The Apprentice: a below the surface review

Originally written in 2011. I’m bringing this piece back because it closely links to today’s reflections on leadership clarity and to my deeper understanding of the themes in team dynamics that continue to shape my work.

I tweeted: … “The opening statements on The Apprentice show how the candidates think that a winning business personality = being hard.  Their perception is so cliche’ and actually wrong and that’s why it makes good TV”…

MY BLOG.

Edward’s entrepreneurial and normally very good ’emergent strategy’ failed because there was a lack of communication and an exploration narrative between him and his team throughout. Letting the team know that you’re on a suck it and see trajectory is good but the communication must be skilled and leader should be able to cope with multiple inputs and suggestions.  The skills of the team weren’t used. One was left to hide while the other tried to lay (kick back he said) and work as the juicer, this should have been kindly confronted using the phrase are you hidding? as Nick pointed out. Sir Alan’s leadership communication style does the trick at exposing the below the surface dynamics of team processes. I was impressed by him.

At first glance it looked like Edward had an inflated ego with his boasting about stepping up to the challenge and being the first project manager.

But there is a psychodynamic theory that explains how the power and complexity of group processes create a situation where it is the weakest person who actually gets pushed into a leadership position, an outcome of the collective unconscious processes of the group. We normally see this occur whenever the command “organise yourselves into a group and choose a team leader” happens.

Groups subconsciously push who they perceive is their weakest member out in the front to be scrutinised. In this apprentice episode the theory was affirmed especially when we heard Edward make an uncharacteristic plea about his difficulties leading his team saying “I’m the shortest, I’m the youngest”…

In fact deeper analysts however would not feel that statement was so startling because they would assert that such a proclamation is an expression straight from Edward’s subconscious (or speaking from the heart). In Edward’s case this cry-out told the world about the vulnerabilities he was actually feeling and perhaps his own latter realisation of the weaknesses that the other members of the group saw in him and the reason for his exposure to Sir Alan.

Towards the end of the episode the group seemed to show some guilt (rightly so) for Edward being the first fall guy for the group.

Finally the ‘deeper viewer’ could detect the survivors of the boardroom gloating (cruelly I thought) as they clinked their glasses and applauded whilst they made a toast to the departure of a colleague that they feigned fondness for.

It is important to keep an eye on the those that were hiding (juicer man and bread cutter) because I predict that these are the people who will end up being  fiercest contenders for the prize. Whether they win is another thing.  But the under the surface logic would suggest they certainly think they might win which is why they and the others pushed Edward to the front and out first.

To read more about below the surface of organisational life see http://www.tavistockandportman.ac.uk/workingbelowthesurface

How to treat 

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