Talent Management: Analyzing Workplace Theories and Practices through Erin Brockovich Case Study

This paper explores the concept of talent management through the analysis of the movie Erin Brockovich. It covers various aspects of talent management, including emotional intelligence, employee management, personality traits, and more. The paper provides insights into workplace theories and practices.

Running head: TALENT MANAGEMENT
Talent Management
Student’s name:
University:
Author’s note:

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Executive summary
The following paper answers a range of questions related to the field of talent management. The
concept of talent management is a rising issue in the field of management, through which
organizations could anticipate their requirement of employee skills, knowledge and expertise. To
understand the concept better, the issue is discussed in the context of a famous Hollywood movie
“Erin Brockovich”. The movie is an excellent example of workplace theories and practices. This
is based on true events, where a woman named Erin enters the professional arena with almost no
experience or knowledge relevant to the job. However, through hard work, resilience and
dedication she manages to prove her as an indispensable asset to the organization. The following
paper deals with different aspects of talent management and workplace practices following the
case study of Erin Brockovich.

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Table of Contents
Introduction....................................................................................................................................5
Emotional Intelligence..................................................................................................................5
Analyzing Erin’s Growth and Development of Emotional Intelligence..............................6
Employee Management...............................................................................................................7
Managing Erin............................................................................................................................7
Erin’s adverse influence on other employees.......................................................................8
Affording a Maverick.................................................................................................................8
Not having a Maverick in the organization............................................................................8
Managing the Maverick............................................................................................................9
Strategies for Managing a Maverick......................................................................................9
Personality......................................................................................................................................9
Erin’s Personality Characteristics.........................................................................................10
Big Five Personality Traits.....................................................................................................10
Strengths and Weaknesses..................................................................................................11
Erin’s Character Development..............................................................................................11
Motivation.....................................................................................................................................12
Erin’s levels of motivation......................................................................................................12
Changes in Erin’s motivational level....................................................................................12
Motivation theories..................................................................................................................13

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Career development...................................................................................................................13
Job Description and Job Specification.....................................................................................14
Job Description for Legal Assistant......................................................................................14
Job Specification.....................................................................................................................15
Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and other Personal Requirements for the Job...................15
Behavioural Interview.................................................................................................................17
Interview Template......................................................................................................................17
Importance of behavioral type interview..............................................................................17
Performance Agreement............................................................................................................18
Performance Assessment Template........................................................................................19
Five dimensions of the Job Characteristics Model of Hackman and Oldham...................20
Locus of control...........................................................................................................................21
Work-Life Balance.......................................................................................................................22
Work Engagement Theory.........................................................................................................23
Erin’s level of engagement as per the work engagement theory....................................23
Organizational Culture................................................................................................................24
Comparing the organizational culture of the two law firms...............................................24
Employee relationship and development phases..................................................................25
References...................................................................................................................................26

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Introduction
Talent management is the process of anticipating the requirements of the human
resource of an organization and strategizing accordingly to meet those needs. The
notion of talent management emerged from the McKinsey’s research (Cappelli and
Keller 2017), followed by then popularity of the scholarly literature The War for Talent
(Ulrich 2015). The practice of talent management involves various aspects of
psychology, sociology and management. The following paper tries to explore different
aspects of talent management through the exploration of the movie Erin Brockovich.
This movie is a classic example of workplace practices, theories and management.
Therefore, by identifying the key components of talent management in the plot, the
paper will try to provide a comprehensive account of various questions pertaining to the
field.
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is described as an individual’s capability of recognizing his
or her own emotion and that of the others, distinguishing different emotions and identify
them appropriately, using various emotions to guide behavior and thoughts, as well as
adjusting those emotions to adapt to difficult environments and achieve personal and
professional goals (Serrat 2017).
The theory of emotional intelligence was developed and popularized by Daniel
Goleman. He propounded that non-cognitive skills such as emotional intelligence (EI),
also have a significant role in professional success. As described in his work, Goleman

