Norma Rae follows Norma as she works a minimum-wage job in a textile mill. Reuben, a Union organizer, gives a speech in her town about unionizing a factory. Norma agrees to help him. Norma is the protégé of Rueben in this film. She learns, as the story progresses, how to motivate workers against discrimination, inequality, and other injustices they experience in their work environment. This proves the myth of leaders being born and not made (pg.9).
Rueben’s leadership abilities are clearly evident in the entire film. This is to be expected of a professional leader. Norma becomes the leader of the textile union because she is able to motivate the workers to see their potential. James Burns defines transformative leadership as “a method by which leaders and followers are able to raise each other’s morale and motivation levels” (pg. 86). This, I believe, is a wonderful example of a leader who uses teamwork to form a successful union. Burns says that the key to transformation is the leader’s ability to understand the needs of his followers, and to change or impact anything that might hinder them (pg. 86). Norma’s autocratic style can be a hindrance to their union-forming goal. She is extremely task-oriented when it’s time to start the union. In one scene, the character starts an argument with another colleague who is late to work. The argument wastes valuable time as well as unnecessary energy. 47).
This film contains every power type listed in the text book. According to the textbook, reward power is achieved when someone with power offers positive incentives as a way to get a certain behavior out of an individual. The plant manager tries using reward power to prevent Norma from forming a trade union by giving her a promotion or a raise. This film also shows coercive powers, whereby the power to refrain from punishing undesirable behavior in exchange for desired behaviors is displayed. The best example is when Norma’s manager threatens her with termination and does so. She was even arrested for refusing to leave. Legitimate power is another type of power shown in the movie. It is power that is perceived as being authoritative and is a result of position. The textile factory manager is clearly a prime example of legitimate control due to the position he holds at the plant.
This film also shows the power of expert knowledge, which is a perception that a person has specialized in a given area. Rueben’s profession as a union organizer gives him expert knowledge in unions. Referent Power is not to be forgotten. This power is defined as the power that people develop when they have strong bonds and mutual respect. This, in my opinion, is the predominant type of authority in this film. Initially Rueben and Norma were the only ones who joined forces to form a union. Norma’s arrest and subsequent stand for justice leads to many others joining their cause. The workers union is soon formed. 73-74).
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