Reflect in Movies & Television
A soft-skills solution that gives your students a development
plan in less than an hour and better prepares them for a
successful business school experience and post-MBA
career.
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Graduate Management Admission Council®.
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Table of Contents
Reflect In Movies & TV-Activity .......................................................................................................................... 2
How to Use this Document ................................................................................................................................. 2
Section 1: Activity Outline ................................................................................................................................... 2
Section 2: Faculty Guidance ............................................................................................................................... 2
Section 3: Supporting Collateral......................................................................................................................... 2
This information is confidential and proprietary and may not be reproduced in whole or part
unless authorized by the Graduate Management Admission Council®.
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Reflect In Movies & TV-Activity Summary
Description
What could be more entertaining than a project
that involves watching TV and/or movies?
This activity helps students build knowledge and
appreciation for the Reflect competencies by
watching sitcom and dramatic clips from the small
and big screen.
Specifically, shows like The Office or movies like
Company Men provide the raw material that students use to identify character competency
strengths and situations that reflect the Reflect competency “underdevelopment.” They
identify which competencies are specifically involved and rewrite scenes as if competencies
were fully embraced and developed. Students provide explanation and support for their
scene “reinterpretation.”
Type
This is an individual activity.
Learning Objective
Through the critical review of movie and TV clips, students develop a deeper appreciation
and understanding for how the Reflect competencies undermine or support leader behavior.
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unless authorized by the Graduate Management Admission Council®.
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How to Use this Document
Document Roadmap
Section 1-Activity Outline
a. Step-by-Step Process
b. Supplies Needed
Section 2-Faculty Guidance
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Implementation Notes
Mixing it Up
Competency Applications
Activity Examples
Grading Guidelines
Section 3-Supporting Materials
a. For Teachers—Presentations,
Probing Questions, Scripts
b. For Students—Handouts
This information is confidential and proprietary and may not be reproduced in whole or part
unless authorized by the Graduate Management Admission Council®.
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Section 1: Activity Outline
Step 1—Introduction (30-45 min.)
Faculty member introduces activity as an assignment during the term
(Supporting Collateral-Item 1).
Faculty member provides an example (Faculty Guidance-Activity Example).
Faculty members share a partial list of TV shows and movies that fit with the assignment. (optional)
(Supporting Collateral-Item 2).
Faculty member provides overview of activity steps/milestones as outlined below.
Faculty member shares general grading rubric (Faculty Guidance-Grading Guidelines).
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Step 2— Ongoing Student Work (over the course of the assignment period)
a.
(Supporting Collateral-Item 5).
Step 3— Optional Mid Assignment/Term Discussion
(approximately 60 minutes at midway point of assignment period)
a. (Supporting Collateral-Item 3).
b. (Supporting Collateral-Item 6).
Step 4— Final Paper Submission
Step 5—Final Class Discussion (60 minutes on day of assignment deadline)
a. (Supporting Collateral-Item 4).
This information is confidential and proprietary and may not be reproduced in whole or part
unless authorized by the Graduate Management Admission Council®.
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Section 2: Faculty Guidance
Implementation Notes
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
As described below, this activity is
conceptualized for the individual student but
conceivably students in small groups could
work on it together.
This activity is also conceptualized as a
“research/analysis/final paper” activity but
faculty could also approach it as a weekly
discussion activity in which individuals
students or groups of students are assigned
different weeks to share their analysis of a
particular movie or TV show scene.
Unlike some of the Reflect activity options,
this activity likely requires a little less time
and effort, while still offering many learning
opportunities. If faculty is actually assigning
activities as opposed to giving students the
opportunity to choose from a list, this
activity may serve as a nice complement to
one that requires intense time and effort to
complete.
Any activity process details (e.g. steps,
timelines, timing, materials) as reflected in
the outline below are strictly suggestions
and are dependent on faculty-determined
course structure and requirements.
HOW TO MIX THINGS UP
Ideas to modify the activity, introduce new
design and delivery options, and increase
difficulty level for students.

Faculty can select the video clips
(TV/movie), play them at regular intervals
(e.g. weekly) in class, and then facilitate
brief student conversations. While more
limited scope, this approach offers students
opportunities to build competency
understanding and appreciation.

Students can be required to identify clips
that align with their competency
development priorities and strengths and
write an accompanying paper. In other
words, their paper may focus on scenes
from The Office where innovation was
under-used and, in the paper, talk about
their own relevant concerns demonstrating
innovation in the workplace.

