Analysis of General Savage as a Change Leader

Savage proved himself to be an effective transformational leader whose success was due in large part to following the tasks of change leadership closely and utilizing many of the methods of influence within a group described by Bert Spector in Week 2.

Davenport believed his men were being treated as numbers and driven to destruction whereas Savage believed the problem lay in their skills and formations. Even after being replaced, Davenport tried to induce Savage to give the "boys" some sort of a success to lean on while Savage knew they were "men" who would have real success ahead to motivate them, as a result of his demanding expectations of them. Davenport failed to be effective once he got too close to his men and tried to protect them from further losses. He flew with his men, got involved with their personal motives, and rewarded them for bravery. His men knew how much he cared but it was not motivational. Instead it fostered an attitude whereby they no longer believed in themselves.

On the other hand, Savage cared about the safety of the men, but was going to change each individual by first changing the culture and fundamentals of the organization, beginning with re-training. By re-training the men and proving to them that they were valuable and critical to the success of the war, Savage created a clear purpose that the men learned to believe in. He brought them together to function as a team that would continue to function as such under new leadership in the future. He was determined to instill "the kind of pride that would make it the last thing a man wants is to be left on the ground". As their group purpose emerged, so did a strong emotional bond between the men and their unit. This emotional bond is of utmost importance in the military as the men's lives depend upon their unquestioning trust and for each other and their general and willingness to follow orders without question.

With his initial approach to discipline, Savage established himself as a leader who would change his men's behavior by unfreezing their pattern of low morale, fear, self-pity, and lack of belief in the mission. He did this by making them all uncomfortable with the status quo, closing their bar, and demanding re-training missions. With the re-training and regular missions, he set extremely high performance expectations.

Savage created such disequilibrium that the men all put in for a transfer. One example was to arrest the complacent Lt. Col. Ben Gately and put him in charge of the "Leper Colony" with all the deadbeats. He tried to reason with Gately saying he had had the experience to "have taken the load of Colonel Davenport' and blamed him for taking a part in Davenport's downfall. This was an appeal to Gately's higher values as he came from a long line of decorated military men.

Savage's assertiveness was unmistakable