Michael Goodwin

Organizational Behavior Study of "The Godfather"

Organizational Behavior Study of “The Godfather”

Michael C Goodwin

Organizational behavior (OB), the study of human behavior in groups, has its roots due to a study during the observation of the Hawthorne Effect (Kopp, 2014). Simply put, the Hawthorne effect is the observable difference that social factors create upon a population’s productivity. Initially started as an attempt to test the effects that light, noise, comforts etc have on workers, the unintended consequence was that the process of being observed had a greater effect. As the field of study grew, other aspects were recognized as affecting productivity such as power, authority, politics and interdependence (Kopp, 2014)

Observations that stem from the practice of OB, are numerous but can be boiled down to three simple conclusions (Smith, 2020);

1. 1. Managed tasks tend to be efficient and far less likely to have inconsistencies due the presence of hierarchical observation. Rewards and punishment are far more likely to be focused on a more deserving worker if management directly observes their productivity.
2. 2. Unmanaged tasks tend to far less efficient and prone to delays due to the simple fact that there is no motivation of direct consequence. The communication breakdown that occurs over distance plays a role as well due to the time an order or request is made until the time it makes its way to the necessary recipient.
3. 3. Organizations that do not adjust to the times are left behind. In a time of dynamic changes in culture, technology and psychology, a company or organization that stagnates will perish. Such organizations will lack the ability and even the motivation to modernize.

It is therefore in an organization’s best interests to pursue a goal of accountability. Both management and workforce will then be fully equipped to confront any and all foreseeable changes as adaptability to meet the unexpected.

This is best accomplished by improving the employee experience by keeping morale a high priority as well as a clear and defined list of expectations and guidelines. Employees should also be recruited to match the talents needed for specific departments or project goals. In this way, the employee has a sense of trust placed in them, leading to an enhanced feeling of accountability and personal investment (Smith, 2020.)

Problems that organizations will face can also be defined in seemingly infinite ways, but can be boiled down to 5 simple barriers (Stowell, 2020)

1. 1. Absence of direction is a common, simple problem that has a surprisingly difficult solution. With no ultimate goal or destination, any company, group or team can grind to a halt. Without a conclusive destination, the entire group is perpetually in a state of limbo, bleeding morale and purpose the entire time.
2. 2. Multiple leaders or personalities all pursuing their own agendas, while related to lack of common purpose, is a separate concern. While a common goal may be had, it is possible that several managers or leaders may have differing opinions on reaching that goal. This leads to friction between those leaders or members as well as attrition due to others feeling their talents are wasted or their opinions not being appreciated.
3. 3. Failure to develop key competencies or speciality is also related to the feeling of wasted potential. Any time a specialized knowledge is needed, being absent of a person able to demonstrate that knowledge leads to valuable time and resources being wasted by inefficiency.
4. 4. Poor communication and absence of a method of feedback are also very detrimental to any organization. Any child remembers the game called “Telephone” in which children are lined up and the teacher whispers a phrase to the first one in line. The initial child repeats into the ear of the second, and so on down the line. What is observed is that by the time the final child hears the message, it usually in no way resembles the initial phrase. This translates easily enough in a business or organizational setting where the more middle men there are, the more garbled the message becomes. Whether this is from deliberate action or just loss of signal strength matters not, the result is the same.
5. 5. Finally, a lack of awareness is the final nail in the coffin of any endeavor. If management or leadership is unwilling or unable to acknowledge any weaknesses or mistakes, then not only can corrective action be taken, but the situation continues to deteriorate. This concept is probably best described in the ancient, but probably exaggerated tale of the Roman Emperor Nero playing the fiddle while the city burned to the ground. Another example would be of Marie Antionette’s utterance of “Let them eat cake,” upon being informed of the starving Parisians rioting in the streets.

These problems and possible solutions play themselves out in a modern cinematic classic known as “The Godfather” (Coppola, 1972) quite effectively and make demonstrating them as a process or chain of events relatively easy.

“The Godfather” is an examination of a Sicilian crime family in New York that begins after the conclusion of the Second World War. Opening at the wedding of a crime syndicate leader’s daughter, the viewer is plunged into a saga of intrigue and violence that focuses on loyalty and betrayal.

The leadership style displayed in the syndicate (or family) focuses on both positive and negative types (Riggio, 2016.)

For the positive aspects, the Corleone family relies on what is known as transactional leadership. This is simply a “pay for play” on the one hand and threats of retaliation on the other. The phrase “Make him an offer he can’t refuse” and “He assured him either his signature or his brains would be on the contract,” illustrate the nature of such simplicity. Most relationships are usually of a monetary or power dynamic basis.