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identified five key characteristics to achieve professional success, namely, self-
awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills (Serrat 2017).
Analyzing Erin’s Growth and Development of Emotional Intelligence
According to Goleman’s theory. Erin should be considered as a person with high
emotional intelligence. Although she had some areas to improve, her character showed
a lot of maturity and resilience.
First of all, Erin was very much aware of her situation and her reactions towards
them. In the beginning of the movie, she was depicted as vulnerable, bitter and
desperate to secure a source of earning. She was also aware of her shortcomings as a
candidate in the interview. As the movie proceeded, her character developed as a
confident, strong and focused individual, who never backed down at any cost. Even
when approached by George, she articulated her insecurities and difficulties quiet well
(Peña-Sarrionandia, Mikolajczak and Gross 2015).
The highlight of her character was her motivation. At the beginning, she needed
to have a job for her children. As she found her right position at the firm, she started to
work for building her credibility as an employee and earning respects from her
colleagues. However, in the end, all of her effort focused on doing the right thing for the
Hinkley residents. Despite all the obstructions and challenges, she pursued her course
of action. She was also empathetic to people around her.
Self-regulation and is one area that she could improve on. In many instances in
the movie, it was shown that Erin could not resist her temper. Neither in the courtroom,
nor dealing with the rival law firm during their negotiations. However, she managed to
use this trait of hers to her advantage by the end of the movie. (Peña-Sarrionandia,
Mikolajczak and Gross 2015).
Erin’s people skill developed gradually during the course of the movie. In the
beginning, she lacked the ability to communicate politely with anyone around her. She
misbehaved with strangers on the road, the people in the courtroom, her colleagues at
the new office, Ed and even with George, who was extremely helpful and interested in

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her. Although, she gradually picked up the skill. Using positive attitude and resilience,
she won over her colleagues (Serrat 2017). Ed was also impressed by her work. Also,
she succeeded to earn the confidence and trust of the people in Hinkley by being
friendly and empathetic to them. She even managed to convince them to sign the
papers against PG&E.
Employee Management
Employee management is the task to guide and motivate the employee to achieve
the highest of their competence and perform, so that the organization could reach its
goals (Shields et al. 2015). To ensure that the employees give their best to everyday
work, there are several tasks that a manager hast to perform. These tasks, however,
can be categorized into the following 5 types (Noe et al. 2017):
1. Selection
2. Monitoring
3. Interaction
4. Reward
5. Discipline
Managing Erin
At first, Ed did not manage Erin well. Erin was a strong-willed person who worked
on her own terms and condition. First of all, Ed did not even have the chance or
opportunity to choose Erin. She managed her way in into the firm. He even tried to fire
her from her job several times due to her eccentric and out-of-the box ways, although
he failed to keep her away. He even failed to ensure the discipline in the workplace,
which resulted in an unhealthy competitive and bitter relationship between Erin and
other employees. Later in the movie, it was seen that Ed gradually realized the value of
Erin’s work. And by her headstrong personality and dedication towards the job, Erin won
everyone’s respect and recognition, including Ed.
If I were at Ed’s place, I would not have fired Erin. It is important to monitor an
employee and assess his or her potential. And as a manager, the potential and skill
could be used in the favor if the organization if channelized properly. Moreover,

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communication is an important aspect in employee management. If Erin was
communicated properly regarding the organizational values, goals and culture, it would
have been easier to maintain the discipline in the firm (Shields et al. 2015).
Erin’s adverse influence on other employees
It is always difficult to manage an unconventional and eccentric employee in a
traditional workplace. Erin was definitely not the average woman that worked for Masry
& Vititoe. First, her wardrobe choices were a shock to the other women at the firm. Her
bold attitude while interacting with Ed was not deemed appropriate. Neither her
sarcastic remarks were taken in good humor. As a result, there were a lot of gossips
and negative attitude towards her prevalent in the firm. There was a lack of trust as the
employees regarded that Erin was being given undue advantages. It even gave rise to
an unhealthy competition among the women of the firm to attract Ed’s attention. None of
the employees helped or cooperated with Erin. They were even happy to see her fired.
This attitude was quiet harmful for an organization as it hampers the organizational
values and performance.
Affording a Maverick
Experts of the field opine that it is rather beneficial to have a rebel in the workforce.
They may identify innovative ways to achieve the goals by questioning the existing
system and breaking the status quo. They may offer new ideas to address the
challenges and improve the practice of the organization. Therefore, instead of
considering mavericks as troublemakers or enemies, a competent manager can utilize
the rebel spirit for identifying risks and solving problems with innovative methods (Turk
2017).
Not having a Maverick in the organization
Having a maverick in the organization may be difficult and challenging. However,
the presence of such disruptive and spirited employees in the workforce can add
momentum and innovation in the employee performance. Employees who do not

