tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-230197852008-05-10T09:29:20.090-05:00Raluca Nemtanuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104097777517577007noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23019785.post-1146451885512239172006-04-30T21:50:00.000-05:002006-04-30T21:51:25.530-05:00

The Apprenti, after eight episodes, bid goodbye. Going out in style, they lower the boom on Trump, The Apprentice, Allie, Andrea, Sean, each other, and pretty much anything else they can get their hands on. Sobering up for a few moments, the Apprenti talk about planning and keys to good teamwork as well as the need to do research on your task. Click here to listen to the last episode.

Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05688720609372487591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23019785.post-1144639927240095852006-04-09T22:27:00.000-05:002006-04-09T22:33:21.373-05:00

Listen to Riley and Raluca chat about episode six here. Topics this week: Leadership Styles—Sean vs. Bryce. Not exactly Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman, but certainly two very different project managers and leaders. How do they stack up? Character and Potential in Human Resource Decisions—Why does Trump fires based on project performance and not on character and potential? Don’t listen for an

Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05688720609372487591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23019785.post-1144037219696061582006-04-02T22:27:00.000-05:002006-04-02T23:10:54.586-05:00

Listen to Riley and Raluca’s commentary on episode five right here. Now that a little dead weight has been thrown overboard, the contestants get to draw up a commercial for a cruise liner. After watching Dan get tossed, the Apprenti had some questions and some answers. Optimization of Resources—When there are too many cooks in the kitchen, teams begin to break down. The Apprenti think this was

Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05688720609372487591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23019785.post-1143431275224558962006-03-26T22:32:00.000-05:002006-03-26T22:47:55.236-05:00

To listen to this podcast, click here. This week, the Apprenti take aim at... Synergy's Failure—An old model, a cluttered design, and a bad presentation Leadership—Tammy and Charmaine both received glowing reviews. Tammy did a great job of "Encouraging the heart" (Kouzes and Posner, Leadership Challange). Why did Charmaine win? Well, Contingency Theory (also called Best Fit Approach; Handy,

Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05688720609372487591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23019785.post-1143412160194783152006-03-26T17:28:00.000-05:002006-03-26T17:31:30.296-05:00

The Project Management Podcast did a nice piece on The Apprenti. Check it out at: http://pmpodcast.blogspot.com/2006/03/show-25-introduction-to-earned-value.html The piece on The Apprenti is at 34 minutes. The Project Management Podcast is a top-of-the-line podcast on all topics relating to project management for both beginners and experts. If you work on projects, are interested in becoming a

Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05688720609372487591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23019785.post-1143411864885306382006-03-26T17:20:00.000-05:002006-03-26T17:24:24.896-05:00

The other Apprentice podcast kids on the block gave The Apprenti a mention a couple weeks ago. Their piece on episode four, Nature Refined, gives us a holler: http://apprentice.tubecasts.com/blog/index.php/archives/22 Marjorie and Michael Carrino do a wonderful job at going through each episode of the Apprentice and taking it apart. They provide a different format and take as well as opinions

Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05688720609372487591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23019785.post-1142829160756006442006-03-19T23:29:00.000-05:002006-03-19T23:33:54.596-05:00

The Apprenti decide not to take a week off and instead analyze episode three: 1) Problem solving in project management - Raluca looks at what happens when problems arise in planning, controlling, and people "phases" of project management. 2) Conflict and Leadership Skills - Just as Sean did, Raluca marvels at Andrea's handling of the project manager position. She also dishes out the five

Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05688720609372487591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23019785.post-1142200550422126552006-03-12T16:53:00.000-05:002006-03-12T17:02:46.610-05:00

Take a listen to The Apprenti’s thoughts on The Apprentice’s second episode.1) Execute Early – Riley wants it both ways: good planning and solid execution. The teams got wrapped up in the finer points and failed to realize what this task needed: volume. 2) Types of Conflict – Raluca discusses two types of conflict: relationship conflict and task conflict. And, no, we can’t help you with your

Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05688720609372487591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23019785.post-1142200408078183302006-03-12T16:52:00.001-05:002006-03-12T22:35:19.843-05:00

Trump made a critical managerial and human resource error by firing half an argument. In firing Stacey, he made a statement that the conflict was at the heart of Synergy's failure, which was a valid decision. However, in not firing Brent, he encouraged his outlandish behavior. Fire both or fire none: Trump encouraged dissent and conflict for the purpose of driving up ratings. Bill Rancic claimed

Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05688720609372487591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23019785.post-1142200350275173892006-03-12T16:52:00.000-05:002006-03-12T17:03:00.386-05:00

One of the prime reasons for Synergy’s failure was that they grew complacent. Witnessing the divisions in the Gold Rush team, Synergy wrongfully assumed that they would be able to cakewalk through the next task. They lacked fire, passion, drive, and a good alarm clock.

Raluca Nemtanuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104097777517577007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23019785.post-1142200317330628462006-03-12T16:51:00.000-05:002006-03-12T17:03:14.133-05:00

No, seriously, what’s up with bringing four people into the boardroom? Gladiators in Roman times didn’t say, “Hey, I know you only wanted to put one lion in the arena, but if you put ten in there they’ll kill each other and I have a better chance of getting out alive.” Correct probability? Yes. Flawed logic? Absolutely. Project managers make the decision to bring those people in. For both

Raluca Nemtanuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104097777517577007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23019785.post-1142200272390246852006-03-12T16:50:00.000-05:002006-03-12T17:03:21.626-05:00

Lenny’s dissention from Lee’s leadership, while probably garnering Gold Rush’s first win, was a move by a poor team player. There was a way to openly discuss different possibilities and Lenny chose to circumvent Lee’s temporary authority as project manager in order to further his personal and professional agenda.This is really more a matter of a bunch of type A personalities being thrown together

Raluca Nemtanuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104097777517577007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23019785.post-1141533957588343342006-03-04T23:44:00.000-05:002006-03-09T16:58:20.356-05:00

Riley and Raluca look at group mentality and the basics of project management. 1-Diversity and attraction to similarities, 2-Project management basics, 3-Group conformity and ganging up against the weak, 4-Leader, manager, or team player, 5-Things to look for in Episode 2. Listen here.

Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05688720609372487591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23019785.post-1141529655488223792006-03-04T22:33:00.000-05:002006-03-04T22:34:15.490-05:00

Tune in Monday night at 9pm for Episode 2 of the Apprentice’s fifth season. What can you expect? Riley thinks that Andrea is a strong contestant, but may struggle early on in her first time as project manager. Andrea has been vocal about not owning a TV or watching the Apprentice’s earlier seasons and that will put her at a disadvantage as she will not be able to tap into the historical

Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05688720609372487591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23019785.post-1141529368524177162006-03-04T22:29:00.001-05:002006-03-08T22:14:08.676-05:00

Donald has some quirks and since one of the Apprenti has a background in organizational behavior, it’s just too easy. Trump levied one of his more politically insensitive remarks when he told Lenny, who grew up in the former Soviet Union, that his trip in the blimp as the equivalent of being sent to Siberia. Yes, Mr. Trump, let’s compare a trip in a hot air balloon with the systematic torture

Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05688720609372487591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23019785.post-1141529340579263482006-03-04T22:27:00.000-05:002006-03-08T22:14:33.860-05:00

Painful. Only one word can truly describe the abysmal lack of planning by the two teams. No effective brainstorming and no objectives lead to a sorry performance of 83 total subscriptions to Sam’s Club: a number they could have surely met with their own meager ad campaign. A high-level view of project management breaks down into five phases: Initiating: Recognizing that a project

Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05688720609372487591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23019785.post-1141529206791284112006-03-04T22:25:00.000-05:002006-03-06T11:33:29.720-05:00