Faculty can assign an additional
activity/paper where students assume the
role of TV/movie director or screenwriter
who offers commentary on his/her
production decisions.

Students can conduct research on the
portrayal of leaders on the small/big
screen, using their findings, the Reflect
competencies themselves, and the
particular clips they used for this activity to
write a second paper.
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unless authorized by the Graduate Management Admission Council®.
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Opportunities to Apply Reflect Competencies
Through its implementation, the activity offers the student opportunities to build insight and
skill on:
 Innovation: The activity invites students to be creative in their
selection of clips and analysis of competencies among business
leaders.
Through its content focus, the activity offers the student the opportunity to build knowledge
and, indirectly, skill on any one of the competencies. Actual clip content and class
discussion will specifically drive the learning.
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unless authorized by the Graduate Management Admission Council®.
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Activity Example
“Chris” settles down with popcorn and a notepad
for a few nights of movie and TV show viewing.
His/her assignment is to identify a number of
examples where the popular TV and/or movie
characters demonstrate the Reflect
competencies and situations where they do not.
Chris’ assignment is to find at least one specific
example for each of the competencies.
Once identified, Chris assumes the role of
screenwriter and rewrites the scenes/script, using language and/or actions that convey strong
and appropriate use of the competency (in those situations where it was used inappropriately.
His/her rewrite as part of a final paper represent the culminating activity task.
This information is confidential and proprietary and may not be reproduced in whole or part
unless authorized by the Graduate Management Admission Council®.
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Grading Guidelines
Faculty should consider the following
criteria when grading student work:
 Alignment of movie/TV clip
selections with competencies.
 Final paper research
thoroughness and “smart” content
focus.
 Engagement during class
conversations.
This information is confidential and proprietary and may not be reproduced in whole or part
unless authorized by the Graduate Management Admission Council®.
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Section 3: Supporting Collateral
Materials, as referenced in the activity
outline, appear on the subsequent
pages. When applicable, instructions are
provided to the user (faculty member,
student). Faculty members are
encouraged to edit the materials to suit
their needs and to align with their
preferences for activity implementation.
This section is divided into two primary
categories, collateral for teachers and
collateral for students.
This information is confidential and proprietary and may not be reproduced in whole or part
unless authorized by the Graduate Management Admission Council®.
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ITEM 1 FOR TEACHERS:
Script for Introducing Activity
Use the following script and/or enhance it as necessary to meet your needs. The
accompanying slides for this activity also support its introduction.
We’re entertained by them and that’s the point but many TV shows and movies offer
“painful” examples (e.g. Michael Scott and interpersonal intuition) of the underdevelopment
of Reflect competencies. To their credit, they also introduce fictional characters that have
competency strengths. These shows often feature characters that effectively leverage these
strengths.
This activity’s intention is to be educational and fun. Using the template that I will provide,
you will screen different TV shows and movies and analyze them for their competency
focus.
You’ll rewrite at least one scene to convey optimal use of the competencies.
The culminating activity will be a paper that presents this re-write and your overall analysis.
See PowerPoint slides below.
Movies & TV.pptx
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unless authorized by the Graduate Management Admission Council®.
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ITEM 2 FOR TEACHERS:
TV & Movie Suggestions
It is recommended that faculty members hold off on sharing this list until students have had
an opportunity to identify some of their own. If faculty members share this list, they should
also encourage students to identify additional ones, noting that students who can identify
less obvious clips may fare better in their final paper than students who select more obvious
television shows or movies.
TV
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The Office
The Good Wife
Mad Men
The Apprentice (reality TV show)
Ugly Betty
L.A. Law
Too Big To Fail (HBO documentary)
Movies
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Wall Street
Tucker: The Man and His Dream
Devil Wears Prada
9-5
The Company Men
In Good Company
Up in the Air
Office Space
High Fidelity
Glengarry Glen Ross
Inside Job (documentary)
The Social Network
This information is confidential and proprietary and may not be reproduced in whole or part
unless authorized by the Graduate Management Admission Council®.
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ITEM 3 FOR TEACHERS:
Mid Term Discussion Questions
Use the following questions/points to frame your final paper. While you don’t need to
respond to them linearly, they all should be addressed.
1) What evidence of the competencies – strengths or weaknesses – are you finding in
your film/TV clips? Share specific examples.
