creation of organizational memory
We will watch the movie Twelve O'Clock High together over the next two class periods
Twelve O'Clock High is a 1949 American film about aircrews in the United States Army's Eighth Air Force who flew daylight bombing missions against Nazi Germany and occupied France during the early days of American involvement in World War II, including a thinly disguised version of the notorious Black Thursday strike against Schweinfurt. The film was adapted by Sy Bartlett, Henry King, and Beirne Lay, Jr. from the 1948 novel 12 O'Clock High, also by Bartlett and Lay.
You might find Elmer Bendiner's The Fall of Fortresses a different view of the context of the movie. Bendiner was a navigator who flew in the planes in the movie and survived the missions to Schweinfurt.
The film was nominated for four Academy Awards and won two. In 1998, Twelve O'Clock High was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant".
Things to think about
While the movie is about leadership, a subtle story about organizations is being played out in the background. Think about what the characters are thinking about in terms of their particular situations, as well as in the evolution of the organization itself.
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