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question the existing system and tend to maintain the status quo, are often found to
be apathetic towards achieving the goals. Besides, it is also found that the presence
of an innovative and creative employee makes the working environment exciting and
bring about healthy competition among the others. This in turn adds to the
performance of the organization in a constructive way. Therefore, not having a
maverick in the workforce is rather disadvantageous (Baracskai 2018).
Managing the Maverick
Mavericks are not necessarily valuable or innovative in all cases. Some may be
really unskilled and problematic. In such cases, strict actions are to be taken against
their disruptive attitude. Otherwise, in case of a competent and skilled maverick, clear
communication is the key to manage such employees. Communicating the company
values and goals, setting standards for performance and delegating them with valuable
responsibilities may guide them towards achieving a desired outcome (Turk 2017).
Strategies for Managing a Maverick
To manage a maverick employee in the organization, a manager must adopt the
following strategies (Turk 2017):
i) Clearly communicating the organizational values, goals and expectations
ii) Identifying the potential of the employee and channelizing their disruption into
constructive alternatives
iii) Listening and prioritizing their feedbacks
iv) Not compelling him/her to adhere to a group that he/she is unwilling to
v) Identifying and monitoring the unskilled maverick and take strict
counteractions
vi) Establishing a relationship of respect rather than of authority
Personality
Personality denotes the individual cognitive, emotional and behavioral patterns
(Kline 2015). Psychologists define personality as the traits by which human behavior

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can be predicted (Catell as cited by Fajkowska 2018). These traits are usually
permanent and consistent in an individual.
Erin’s Personality Characteristics
The most prominent characteristics of Erin’s personality is her self-awareness.
She knows what she feels and what she wants from life. She has the resilience to fight
every obstacle that come in her way to achieve a goal. Her determination is another
quality that shines through. Bold, straightforward, headstrong and empathetic at the
same time, Erin Brockovich depicts the perfect example of a leader. Her leadership skill
shows in her ability to motivate people, inspire them and to work towards achieving a
vision. Her integrity is unquestionable. Besides, she is charismatic and intelligent.
Big Five Personality Traits
Adhering to the trait-based personality theory, there are five parameters that
define an individual’s personality. These five parameters, developed by Costa and
McCrae (2007), are also known as Big Five model or Five Factor model. The
parameters are as following:
i) Openness to experience
ii) Conscientiousness
iii) Extraversion and Introversion
iv) Agreeableness
v) Neuroticism
Examining Erin’s personality following the Big Five model, it can be said that she
is quiet open to new experiences. She keenly follows her instincts and a fast learner.
She also very active. Erin is definitely on the high scale of extraversion. She is
talkative, lively and often found to steal the limelight. She also shows great concern
to the incidents and people around her. She is quiet agreeable too. She can adjust in
diverse situations and embrace change in unfaltering spirit. However, she is prone to
anxiety and negative thoughts. She is often apprehensive about herself as well.
Thus, it may be said that she is neurotic. Besides, she is not very conscientious. She

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is neither cautious nor self-disciplined. She follows her impulses and instincts, rather
than acting meticulously.
Strengths and Weaknesses
According to the Big Five model, Erin’s character’s strengths are her traits of
openness and agreeableness. She can use these traits to her advantage. Besides, her
determination and strong will give her additional benefits to achieve her goals.
Conscientiousness and neuroticism, on the other hand, are her weakness. However,
her character trait of extraversion makes Erin vulnerable. Her straightforward,
headstrong and out-of-the box nature and behavior sometimes gives her advantage,
although many a times, she is at a disadvantageous position because of them.
Erin’s Character Development
In the movie, there are two simultaneous character arcs presented for Erin. One
that depicts her as a fierce and unconventional employee, another depicts her as a
struggling single mother and emotionally vulnerable individual. However, as the story
progresses, Erin’s character developed in both the aspects.
Initially, Erin was portrayed as a short-tempered, headstrong, desperate woman who
was eager to secure a job so that she can provide for her children. She was talkative,
adventurous, assertive and outgoing. Although she was ambitious, she lacked proper
skill and education to acquire a job. Therefore, her desperation gave way to self-doubt,
lack of confidence and rudeness. Gradually, as she started to find success and
recognition, her character showed great motivation, confidence, resilience and
determination. As a result, her behavior towards other people also changed. She did not
succumb under any pressure, neither did she compromise. Rather, she dealt hostility
with sarcasm and wit.
Erin’s arc as a mother and an individual, too, was complicated. Although, her
behavior changed in this front as well. In the beginning, her children occupied all her
attention. She went to great lengths to manage the kids. However, as she shifted her
attention to her profession, she started giving herself some respect and attention as an

