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Jordan Ricker

MGT 565 Cross Cultural Negotiations

Professor Monti

December 2016

White Squall Assignment

In White Squall, there are a number of themes related to group identity and formation that are

explored throughout the film. In particular, the concepts of the Fundamental Factors of Group

Cohesion, Tuckermans stages of group development, and establishing and retaining Social

Status are quite evident and shall be explored below.

The five Fundamental Factors of Group Cohesion are similarity, stability, size,

support, and satisfaction. These factors were all shown to influence the group dynamics and

formation in White Squall, either through their practice or their absence. As regards similarity,

all of the boys seem to be around the same age in their last year of high school and they

all have little to no experience working on a boat before. This same level of familiarity with

the job they have to do lets them become more cohesive as a group because there is no one

master among them. The stability of the group is still too early to be determined, but it seems

more stable than not, with the exception of Dean Preston (Eric Michael Cole)s cruel actions

towards the other boys, which make him a loner and not as much of a group member. The

size of the crew (eight students) plus two professors, one cook, one first mate, and one

captain, makes thirteen people. This is not too big of a crew, nor is it too small, which allows

all the members to be able to form strong bonds with a number of different people. Support

was show to be seriously lacking from those in higher positons of power to those in lower

positions of power when Skipper (Jeff Bridges) made Gil Martin (Ryan Phillippe) climb up

the ship when the former discovered that he was afraid of heights. Gil was so terrified that he

urinated, which showed that even though Skipper was trying make Gil get over his fears, the
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captain ultimately failed to support him in the short run. Lastly, the satisfaction of the boys

seemed to be growing with every passing day they were on the boat. Around 20 minutes into

the movie, when they boys are collectively working to get the boat tidied up, yelling heave

or set the main in union once Skipper asked them to yell it back whenever they heard an

order, the viewer can see that this action creates a sense of satisfaction in a job well done

while also building up camaraderie among the participants. Thus, the cohesiveness of this

group is still in its early stages, but there are a number of factors which are propelling the

group to act as a whole more than as distinct individuals.

In terms of Tuckermans stages of group development, (Forming, Storming,

Norming, Performing, and Transforming/Adjourning) the group is clearly still in the first two

stages of Forming and Storming. There is a lot of confusion on the part of the students as to

why they are on the boat and what their exact role is. They have a lot to learn and they need

strong direction and guidance from the senior members of the crew, such as Skipper and the

teachers, to help them find their place. Additionally, there is clear conflict typical of the

Storming stage, as Preston tries to assert his authority by throwing his fellow students

belonging into a different bunk when that student takes the bed he wants. This establishes

Preston as aggressive and a distinctive individual someone who does not want to conform

to the group norms that are being established. While the Forming and Storming stages are

very natural in the development of any group, they are definitely difficult to go through and

that is what this group is currently experiencing.

The establishment of social status is also an important a natural development of any

group and this theme can be seen in White Squall as well. There is a combination of both

achieved status and ascribed status at play in the movie, as Skipper, for instance, benefits

from ascribed status with his title as captain, but also from his achieved status in using his

physical strength to rescue Gil. The first mate also has both types of statuses, but his standing
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derives more from his achieved status as an experienced seaman. Although he is made fun of

for being short, his knowledge of the Albatross and his physical prowess make the other boys

listen to him.

In conclusion, although there are a number of aspects of group identity that are

demonstrated in the film White Squall, the themes of Fundamental Factors of Group

Cohesion, Tuckermans stages of group development, and social status are particularly

apparent and provide clear examples of how groups form and norm.