Reflection Paper Example on 12 Angry Men

The movie 12 Angry Men highlights a jurys deliberations in a top murder case. The 12-member jury begins deliberations in the murder trial of an 18year old Latino accused of stabbing his father. The defendant has a weak defense: a knife which he claims he lost is found at the crime scene and witnesses saw heard screams and saw the boy trying to flee from the murder scene. Eleven members of the jury declare him guilty and only jury number 8( Mr. Davis) casts a not guilty verdict. As the discussions unfold, the story focuses on the jurys complex personalities which range from empathetic to prejudiced, arrogant and merciless. That provides the framework for Davis attempts to convince the other judges that a not guilty verdict was the most appropriate.

The movie highlights numerous practical themes: critical thinking, moral courage, stereotyping and the value of human life. Particularly to organizational communication, the film portrays the significance of building a cooperative community among different outlooks. The film also explores the creation of positive leadership in groups and additional practical implications. From the film, we can draw examples of how leadership can positively integrate conflicting views and contribute to developing effective alliances. As such, the conflicting opinions of the judges were used in order to understand differing perspectives. The fundamental theme that is presented in the film is the addition of multiple viewpoints would provide different opinions that would ultimately lead to the best solution. To minimize conflict and incorporate opposing views, it is essential to view diversity as an opportunity rather than a threat to development.

The presence of different perspectives, if handled correctly, leads to a greater understanding. In that regard, creative members of a community are likely to consider a wide range of thoughts and ideas to come up with the most effective solution that is likely to be accepted by a wide range of people. As such, there are certain advantages of encouraging different viewpoints. A primary aspect of overcoming negative effects on ethical decision making is the inclusion of multiple viewpoints. Needless to say, the time pressure presented by some members of the jury created even a more stressful situation. To diffuse some of this stress, the jury held a dialogue to share the stress with each other hence leading to a greater understanding.

The film demonstrates the importance of listening to other team members despite the personal disagreements. The most important action a leader can take is to establish a dialogue with everyone. Great leaders keep their mind open to what other people contribute to an initiative. As such, a dialogue is a primary path to such a process. Creating a moral team within an organization involves avoiding the drawbacks of groupthink, that is, groups that unanimously agree on something ahead of the reasoned problem-solving. The impact can lead to ineffective group decision making. To avoid negative impacts of group decision making, team members can engage in productive conflict to come up with a better and ethical solution.

Consequently, the film 12 Angry Men has great value due to the themes presented. In that capacity, the movie highlights the importance of creating cooperative groups among diverse viewpoints. The fact that one man stands firm in an effort to establish a constructive dialogue and come up with the best solution inspires many in regard to the great things that can arise out of different perceptions.