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individual. Although she felt guilty for not attending her children as much as required,
she moved on with her cause.
Motivation
Motivation is identified as a driving force that guides an individual to act in a certain
way. It is the leading force or energy that compels a person to achieve his or goals
irrespective of the obstacles (Peters 2015). Motivation may be intrinsic or extrinsic, i.e. it
can be internal or external factors respectively, which influences a person to repeat a
set of behavior to act in order to achieve the objectives in life (Hennessey et al. 2015).
Erin’s levels of motivation
Motivational levels can be intrinsic or extrinsic. To elucidate, there may be
internal instincts or factors that may motivate an individual to achieve his or her goals.
An extrinsic level of motivation, on the other hand, denotes the factors and conditions
from the external environment (Hennessey et al. 2015).
In Erin’s case, she was influenced by both the extrinsic and intrinsic motivations.
Her primary concern was her children’s wellbeing and the family’s sustenance. She
needed money to pay her bills and buy food. This is an example of extrinsic motivation.
On the other hand, she was essentially an ambitious person, who wanted to achieve
something meaningful in her life. This is clearly an intrinsic motivation.
Changes in Erin’s motivational level
Erin’s motivational levels took a turn during the course of the movie. Initially her source
of motivation was basic sustenance, so that she can afford food and shelter for her
children. However, she manages to work for Masry &Vitiote, where she proves her
worth as an employee. Gradually her level of motivation changes. She started working
hard to earn recognition and respect as an employee. Until this point, she was guided
by the extrinsic levels of motivation. However, towards the end, we find her working for
a greater cause, beyond her personal gain. She took up the mission to achieve justice
for the Hinkley residents, just because it was the right thing to do. Thus, motivated by

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the intrinsic levels, Erin set out to achieve her personal goals that would fulfill her
ambition and moral calling.
Motivation theories
There are several theories pertaining to motivation. Among many others, instinct
theory and Maslow’s Need Hierarchy theory are recognized as two significant theories
of motivation. Instinct theory suggests that inherent tendencies or instincts drive a
person achieve her goals (Gopalan et al. 2017). Maslow, in his Hierarchy theory
mentions 5 different factors or needs that motivate people, namely physiological needs,
safety and security needs, social needs including belongingness and love, self-esteem
and self-actualization (Velmurugan and Sankar 2017).
Erin’s sources and levels can be identified according to the Instinct theory of
motivation and Maslow’s theory of Hierarchy of Needs. Erin was a very ambitious and
positive person. She tells George at one point of the movie that she had been Miss
Witchita and had the vision was doing something with her life, like ending poverty.
However, her condition made her desperate to earn a living by any means. Her primary
concern was to secure an earning source, so that she can provide her children with the
basic necessities and pay the bills. She was also concerned for their safety and
security, for which she was apprehensive of the new babysitter and entrusted George
with her kids. Although she had a bitter experience from her past relationships, she fell
for George. This indicates her need for love and belongingness. On the professional
front, she worked hard to gain respect, recognition from Ed, her colleagues, as well as
the people she met along the way. This indicates her esteem needs. Eventually, by
working hard and achieving her goals, she tried to attain self-actualization, where she
moved forward to battle other causes beyond Hinkley.
Career development
Erin is the girl having three children and very fate. When the lawyer of Erin’s
failed in the case then the Erin became fired on her advocate. Erin then demands for a
job under the advocate so that she will become able to reduce her poverty. But the
advocate was not agree in the very first moment but gradually he became agree with