Groups are an entity unto themselves: They like getting the job done and having consensus while doing it, although this does not always work out in their favor (Jean-Claude Abric, The Psychology of Communication, p.82). In The Apprentice, this might mean ganging up against the weak as a preservation method, a Darwinian natural selection. How is the weak defined? Well, basically, if you make one

Raluca Nemtanuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104097777517577007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23019785.post-1141528889949159482006-03-04T22:20:00.000-05:002006-03-08T22:15:13.376-05:00

A shortcoming of both groups was a striking failure to effectively brainstorm both team names and project plans. The rules of brainstorming are simple: 1) Accept all ideas, 2) Set a time limit, 3) Take notes, 4) Quantity over quality, 5) No ownership, and 6) Piggyback on other’s ideas. What did Tarek do when brainstorming a name for his team? Steamrolled them with his own idea. What happened when

Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05688720609372487591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23019785.post-1141528823093680152006-03-04T22:18:00.001-05:002006-03-04T22:20:23.096-05:00

Theodore Newcomb’s theory of social attraction says that both in the business world and outside of it, we have a tendency of seeking out group members either because they are like us or because they complement our personalities and skills. This attraction was obvious during team selection when we saw Tarek choose two men and Allie choose two women first—maybe a subconscious way of staying within

Raluca Nemtanuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104097777517577007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23019785.post-1141528719221747652006-03-04T22:18:00.000-05:002006-03-04T22:18:39.223-05:00

Is predicting failure a good strategy? Trump seems to think so. He gave Summer high compliments for predicting the failure of Gold Rush. But we say doom-saying is not enough. Coupled with corrective action, criticism can be positive, but this was clearly not part of Summer’s nay-saying game plan. Instead, it might have been just a strategy to look good precisely in case they lost.

Raluca Nemtanuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104097777517577007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23019785.post-1141528689411608462006-03-04T22:17:00.000-05:002006-03-08T22:15:51.980-05:00

Remember your first day on your job? Wandering around the floor looking for the copier? Filling out the paperwork for HR? Imagine having a 6 percent chance that you would be fired at the end of the day. Apprentice contestants have to be able to switch modes quickly so that they can function efficiently in their new position. Summer’s fatal mistake was that she maintained her restaurant owner

Raluca Nemtanuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104097777517577007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23019785.post-1141528588761526022006-03-04T22:15:00.000-05:002006-03-08T22:16:02.496-05:00

Thank you Tarek. We can now continue our discussion of the triple role an Apprentice contestant must play. Riley saw Tarek as a good leader, using his charisma to help his team bond and execute during the task; his failure was in his managerial skills, where he went forward with an ill-defined objective, and as a teammate, where he isolated Lenny, Summer, and Lee. Raluca disagreed with that

Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05688720609372487591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23019785.post-1141009795469846562006-02-26T22:08:00.000-05:002006-02-26T23:04:31.570-05:00

Eighteen candidates and, if Donald Trump continues his table-thumping dismissals, the fifth season of The Apprentice will be down to one in no time. On the eve of the show’s season premier, The Apprenti unsheathe the pen and sword to determine what viewers are in for over the next few months. The Contestants Casting directors have created a remarkably well-balanced show, though the data is still

Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05688720609372487591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23019785.post-1140990411000295352006-02-26T16:40:00.000-05:002006-02-27T10:30:57.803-05:00

Listen to The Apprenti's first podcast, breaking down the 18 candidates by gender, age, educational background, and diversity while also looking forward to the themes that will be particularly relevant to this season's show.

Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05688720609372487591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23019785.post-1140915001643455682006-02-25T19:12:00.000-05:002006-02-26T16:14:27.023-05:00

The Apprenti are taking an in-depth look at the issues surrounding NBC's The Apprentice - Fifth Season using the conceptual framework of organizational sciences and project management. After each episode we'll take a week to hit the books and come back with an analysis of the show's themes and trends. You can look forward to spritely commentary on leadership, group dynamics and communication,

Rileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05688720609372487591noreply@blogger.com