Question

The Apprentice is a reality show hosted by real estate magnate, businessman and television personality and politician Donald Trump. In the 6th installment of the reality game show, 16 celebrities competed in an elimination-style competition to become an apprentice to Donald Trump. In each episode, a leader is chosen who has to not only motivate his/her team to do well, but has to show excellent leadership and team management skills. Donald Trump became known for his fateful catch phrase "You’re fired!"

In one episode, a team comprising Gary Busey, Penn Jillette and Lisa Rinna, who had worked together for 5 consecutive episodes, were tasked with creating a 90-second instructional video for Korean Tech giants LG. The video was intended to demonstrate LG’s new line of interactive, mobile-device-controlled appliances. The team would be judged on their creativity, integration of product knowledge and overall presentation. If the team was successful, a contribution of US $40,000 would be made to a named charity. Gary was chosen as the project leader. Penn was excited because he considers himself a technology guru and he had many creative and production ideas of how they could showcase LG’s product. Lisa also felt that her creativity and presentation skills would surely contribute to the team’s success.

It quickly became apparent that Gary was out of his league when it came to technology, but he insisted on controlling every aspect of the presentation and did not consider Penn and Lisa’s input or suggestions in the video creation. Penn and Lisa made attempts to brainstorm ideas, but Gary constantly refused to listen to their suggestions on their plan for the marketing video. Gary was determined to create a presentation about parents visiting their daughter’s apartment and being awed by the futuristic appliances. Gary then added at the end "What will they think of next, a mechanical dog?" Penn and Lisa quickly realized that their ideas would not be included in the final product.

Despite sensing that his team was not on board with his mechanical dog idea, Gary brings his team mates through a description of the advertisement and declares "this is the final product". Penn and Lisa both agreed to this even though they knew for certain it had nothing at all to do with the directives from LG.

In the boardroom, Gary’s team lost as the judges felt the mechanical dog idea was ridiculous and did not reflect what LG wanted to accomplish with the advertisement. Penn and Lisa reported that Gary excluded them from participating in the decision making process and he made all the decisions without their input. Gary denied the insinuation and explained that he did not have the ‘feeling’ of group support from Penn and Lisa. Both insisted that they did everything that was asked of them and that Gary took what was meant as helpful advice as a lack of support. All conceded that there was a disconnection among the group and also a lack of consensus or cohesiveness.

Trump asked Gary to explain why, as project leader he did not listen or tried to involve and motivate his group. Gary explained that he tried to get his group motivated and involved by asking for support and input. Both his team members felt that Gary only wanted them to support him whether they thought his idea was good or not. Trump pointed out that Gary was the project manager and leader of the group and LG did not like their product and that since the idea was his, "Gary, you’re fired!"

(a) Explain the difference between the concepts of leadership and management. Which of these concepts do you think Gary exhibited? Justify your answer.

(b) With the use of any TWO motivational theories studied, explain how Gary could have motivated his team.

(c) Explain which stage of the group development process you think the team was at and why is it important to have team consensus and cohesiveness?

What could Penn and Lisa have done differently to ensure a better outcome?
.

Distinguish between personality and perception in the context of OB.
b) Assess the importance of EITHER personality OR perception to people management practices.

To what extent do people’s personalities affect how they are perceived?
Explain the meaning of the term ‘organizational culture’ and identify the relationship to the national culture.
Analyze how Hofstede’s framework for assessing cultures identifies the systematic differences in national cultures.

Explain where Jamaica ranks on each of the five dimensions of national culture described by Hofstede.

Answer 1

Gary displayed management by controlling, but not leadership due to a lack of motivation. Team consensus is vital for success, and the team was in the 'Storming' phase. Organizational culture relates to national culture, affecting how companies operate.

Step-by-step explanation:

The concepts of leadership and management are distinct. Leadership involves inspiring and guiding others towards a common goal, whereas management focuses on planning, organizing, controlling, and directing resources to achieve objectives. In the scenario described, Gary demonstrated management by controlling the presentation's aspects but failed to exhibit leadership by not motivating his team or valuing their contributions.

Regarding motivation, two theories come into play: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory. Gary could have motivated Penn and Lisa by recognizing their contributions (Esteem needs in Maslow's theory) and by ensuring the work was challenging and creative (Herzberg's motivator factor).

The team appeared to be at the 'Storming' stage of group development, where tensions and conflicts arise. Team consensus and cohesiveness are important because they foster a collaborative environment conducive to success. Penn and Lisa could have been more assertive or sought mediation to ensure their ideas were heard.

Personality reflects consistent behavior patterns and intrapersonal processes, while perception is how one interprets and makes sense of their environment. In organizational behavior (OB), personality affects how individuals are managed, as it influences job performance and interactions. Perception impacts people management by shaping how individuals interpret actions and intentions.

Organizational culture refers to the shared values, beliefs, and norms that influence how people behave within an organization. It's related to national culture, as organizational culture can reflect broader societal values. Hofstede's framework identifies cultural dimensions that characterize national cultures' systematic differences.

Jamaica, according to Hofstede's dimensions, typically ranks high in Power Distance, indicating acceptance of hierarchical order, and high in Uncertainty Avoidance. It ranks lower in Individualism, reflecting a more collectivist society. It traditionally scores higher in Masculinity, valuing competition and achievement, and it has a moderate Long-Term Orientation and Indulgence.