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the proposal of Erin and gave a job of legal assistance to Erin. There was not any
particular kind of career development plan was given by the advocate. Erin was
deployed without any benefits and without any kind of special allowances provided by
the Masry & Vititote. She was only given the basic salary. The boss of the company Ed
Masry gave a condition that if Erin does any kind of wrong and fatal activity she will be
terminated on the spot. Erin on that time was in pressure. There were responsibilities
and obligations of her family and children. The amount which she was payable by the
judiciary board was hampered and dismissed just because of she was defeated in the
case and that is why there was nothing left for her and was no way to go. So she asked
the advocate to give her the job so that she becomes able to survive and live. The
career was very difficult and being less-skilled she was finding some difficulties in very
first moment of the job. The colleagues were giving her no attention but she was
confident enough that she will be obviously perform the job in an efficient way. The
eagerness to get the job and the confidence level of completing the job made her
achievable. The career was very risky because she was doing the job which was given
to her with some terms and conditions that any fault if she done then she will receive the
termination later. With that the organizational atmosphere was not suitable enough for
her because she was not treated well by her colleagues (Vondracek, Lerner and
Schulenberg 2019).
Job Description and Job Specification
Job Description for Legal Assistant
Masry & Vitiote is a legal firm that is working to provide legal services and
consultation to people in need. As an emerging law firm, based in New York, Masry &
Vitiote gives the employees an opportunity to grow and evolve with the organization,
serving the public at the same time.
In Masry & Vitiote, we are looking for a self-motivated and dedicated candidate to
perform in the role of legal assistant. As a legal assistant, the candidate is expected to
provide administrative support to ensure smooth running of the organization under the
supervision of an attorney. The candidate will be responsible for a range of duties to

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assist lawyers. The candidate will be tasked with drafting documents, organizing and
maintaining files, conducting necessary legal research, communicating with clients,
witnesses and associates etc. The candidate will also help the lawyers in preparing for
meetings, hearings and trials. He/she will be accountable for handling and managing
database, documents and correspondence as well.
Job Specification
As a legal assistant, the employee should:
i) Provide administrative support to the assigned attorney
ii) Attend meetings, hearings and trials and provide required support
iii) Handle communication with associates, clients and witnesses
iv) Prepare drafts, case briefs and summarize interrogations, testimonies and
depositions
v) Find and develop case related information
vi) Conduct relevant investigations and research
vii) Gather and maintain evidences
viii) Help managing exhibits, trial transcripts and other legal documents
ix) Type and organize legal documents and correspondence
x) Organize and manage contact lists, meetings and appointments
Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and other Personal Requirements for the Job
Knowledge
1. Knowledge of legal terminology, concepts, and
procedures of trials and court filing process
2. Knowledge of legal terms, case laws and legislative
references to conduct basic research
3. Knowledge of federal and local laws, Civil
procedures and Administrative procedures
4. Knowledge of Harvard Blue Book and California
Style Manual for ensuring proper formatting and
citation of legal documents

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5. Knowledge of usage, methods and functions of
software and search engines relevant to legal
research and paper works
Skills
1. Research skills
2. Communication skill
3. Skill to organize sensitive documents and prioritizing
task
4. Skill to identify various information and use them in
relevant cases
5. Teamwork and professionalism
Abilities
1. Ability to understand and interpret legislations,
procedures, regulations and policies, as well as
explaining them
2. Ability to examine and analyze complex legal
documents to extract necessary and relevant data
for research and evidence construction
3. Ability to summarize reports, testimony, evidences
etc.
4. Ability to think critically and produce innovative
solutions
5. Ability to work independently or as a team player
under relevant circumstances
6. Ability to work under pressure and adapting changes
and diverse environment
Personal
Requirements
1. Must be at least 21 years old
2. High school diploma or GED certificate
3. Fluency in English language for speaking, reading
and writing
4. Meticulous and organized
5. Experience in general legal field is preferred

