initially defeated Sauron long ago. Aragorn altered his course to go into the Paths of the Dead, as with this sword he was able to command the Dead Men of Dunharrow, an unstoppable force which owed allegiance to the heir of the throne. Through the unification of men and the help of the Dead Men of Dunharrow, the Battle at Minas Tirith was successful. After the battle concluded, Aragorn was able help Frodo by leading the remaining army of men to the Black Gates of Mordor, home of Sauron. It is here in one the final scenes in the films that Aragorn motivates his fellow men by giving them a speech which restores the courage and strength they need to continue fighting. The group worked together to create a diversion which gave Frodo the additional time needed to destroy the Ring.
Both Gandalf and Aragorn held the technical management skills needed to defeat the enemy. Both were masters in their fields, wizardry and fighting, respectively. They used the conceptual skill to strategically plan their roles as well as the roles of their comrades throughout the films and were ability to apply the human skill effectively, motivating their peers to continue on and persevere.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy of films’ main theme is the classic saga of good versus evil. For good to triumph over evil, the Ring of Power must be destroyed and the race of man must unite in order to battle their common enemy, Lord Sauron. These movies possess a rather large and diverse cast of characters, each of whom displays at least one form of the four management functions as well as multiple management skills. The two main management/authority figures in the series are Gandalf and Aragorn, both of whom incorporate all four management functions – planning, organizing, leading and controlling – in addition to all of the management skills – conceptual, human and technical.
Gandalf is an old and wise wizard who discovers the Ring of Power still lingers in existence, an item which if gained by Sauron is capable of destroying all life on Middle Earth. When Gandalf finds the enemy is looking to obtain it, he makes plans to have the One Ring destroyed. He organizes this mission by designating Frodo, a young and naïve Halfling, as the ring bearer who must destroy the Ring. Gandalf leads Frodo by telling him that he is the only one who can complete this task and reassuring him that he has all of Gandalf’s trust, faith and confidence. As the story progress, Gandalf sets out to find Théoden, King of Rohan, one of the two remaining free settlements of man. Gandalf informs the King that his people will soon be under attack. As opposed to fighting in their capital city of Edoras, a disappointed Gandalf finds that Théoden will be evacuating his people to seek refuge in Helm’s Deep, a fortress in the mountains. The wizard feels that this is a death sentence and knows that in order for the enemy to be defeated the Kingdom of Rohan must aid in battle. He controls the situation by making changes to his course. Gandalf ventures off in search of fighters, men who had previously been banished from Rohan, in hopes that these men will return and help their kinship in battle. Before leaving, Gandalf tells Aragorn that he will return, in turn giving Aragorn hope that all is not lost. This new found hope motivates Aragorn to become the man he is destined to be.
Aragorn is a Ranger who had once forsaken his right of to the throne. He realizes that it is time to fulfill his destined role and become the leader of man. To complete this goal he plans to unite the two remaining colonies of men and encourage them to fight together in the Battle of Minas Tirith. Aragorn is able to convince Théoden of this plan and the two worked together in mustering up all of Rohan’s forces. The evening before their departure to Minas Tirith, Aragorn met with an unexpected guest, the elf Elrond, Lord of Rivendell. Elrond presented him with a sword reforged from the shards of Narsil, the weapon which had initially defeated Sauron long ago. Aragorn altered his course to go into the Paths of the Dead, as with this sword he was able to command the Dead Men of Dunharrow, an unstoppable force which owed allegiance to the heir of the throne. Through the unification of men and the help of the Dead Men of Dunharrow, the Battle at Minas Tirith was successful. After the battle concluded, Aragorn was able help Frodo by leading the remaining army of men to the Black Gates of Mordor, home of Sauron. It is here in one the final scenes in the films that Aragorn motivates his fellow men by giving them a speech which restores the courage and strength they need to continue fighting. The group worked together to create a diversion which gave Frodo the additional time needed to destroy the Ring.
Both Gandalf and Aragorn held the technical management skills needed to defeat the enemy. Both were masters in their fields, wizardry and fighting, respectively. They used the conceptual skill to strategically plan their roles as well as the roles of their comrades throughout the films and were ability to apply the human skill effectively, motivating their peers to continue on and persevere.
