Supporting Characters

Timon & Pumbaa

TIMON AND PUMBAA; SIMBA'S LOYAL, TRUSTING AND SUPPORTIVE COMPANIONS.

According to Greenleaf true leadership "emerges from those whose primary motivation is a deep desire to help others" (Changing Minds 2013). Pumbaa discovered Simba unconscious in the desert and decided to help him, Pumbaa knew Simba was a lion who could potentially kill and eat himself and Timon. However, despite this, Pumbaa's unshakable desire to help a young, weak and defensive lion shone through; thus highlighting a significant competent of a servant leader "putting the well-being of the followers before other goals"(Changing Minds, 2013). 

A key personal quality of a servant leader is that of healing one's self and others (Podsada 2010). Timon and Pumbaa not only rescued Simba, they provided him with what he unquestionably needed at that particular challenging point of his life; friendship. Timon and Pumbaa not only helped Simba to snap out of his state of depression, but also taught him not to dwell on his previous mistakes and self-blame. Servant leaders strive to help their followers who have "broken spirits and have suffered from a variety of emotional hurts...make whole again" (Podsada 2010). Both Timon and Pumbaa taught Simba their feel good philosophy of Hakuna Matata, meaning "no worries" (Lion King 1994); their carefree approach helped Simba put "his past behind" (Lion King 1994) and gradually mature into a carefree lion of intelligence and self-worth.

Timon and Pumbaa helped Simba grow into a healthier, wiser and more independent lion. According to Greenleaf (1977) these are essential characteristics of servant leaders who must seek to establish such qualities in their followers (Changing Minds 2013). Both Timon and Pumbaa taught Simba new survival skills and the joys of living a care free life; thus making him into a healthier (both emotionally and physically), wiser and independent lion with a new positive outlook on life. 

Developing a trusting relationship is a significant principle of a Servant Leader (Changing Minds 2013). Timon and Pumbaa trusted Simba not to eat them, but to be part of their group and to see themselves as equal pairs. Such trust is vital in this form of leadership style in order to achieve fundamental goals (which in this case is Simba's survival) and experience joy and fulfillment in meaningful partnership working (Simba learns new survival skills from Timon and Pumbaa and in return Simba offers protection); thus living a care-free life which is essentially Timon and Pumbaa's philosophy, Hakuna Matata. 

“The servant leader takes the time to listen to others, shares credit for successes, works to inspire the personal best in others, is open and translucent in their communication, and makes decisions for the better good instead of their own selfish motivations making sure everyone gets a fair stake in life” (Education Portal, 2013).

Timon and Pumbaa took their time to listen to Simba's disconcerting situation, shared credit with themselves for rescuing Simba, taught him not to trouble himself with things in the past, were direct and open when communicating this to Simba and made an emphatic yet wise decision in helping Simba, having come to an unspoken agreement which ensured everyone had a fair stake in a better life. 

 

Like Timon and Pumbaa, there are various other real life individuals who have adopted a Servant Leadership approach; none more well known than Mahatma Gandhi .

Followers

Upon discovering Simba was in fact the purpose King of ‘Pride Rock’ Timon and Pumbaa’s positions as leaders swiftly changed into that of followers. This transition was evident when Pumbaa grovelled at Simba’s feet as well as Timon’s eagerness to follow Simba as being King comes with ‘power’. According to Roddick (1991) followers are motivated when leaders “guide them to the source of their own power”. Learning Simba is a King, presented a basis for Timon and Pumbaa to obtain their own power; ultimately becoming followers of Simba.

Simba’s effective leadership qualities of enthusiasm, passion and a sense of direction, perhaps ensured Timon and Pumbaa were fully committed to Simba’s cause of reclaiming Pride Rock, so much so that they put their lives at risk by distracting the hyena’s thus allowing Simba to fulfill his purpose of becoming King. 

Nala

NALA; A MOTIVATOR, INFLUENTIAL, SOUL MATE TO SIMBA.

