Organizational Behaviour on TV: Homeland (TV Show)

In this assignment, we are asked to analyze organization behaviour on TV shows. We

choose to discuss Homeland. The primary industry in Homeland is Public Administration,

specifically National Security (an obvious link as the show is called “Homeland”). The secondary

industries focused on in the show are communication and private investigation, as Carrie utilized

communications technology to spy on Brody without approval. Homeland is a serious portrayal

of organizational behavior within National Security. The show demonstrates how stressful work

life can be for National Security employees; for example, Carrie is hiding a serious mental health

issue, which requires her to self-medicate. In addition, while it would appear that treating all

employees similarly would be “fair”, the employees of the NSA are actually treated quite

unfairly as the highly structured nature of National Security forces them to fit into boxes and

pre-set expectations. Employees lack the opportunity to provide input outside of the defined

command routes, and do not have any personal choice in any matter.

Homeland portrays organizational behavior of the National Security Association as being

driven by highly utilitarian values. National Security is an organization with a mission to keep

America safe by eliminating any threats that the country may face; as a result, the actors within

the NSA are driven by strong moral and ethical beliefs. There is a tendency for their work to be

portrayed as superior to other industries, and a sense of self-importance surrounds the

characters. These beliefs also show in their unwillingness to believe that Brody could be a

traitor; they are bound by high levels of loyalty and are unwilling to stray from the notion that

all of them are striving towards something great.

Homeland has a mix of realistic and unrealistic organizational behavior. One realistic

trait is how structured National Security is. The process in which situations and employees are

treated is very strict and unfair. Another realistic trait in the show is the portrayal of family

dynamics – the doubt and confusion shown by Brody’s wife and children is an extremely

accurate portrayal of family dynamics (which one may think of as a microcosm of an

organization). However, one unrealistic trait is Carrie’s behavior. Her carrying out an

investigation on Nicholas Broody without her managers’ approval is unrealistic. What Carrie is

doing is illegal and could result in jail time – few agents would risk such a punishment, even if

they strongly believed in their cause. In addition, Carrie was previously diagnosed with a mood

disorder that is still hidden from the agency. As agents go through vigorous medical testing each

year, it is highly unrealistic for the agency to not know about Carrie’s mood disorder.

Overall, Homeland demonstrates the behavior of National Security personnel to a high

degree of accuracy. While some aspects of Carrie’s individual behavior comes off as less than

plausible, the overall network of relationships within the organization, as well as the

relationships within the family unit, appear believable and accurate.

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