Films and HR Lessons: HR Takeaways from Movies

There is no business like show business, and sure there are business lessons to be derived from movies. Harvard Business School builds a case study around the movie 12 Angry Men. Released way back in 1957, 12 Angry Men is a courtroom movie revolving around a murder trial, where a jury of 12 men cannot get to a common consensus. Similarly, Office Space is a satirical take on typical work-life in a software company and touches almost all HR issues; the movie has been a personal favorite for many HRs around the world.

It comes as no surprise that global conglomerates and premier B-schools around the world are using cinema as a means to teach management theories, lessons on team handling, leadership and group dynamics. Movies are not a mere indulgence anymore; they are a powerful learning aid. Movies have found their way into the HR Pandora box for motivating, engaging and training employees.

Through this blog post, we have tried to identify movies that solve basic HR problems of hiring the right candidate, motivating the employees, improving employee engagement, retaining a good employee and handling equal opportunity issues.

Most of us now know the story of Facebook and its creator Mark Zuckerberg-courtesy The Social Network. The film brilliantly weaves the life and times of Mark as a college student hacking his way into Harvard’s student data file to get pictures for his website Facemash (then)-ultimately giving him an idea to develop the social media giant-Facebook. The idea here is simple- hackers are not some meddling youngsters anymore; they are being hired by global giants like  Apple, Facebook, and Microsoft for their “real-skills.” There is a reason why hackathons and code-fests have become so popular because they test real skills and real talent. A great takeaway for HR recruiters from movies like The Social Network, Trading Places, and A Beautiful Mind is- bringing innovation into hiring. Judging a candidate merely on the basis of the credentials listed on his CV or by interviewing him is most likely to take you back to the wrong-hire loop.

Quite instantly Invictus comes to the mind when we talk about engagement. Invictus– based on the biography of Nelson Mandela is a great movie in many aspects. This movie can be easily used to elucidate leadership and motivation in business. But, what strikes through the movie is Mandela’s ability to communicate and engage with the people of South Africa, whites and the blacks, torn apart by the racial times. In the movie (and also in real life), Mandela uses Rugby- a sport as a medium to bridge the gap between the blacks and the whites. The message in the movie is clear for the HR managers; employees can easily get disengaged and even pessimistic in their approach towards their work. It is the duty of the HRs to bring out the positives in them through games, parties, movie hosting and other such conducive activities.

We know that a lot of learning and development executives are already using movies, video clips, animation, etc. in their presentation and training modules, but picking the right media to communicate your views effectively is also an art. Merely including a video in your training program for the “fun” element may not justify your training goals. In this respect, we have selected a few movies for you that can be a great medium for your specific training requirement. Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year, is an Indian movie which, although did not do a great job at the box office, narrates the story of an average graduate who is sincere and customer focused. While doing his job he does not compromise on his ideals and forms his own company- Rocket Sales Corporation. Even a tea seller is a partner in his company because it is the “real-skills,” not the educational qualifications that matter. Soon his company becomes successful because of his determination and customer-driven practices. The film quite overtly tackles the “not so clean” sales practices prevalent in several organizations. There are several takeaways from this movie- honest problem-solving sales practices, real skills against mere paper qualifications and last but not the least determination. Few other movies that talk of talent utilization and good industry practices are Shawshank Redemption, 3 Idiots, and Gandhi and Black for communication training.

We talk about EEO policies and what’s a better example than Outsourced and The Internship. Both the movies aptly capture the cross-cultural amalgamation and answer various ethnic questions. While The Internship talks about two interns trying to win their jobs at Google along with other “Nooglers”- an Asian-American boy, an Indian-American girl and another guy who is constantly on phone, Outsourced follows the story of an American guy who has to outsource his call centre to India, gaining Indian cultural insights as he goes about doing his job. Both movies teach how a mixed set of employees from different cultures, backgrounds, ethnicities, gender, and colour can teach each other valuable lessons in team management. Another great movie in this league is Schindler’s List, where a German businessman employs thousands of Jews in his factory and saves them from the wrath of the Nazi governance.