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Behavioural Interview
Interview Template
I. Tell us about your previous job and what did you learn from the exposure.
II. Do you consider yourself as a team player? Establish your claim.
III. How do you set goals? How do you strategize to meet them?
IV. Have you ever had to multi-task? How did you manage and organize the various
task involved in the process?
V. Have you ever worked under pressure? How did manage to prioritize your tasks
in that situation?
VI. Would you go above and beyond your call of duty? Do you think that is important
for a professional?
VII. Have you ever made any mistake at your profession? How did you respond to
that situation?
VIII. Have you ever had to convince your supervisors or colleagues to engage in a
project that they did not deem necessary or achievable? How did you get them
on board?
Importance of behavioral type interview
Interview questions can be of three major types, namely skill-based questions,
behavioral questions and situational questions. Behavioral questions brings out a
candidate’s aptitude and attitude towards a task. Based on their past experiences
relating to the job, the candidates try to form the answers of such questions (Alonso and
Moscoso 2017).
Compared to other styles of questions, behavioral type questions are more
effective in revealing a candidate’s attitude and personality. It helps to identify the soft
skills such as work ethics, trustworthiness, dedication, determination etc. Besides, the
knowledge of the candidate’s activities in the past helps assume his or her behavior in
the future. Most importantly, the intimate approach of behavioral type questions makes
the interviewee more comfortable and may convince him/her to open up to the

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panelists. This would provide the interviewers the advantage of assessing the candidate
more clearly and accurately (de Oliveira Dias and Aylmer 2019).
Performance Agreement
Job Role- Legal Assistance. Name of the Employee-
Evaluation Period- Date-
PERFORMANCE RATING-
Parameters -- Outstanding Excellence Very good Good Satisfactory
Poor
Ability in the job
Target Fulfilled
Behavior
Intellectuality
Communication
Case handled
Overall Grade
As the boss of the organization I was obviously seeking for the best result which
should be achieved by the unified work of the employees. As the legal assistance I will
seek for better communication with the people, better assistance for any case, effective
advisory ability, and organizational behavior. The legal assistance should enhance the
case handling capacity and intellectuality as well. The goals of the organization will be

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more expansion and more identity in the field of legal activity and assistance provider.
The more cases we win we will create more brand identity and will become renowned.
The performances should be more effective and there will be good team management
so that the brains and ideas of all employees can act together to seek the goal. The
constraints of the job are the rival groups who are also seeking for growth and
prosperity. The way the ideas and the plan should be intellectual so that it cannot be
defeated by the opponent parties. The target based areas will be where any illegal
activities are doing so that it can be revealed by our organization in front of the society
and in the court also to achieve the justice and as well as the concern and attention of
the people.
Performance Assessment Template
Job Role- Legal Assistance.
Name of the Employee- Erin Brockovich
Evaluation Period- Date-
PERFORMANCE RATING-
Parameters -- Outstanding Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory
Poor
Ability in the job- √
Target Fulfilled- √
Behavior- √
Intellectuality- √

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Communication- √
Case handled- √
Overall Grade- √
Five dimensions of the Job Characteristics Model of Hackman and Oldham
The model is emphasizing upon the features of the individual’s estimation and
responsibilities and as well as the willingness. The model has three segments these are
the meaningfulness of the job the second one is the responsibilities of the job and the
third one is the knowledge of outcomes (Taylor 2015). Here in the Erin’s job the
meaningfulness of the job is based on three features first one is the skill for the job and
here the skills which should be possessed by Erin were good communication skill,
intellectuality and the critical situation handling power. The task should be identified first
to act accurately as per the requirement of the job and the clear and proper job
description should be understood by the employee. The significance and the meaning of
the task also should be identified by the employee so that the efficiency can be given
and the motivation can rise. The second feature of the model emphasizing upon the
responsibilities of the job and the responsibilities of Erin were she had to make the job
without any kind of mistakes and fault. She was working without any kind of allowances
and benefits. She had lots of responsibilities regarding the job and any one fault made
by her could be the cause of her termination from the job. She had little skill and the
knowledge relevant to her job. The third point of the model was the knowledge
outcomes which defines the awareness of the employees and the effectiveness with
capabilities which can enhance the employee’s performances in the job. The knowledge
can be sourced with the involvement in the job. Erin was few knowledge and the skill
but she gained the knowledge and the ability to do the job through doing the job and
through understanding the obligations and the activities of the job. More involvement
gave her more knowledge and made her more skillful and taught how to make the job in
an efficient way. She made this with the help of observation and understanding which
the key source of knowledge (Taylor 2015).