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Innovation
Operational Thinking
Decision Making
Strategic Vision
Strategic Self-Awareness
Resilience
Drive
Interpersonal Intuition
Valuing Others
Collaboration
2) What recommendations would you offer to the “character” in shifting or developing
particular competency? Are your recommendations ever framed in the development of
another competency (e.g. Does a character’s operational thinking strength undermine
his/her ability to value others? Would a character’s enhanced strategic self-awareness
also help to build his/her interpersonal intuition? How can a character further leverage
his moderate skill in innovation as someone who demonstrates strength in
collaboration?)
3) Are you finding yourself drawn (positively or negatively) to any particular characters or
competencies? If so, how might your own competency “profile” be at play?
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unless authorized by the Graduate Management Admission Council®.
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ITEM 4 FOR TEACHERS:
Final Discussion Facilitation Tips
Use the following questions/points to frame the culminating conversations.
Faculty may consider soliciting volunteers and/or requiring students to bring in footage of
clips for the discussion. The first part of this culminating discussion may be a viewing of the
clips. The goal for the culminating conversation is three-fold:
 To leverage information about the competencies in a workplace environment and/or
as demonstrated by leaders.
 To solicit examples and learning from students.
 To apply information to student’s own professional/career development vision and
goals.
1) For the first part of this discussion:
a) Which competencies showed up as strengths in clips?
b) Which showed up as “weaknesses” in clips?
c) How does the demonstration of specific competencies influence others?
Provide specific examples.
d) What broader conclusions can you draw regarding the value of
competencies in the business world?
e) How might you enhance benchmarked information based on your viewing of
the clips?
2) Based on your review and analysis of clips, what new insights did you have regarding
your own competency development?
3) What if any impact does Hollywood have on messaging about workplace effectiveness
and businessman/woman success? Are there any specific competencies that more
likely to be shown in positive light (e.g. innovation) and others on which Hollywood
focuses more negative attention (e.g. valuing others). In other words, what “hooks” the
viewer?
This information is confidential and proprietary and may not be reproduced in whole or part
unless authorized by the Graduate Management Admission Council®.
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ITEM 5 FOR STUDENTS:
Template for TV/Movie Selections
Student Instructions: Use the following template, in electronic form, for notes on TV/movies
scenes depicting competency strengths and/or deficits. Make sure you have at least one
example of each and that at least half of them reveal competency underdevelopment. Some
should align with your own competency development needs.
Competency
Scene
Description
Analysis of
Competency Use
Innovation
Operational
Thinking
Decision Making
Strategic Vision
Strategic SelfAwareness
Resilience
Drive
Interpersonal
Intuition
Valuing Others
Collaboration
This information is confidential and proprietary and may not be reproduced in whole or part
unless authorized by the Graduate Management Admission Council®.
Student Implications
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ITEM 6 FOR STUDENTS:
Framework for Final Paper
While students can create their own paper structure, the following topics should be
discussed.
Background Information
1) A copy or summary of the template that you populated as part of your review of film/TV
clips.
2) The three (minimum) on which you are focusing your paper. Note: At least two must
show the character(s) weakness.
Detailed Analysis
For each of the three clips address the following:
1) A detailed description of the scene (if possible, include links to footage and/or a
transcript of the scene as an attachment).
2) The competencies that are at play in the scene.
3) Rewriting the scene to reflect opportunities to better leverage this competency and
others as complements (e.g. rewriting a scene that shows more collaboration and, as
a direct result, more project team innovation).
4) Implications for the character and the workplace in absence of competency of
development and in light of it.
5) Enhancements that you would offer to the Reflect benchmarked job information (e.g.
“How did Toby, as an HR manager in The Office, measure up against the
benchmarked information? Would you propose additional competencies be added to
the list of “critical?” Why/why not?).
*Continued on Page 17
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unless authorized by the Graduate Management Admission Council®.
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*Continued from Page 16
Final Thoughts: What Does This All Mean for Me?
In this section of the paper, you apply your research to your own competency strengths and
areas of development. Consider the following questions:
1) How does your analysis support your general understanding and appreciation for the
competencies as well as your own leveraging and development of them?
2) How does your analysis facilitate your understanding of office environments in which
you’ve worked/will work in the future? Share at least one example.
3) What new and specific steps will you take as a result of this activity and your learning?
This information is confidential and proprietary and may not be reproduced in whole or part
unless authorized by the Graduate Management Admission Council®.