Although Nala did not actively take a leadership role, she did show some characteristics' of a Transformational Leader when persuading Simba to return to Pride Rock and reclaim his throne. According to Mullins (2007, p.383), Transformational Leaders motivate followers to do more than what is expected by "generating greater awareness of the importance of the task outcome". Nala attempted to persuade Simba of the importance in reclaiming Pride Rock as there is no food or water and everyone will potentially die. In order to motivate followers, a leader must give a sound reason or incentive to act (I-Change 2013). Generating such awareness was Nala's attempt to try and motivate Simba and reinforce the importance of the required "task outcome" as well as providing him with a  sound incentive to act; this being that he is the only individual who can reclaim Pride Rock from Scar's control. 

The Hyenas

THE HYENAS; CUNNING, MISCHIEVOUS, SUBSERVIENT FOLLOWERS OF SCAR

Shenzi, Banzai and Ed are a group of three hyenas; they are Scar’s followers and the main adversaries of the lions. They are the only named hyenas followed in the film. 

Initially the hyenas perceive Scar as having no more power than themselves as they refer to him as "you're one of us" (Lion King 1994). They only become interested when he offers them the reward of food in exchange for "certain duties"  (Lion King 1994) and because they are gullible  and powerless they are easily influenced by Scar when he says "stick with me and you'll never go hungry again" (Lion King 1994). Scar appeared to be the answer to all their problems and though he lacked charisma as a leader they viewed him as a hero that could ensure their survival. The hyenas are very motivated to follow Scar and there are many competing theories of motivation that could explain the hyenas' level of motivation, these usually fall under 2 categories; Content Theory and Process Theory. 

Content Theories:

Maslow's hierarchy of need is a content theory and states that there are 5 different levels of need that people are innately programmed to follow, but that what they want depends on what they already have and once they have satisfied a level of need, it is no longer a motivator and they move onto the next level (Management Study Guide 2013). The hyenas are motivated to follow Scar because they have no alternative, as their basic physiological and safety needs are not being met because  they are struggling to find food and have to live in the poor conditions of the elephant grave yard. Despite the hyenas' lower level needs not being met, they have attained friendship and belonging within their group, suggesting that the levels are not always met in the order of the hierarchy. Also that not everyone is motivated by the higher levels of self actualisation as the hyenas seem happy to strive only for the satisfaction of lower needs, when compared with the lions that were able to fulfil the higher needs under Mufassa's rule. This may be due to the long term deprivation of lower needs such as food and shelter, meaning that for the hyenas these remain the strongest motivators and the higher levels are not realised because the lower levels remain unmet (Mullins 2007).

Alderfer's ERG Theory modifies the hierarchy model and condenses Maslow's 5 levels of need down to 3 and these are; existence needs, relatedness, and growth needs. Alderfer suggests that the needs are more of a continuum than a hierarchy, in that more than one need may be activated at a time, i.e. the hyenas demonstrate strong existence needs because they are struggling to obtain food and adequate shelter, but they also possess relatedness needs as they stick together in a trio. Alderfer states there is a frustration-regression process whereby if higher growth needs are unobtainable, the lower existence and relatedness needs become the main focus, as in the case of the hyenas.

According to Herzterg's Two Factor theory of motivation, hygiene factors are basic needs that cause job dissatisfaction if they are absent and these are closely related to Maslow's lower level needs. The growth factors are related to job content and serve as motivation to achieve higher performance, the hygiene factors do not motivate workers to perform better, but they do prevent active dissatisfaction. Neither the hyenas' hygiene factors nor growth factors were being met and this is the reason they became increasingly dissatisfied. If the hyenas' basic needs for food and shelter were met they would have been motivated to continue working for him, but probably not to an exceptional standard. For this Scar would have had to fulfil growth needs such as providing a sense of responsibility and achievement, however it was the lack of basic needs that made his followers rebel and destroy him (Mindtools 2013).

Process theories:

Vroom's Expectancy Theory suggested that individuals choose work behaviors that they believe lead to outcomes they value. In deciding how much effort to put into a work behaviour, individuals are likely to consider perception of whether putting forth effort will lead to a given outcome, whether a certain level of performance will result in certain rewards, and valence; how attractive or unattractive the expected outcomes are. For an individual to be highly motivated, all three of the components of the expectancy model must be high. The hyenas' expectancy in all 3 areas was high because they believed Scar's promises, however as it emerged that there would be no food rewards for any level of effort, the hyenas became increasingly unmotivated.  

