Group behavior

In Ocean’s 11 (2001) a group of eleven men, gather together to rob a casino in Las Vegas. As a side note the Las Vegas Strip and pretty much everything that Las Vegas is known for is actually in Paradise, Nevada. Paradise is an unincorporated town, which allows the casinos to pay fewer taxes. The leader of the group (Ocean) is trying to get his ex-wife back from the man who runs the casino that the group is going to rob.  This leads to a conflict between the group. While the majority of the group are only there for the heist, Ocean and his friend are there for the money and Ocean’s ex-wife. In the beginning the rest of the group does not know about Ocean’s secondary mission. Throughout the movie more people find out about it, until the problem comes to head and everyone confronts Ocean.

Ocean’s motivations are pretty simple, he loves his wife and so he wants her back. The heist is a way for this to happen, while allowing him to mess with his wife’s current boyfriend. The rest of the group take issue with this because they are about to do something that the rest of the world think is impossible. This means they need everyone to bring their best and they do not have time for anything else. When the group finds out about Ocean’s secondary goal they are angry. Ocean’s is putting everyone at risk so that he can gain. Ocean was able to convince the rest of the group that everything would be OK. The conflict was resolved and the group was able to go on with the heist.


 I think a single member of the group putting their desires first is a common problem in groups. Whenever there is a group working together each member needs to be able to put the goal of the group above the goals of a single person. It is important that everyone in the group trusts everyone to be able to up hold their part. In an ideal world, this would never be an issue. I think that this is rarely the case. In the example that I explained above. It was entirely avoidable, had everyone in the group fulfilled their obligations and did not let anything interfere with the group’s goal. This type of conflict is a prime example of opportunistic behavior. Whenever there is group work there is also the possibility that one member is going to make their life better at the expense of the rest. 

Comments

  1. Professor ArvanNovember 11, 2017 at 1:30 PM

    I believe this movie is itself a remake of a Frank Sinatra vehicle from my generation. (I didn't see that one either, but I heard about it.) There is the question of whether movies like this can teach us any real lesson to learn about how to avoid conflict, or if they are just a form of entertainment and we shouldn't try to make them more than that. In this case, I gather that if Ocean had shared his true motives with the group up front that would have derailed the mission (and the movie too). In general, I favor management being open with the organization about what is going on.

    Almost always, keeping secrets like this is worse. Remember the lesson from Watergate - the coverup is worse than the crime, much worse.

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  2. Milton Friedman Econ 490 fall 2017November 14, 2017 at 2:30 PM

    I think one example where someone putting themselves before the group can be helpful is if that person is looking for recognition, to be one of the best contributors. This can be a motivation for people in a group to not free-ride. However, I do agree that in most cases putting yourself before the group, as in the case of Ocean's 11, it usually leads the group to become worse off.

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  3. Francis Edgeworth Econ 490 Fall 2017December 2, 2017 at 7:50 PM

    Your story reminds me of a triangle situation. As in Brad Pitt's role he is working for the heist but also his friend George Clooney to win his wife back. Overall, I feel it would make more sense for the rest of the group to understand the hidden motive. I feel this would increase morale as everyone will be on the same page.

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