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Locus of control
According to personality psychology, locus of control denotes the extent to which
an individual reckon to have control over situations and consequences arising in his or
her life. This concept was developed by Julian B. Rotter in 1954 (Malik, Butt and Choi
2015). This notion of self-control opposes to the external forces that influences the
incidents in one’s life. Locus usually means location. A person’s locus of control is
generally believed to be either internal or external factor, where the internal locus gives
a person the authority over the situation, a sense of control over his or her life. External
locus of control, on the other hand, denotes factors from the outside world which
impacts one’s life (Malik, Butt and Choi 2015).
For Erin, her primary locus of control was essentially external. She was
compelled to do whatever she did due to the sheer necessity of survival and affording a
good life for her kids. It seemed that she did not have any choice than making those
desperate moves. However, as the movie progresses, we can see that she is a strong
willed person, who can fight with every obstacle that comes her way. Thus, her locus of
control shifts to an internal locus. Erin faced many difficulties and prejudices to be
established. The sad life of the character was started in a very early phase of the movie
but the way she fought, won and defeated her misfortune with the power of willingness,
self-motivation and courage is noticed throughout the course of the film. If the question
asked about the locus of control of Erin then the willingness to do the job and the
hunger to be established in the society any how is the key source of her energy. When
she was defeating by her fate then she was not down her head instead of this she
arrogantly started fighting with her fate and get the job of legal assistance. At the very
first period of her job she was getting mistreatments and ignorance from her colleagues
but the hunger for establishment and to proof herself she selected the tough way and
that was the fight against one of the renowned company name was PG&E. This thing
was revealed and came into notice with proofs by the service and effort of Erin. Lastly
the lady become renowned and the case also won by her and her team in an
unexpected way.

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Work-Life Balance
To Erin, the meaning of work changed drastically over time. Initially, it was just
the means to earn a paycheck so that she could provide her children with the basic
necessities of life. However, she started to realize her worth and abilities as an
individual and an employee. Soon, she tried to earn respect from her colleagues and
build credibility. Eventually, she got entangled in uncovering the PG& E scam which she
felt as her moral calling. Thus, work for her meant responsibility and accountability.
However, in order to shine in her profession, Erin got too much caught up in her work
and eventually disrupted her work-life balance.
Erin got her job through revealing her confidence and smartness and she also
claimed that she can do whatever the manager wants to get the job. But more
involvement in the job made her busier. That is why she was giving very less time to her
family and current boyfriend. Then more complexity arose in her life and she gave her
full concentration to solve the case which was against the PG&E Company. She started
to uncover evidences against PG & E for their unethical processes which was polluting
the health of the human and as well as the society. The involvement of her made other
colleagues disturbed. They actually could not tolerate Erin because for her short and
slutty dresses and for her incompetency. But gradually the smartness revealed and the
intellectuality captured the notice of everyone. She started to chase the truth and
ultimately she arranged gathered some proofs to send the victims into the jail. Ultimately
the case was won by Erin and by her company. The conquering made her renowned
and well established but the work-life balance was hampered and the hunger for the
achievement keeps her away from her family and kids.
Erin should make her working life tranquil and flexible so that the family also can
get the chance to be with her. The kinds were day by day missing her presence and so
did George, who invested all his time and attention to take care of Erin’s children. She
should maintain her personal and work life in an intellectual way to reduce the stress.
She should maintain a fixed working hours for her job and remaining for her family. She
joined the job to provide her children with a healthy and happy life. Although, after