According to Path-Goal Theory (Mullins 2007), the hyenas' performance and motivation will be affected by Scar's leadership behaviour and the extent to which Scar satisfies their needs. This proves to be true at the end of the film when they rebel and destroy Scar because he has not delivered the rewards that he promised. The fact that he also betrays them by blaming them for his failure to rule the Pride Lands affectively demonstrates that they cannot trust him.

There is a hierarchy within the groups of hyenas with the female hyena Shenzi being the leader of the trio. Shenzi is the smartest and most confident of the three as she is the first to follow Scar's orders and then to attack him at the end when they overhear him blaming them. Shenzi's behaviour is that of a Participation Manager as she has no positional power but is the most intelligent and dominant of the group. All decisions are shared with Banzai and Ed, with a high level of teamwork and communication. The hyenas have a shared interest and their motivation for working as a team is survival with the goal of obtaining food. Banzai and Ed are dependent on Shenzi due to their lack of intelligence and

competence as they would probably be unable

 to obtain food without Shenzi's help. 

Zazu

ZAZU; MUFASA'S FAITHFUL STEWARD.

Zazu is a red-billed hornbill who acts as majordomo to Mufasa. He is very proud of his position of responsibility and conducts himself in a dignified manner. Zazu's role appears to be that of manager of the Pride Lands. Organisations need both effective management and leadershipship in order to function successfully (Kotter 1990a). When Zazu questions Scar about his absence from Simba's presentation and when he is charged with caring for the cubs, his authority and responsibility are clearly demonstrated which are advocated as key principles of management theory (Fayol cited in Mullins 2007). Zazu is able to ensure the maintenance of order and consistency in the Pride Lands by providing Mufasa with the morning report, imparting information necessary for the safety of the Pride and their territory. Kotter (1990b) highlights the importance of good management in order for the effective running of an organisation; if an organisation lacks good management, it may become chaotic and its existence may be threatened. 

Management can be expressed as "implementing the vision and direction provided by leaders, coordinating and staffing organization and handling day-to-day problems (House 1997 cited in Lunenberg 2011, p.2). Zazu's commitment to Mufasa's leadership is demonstrated during the song "I Just Can't Wait to be King" (Lion King 1994) when he challenges Simba about his immature perception of the roles and responsibilities of becoming king and questions the future prosperity of the Pride Lands under Simba's impending rule. 

Zazu's clear work focus of a manager is established as he is eager to serve his super-ordinates and accepts the responsibility of chaperoning Simba and Nala to the watering hole. Managers are accountable for their actions and those of their subordinates (Changing Minds 2013). Having saved the cubs from the hyenas, Mufasa's disappointment in Zazu is clear; he was entrusted to watch over the cubs and is held responsible for his failure to keep them safe.

Rafiki

RAFIKI; A WISE, NOBLE AND KNOWLEDGEABLE TEACHER.

Rafiki is a mandrill who lives in a Baoab tree in the Pride Lands and performs shamanistic services for the lions of Pride Rock. He is enigmatic, wise and has a deep understanding of the circle of life. He drops in unexpectedly to lend advice to Simba, teaching him a lesson about learning from his past and not running from it.  
 

Rafiki's approach can be linked to that of Charismatic Leadership; he is able to create a change in Simba's goals, values, beliefs and aspirations (Stephens cited in Mullins 2008, p.382). Simba is encouraged to consider organisational goals including the prosperity of the Pride Lands, over his own self-interest of avoiding responsibility and living a care-free life and finally decides to accept his responsibilities as rightful King and returns to Pride Rock (Mullins 2008). Rafiki embodies the qualities of charismatic leadership; he has a deep understanding of the status quo in the Pride Lands, is passionate about Simba's ability to improve the situation and is able to motivate him to do so successfully. His motivation style fits that of McGregor's Theory Y he understands the circle of life and is certain that Simba can gain the confidence and show commitment to accept and fulfill his role as King asserting self-control and self-direction in pursuit of prosperity.