The family also relies heavily on interpersonal relationships like those between father and sons (Vito Corleone, Sonny, Michael and Fredo with an adopted Tom Hagen.) Vito Corleone is fiercely loyal to his sons who in turn are committed to him. A variety of lesser relationships also form up the hierarchy of the syndicate that operates in New York City among four other crime families.

The notion of strategic thinking is also present in all of Vito Corleone’s decisions as well as every other character. This leadership style is one of considering all aspects, benefits, consequences and ramifications of every action or business decision. From his avoidance to entering the drug trade due to the possible backlash to figuring out who orchestrated the murder of his son, Vito Corleone always displayed critical thinking. This was later carried on by his successor and son Michael later in the movie.

Developing others to leadership roles was also key in the Corleone family business. From grooming his son Santino (Sonny) to be his successor to molding his adopted son Tom into a lawyer and adviser (consigliere) Vito also had aspirations for his youngest son Michael to transcend the underworld to enter a life of politics or industry.

The negative aspects of the business also make themselves fairly easy to observe as well.

First, as a criminal organization, the basic theme of character mattering is key. From Brother-in Law Carlo Rizzi setting up the Sonny Corleone murder to Salatore Tessio betraying Michael to a rival family, even long time associates are capable of betrayal. In any organization comprised of men and women to whom low character is sometimes a benefit, it is unsurprising they would act solely in their best interest.

The other negative aspect of such an enterprise that is revealed is the corruption of any individual with whom power is placed without any check or balance. In such instances the people must rely on the innate goodness of a benevolent dictator, as it were. This is seen from offhanded comments of congressmen being used to do favors to a police captain being in on the assassination attempt of Vito himself. Finally, the viewer witnesses Michael himself descend from a war veteran at the beginning of the film, denouncing the crime family to being its eventual Godfather himself.

So as a way of displaying how OB can be used to observe this fictional family, it may be applied to the 5 problem criteria mentioned earlier (Stowell, 2020). In this way, it is shown how any organization may be studied.

1. 1. Absence of Direction- While the Corleone family is led by a strong patriarch in Vito, once he is incapacitated, there is a period of chaos and uncertainty of how to react. Does the family make overtures for a peaceful solution or seek immediate revenge in the most violent way possible? Even before Vito’s attempted murder, he displayed an inability to modernize his criminal empire by not engaging in the drug trade. While his motivations were rational and thought out, they still set in motion the events that would start a gang war.
2. 2. Multiple Personalities Without Common Goal- While Sonny is hot headed and strong willed, he is brash and careless which eventually leads to his own demise. Fredo is the exact opposite, shown to be gentle, weak even and unable to live up to any of the responsibilities he is given. Michael is the calm, collected type who displays an almost sociopathic ability to order deaths or carry them out himself with little or no second thought. He is shown to be very strategic and goal orientated in the orchestration of the massacre of the other heads of rival syndicates at the conclusion of the film.
3. 3. Failure To Develop Competencies- While the crime family had several members who would be best described as soldiers, they had no defined specialists. Much of the time, they had unreliable and disloyal members at their side. Simple mistakes were routinely made with disastrous results. From Fredo being Vito’s bodyguard to sending Luca Brasi (a henchman) alone into a meeting to be murdered and even Sonny’s own failings all undermined the integrity and cohesion of the family.
4. 4. Poor Communication- Besides the basic nature of a crime family having a code of silence, there were many examples of poor communication leading to tragedy. From the intrigue and betrayals after Vito’s shooting to Sonny’s murder, many grievous wounds to the syndicate could have been avoided by a direct communication of goals and instructions (though admittedly this is difficult in a criminal enterprise where secrecy is not only the goal, but a necessity.)
5. 5. Lack of Awareness- Vito Corleone thought he could rebuff the advances of the other five families with regards to the drug trade. A gang war was then orchestrated between the Corleone and the Tattaglia families at the behest of an entirely different syndicate, the Barzini family. While Vito Corleone would later figure it out, he lost one son in the meantime. The Corleone family would be engaged in a war without even knowing it, leading to critical losses in the opening salvo. Not knowing the possible plays and situations with a better understanding cost the Corleones dearly.

As seen, just by using basic OB, one can analyze how a fictional crime family operated in effective and ineffective ways. In this way, it is possible to use these lessons in a real world setting in order to prepare any company or organization to meet all challenges, known and unknown.

Al Ruddy, Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather, 1972 Paramount Pictures

Carol M Kopp, Organizational Behavior, June 25, 2019, investopedia.com

Ronald Riggio PhD, Leadership Lessons From The Godfather, August 22, 2016 psychologytoday.com

Christopher Smith, Organizational Behavior, Improving Performance And Commitment In The Workplace, February 6, 2020 change.walkme.com

Steve Stowell PhD, The 5 Most Common Problems Of Organizations, 2020 cmoe.com