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joining the job she had little time to be with them. This caused great pain to her kids as
well as to George. And this adversity could hamper their wellbeing, which is the sole
opposite outcome of what Erin originally wanted (Deery and Jago 2015).
Work Engagement Theory
Work engagement indicates the organizational process to employ and utilize the
cumulative skill and knowledge of its workforce in order to achieve the goals. It also
allows growing the opportunity for human resource development and motivating every
employee, including the managers and executives to engage in their work roles
emotionally, cognitively and physically (Saddozai et al. 2017).
There are two existing schools of thought related to the work engagement theory.
First, Leiter and Maslach contend that work engagement theory involves a continuum
that exists including engagement and burnout as two diametrically opposite factors
(Maslach and Leiter 2016). On the other hand, there is the antithesis approach that
operationalizes engagement as a direct opposite of burnout and maintains that the
engagement in its own right can be defined as a fulfilling, positive work related state.
This state is identified as having the characteristics of absorption, dedication and vigor.
It also notes the resilience, mental strength and effort that one invests in his or her job
to ensure a sense of recognition, significance and pride (Anthony‐McMann et al. 2017).
Erin’s level of engagement as per the work engagement theory
According to the analysis, Erin’s approach towards her job necessarily adhered
to the second kind. Throughout the movie, Erin was shown as a strong willed, highly
motivated and dedicated employee who went beyond her call of duty to achieve her
goals. Initially, she tried to attract recognition and respect from her clients, colleagues
as well as her boss. However, she gradually shifted to work for a higher purpose, where
she worked day and night, ignoring her personal life, to ensure justice for the innocent
people in Hinkley. She also fought with all the obstacles that came in her way and never
quit. Thus, Erin is an example of resilience and dedication, where she never allowed to
give in to burnout, and continued to perform in her role with utmost dedication and care.

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Organizational Culture
Organizational culture denotes the values and attitude that constructs the unique
psychological and social environment of an organization. Organizational culture is a key
factor that determines the employees’ behavior, beliefs, and interaction within the
organization. It also indicates the conditions under which the employees create and
share knowledge, embrace change and development, as well as resist certain
alterations. The culture of an organization is usually influenced by the management
style, vision, mission and systems, language, location, norms, collective belief and
national culture. There are seven major phases of the development of organizational
culture. They are as following: Diagnosis of the problem, evidence collection and
assessment, feedback, strategizing, intervention, team building, monitoring and
evaluation. These steps indicate a cyclic process, where the last phase allows to start
over. Organizational culture of an entity can be recognized by 7 major characteristics
as described below:
1. Management support
2. Innovation and risk taking
3. Attention to detail
4. Outcome orientation
5. People orientation
6. Aggressiveness
7. Communication pattern (Osland, Devine and Turner 2015.)
Comparing the organizational culture of the two law firms
Following the seven major characteristics, the organizational culture of two
opposing law firms can be clearly portrayed. Undoubtedly, the firm brought in to help
Masry & Vitiote to press the case against PG & E was a bigger, more stable and
powerful organization. They were worth billions of dollars and involved a larger
workforce, they lacked the effectiveness in communication with the clients. First of all,
the employees of Masry & Vitiote had more management support. Ed supported all his
employees formally and informally. He even joined Erin in her quest to gather evidence

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against PG& E. Innovation and risk taking factors of te firm are also displayed by Ed’s
manner of engaging himself directly with the informal and unconventional methods of
Erin. They really were meticulous about jotting down evidences and had a firm eye on
the outcome. They were nonetheless aggressive in their approach to deal the PG& E
representatives as well as finding witnesses. Besides, they showed an empathetic
approach towards the people concerned. The other law firm, however, was simply
playing by the rules and the representatives were afraid to take risks. Neither did they
were aggressive, nor willing to fight. Thus, their approach towards achieving the goals
differed on a great level.
Employee relationship and development phases
Employees of an organization are the key asset to the entity. The shared
knowledge, skill and experience provide the basis of organizational expertise.
Therefore, it is important that the employees work collectively, as a unit, to achieve the
goals. The strategic objectives of an organization will not be attained if the relationship
among the employees are disrupted or not built in a proper way. However, this bonding
is not easily built; neither there is a universality of such relationship (Noe et al. 2017).
This difficulty is easily identified in Erin’s case. At first, none of her colleagues
really liked her. It is mainly because she forced into the organization, whereas other
competent candidates did not have that opportunity. Further, her demeanor, fashion
choices and sarcastic attitude gave rise to a strong disliking among the middle aged,
homely employees of the firm. Consequently, they denied to cooperate with her. Thus,
Erin had to struggle for achieving her goals in the organization. However, through her
hard work and dedication she earned their respect and built her credibility. Towards the
end, her colleagues recognized her skill and started cooperating. Finally, she was even
idolized by some of her younger colleagues.

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