The Cuban Missile Crisis

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Description

Management experts often point to America's role in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis as a prime example of productive group decision making. In 13 pressure-packed days, President Kennedy's Executive Committee debated and successfully crafted a response to the threat of Soviet-controlled nuclear weapons installed in Cuba, a mere 90 miles from the Florida coast. This video examines the leadership style, teamwork, and managerial processes that led to not just good choices but optimal ones. It combines archival film footage, interviews with firsthand participants such as Robert McNamara and Theodore Sorensen, and commentary from management and organizational experts to explore the challenges of high-level decision making. Specific topics include choosing team members, the role of the leader, setting a tone of openness and trust, developing alternatives and considering their consequences, and moving the group from conflict to consensus.