Dropping the ball
Three lessons we can learn from failing sporting bodiesSporting success is often held up as something business in general, and HR in particular, can learn from. Whether it’s the motivational skills of a Pep Guardiola, the marginal gains philosophy of Sir Dave Brailsford or the strategic analysis of Sir Clive Woodward, sport is seen as a model for business.
As HR managers we’re enthusiastically told to be more like top coaches, with a deluge of emails inviting us to hear their secrets at high profile, high price events.
One area of sport that these emails are noticeably quieter about is governance. The recent focus on match fixing in tennis – and claims that suspicions were not followed up by the governing body’s compliance unit – is just the latest in a long line of high profile cases of alleged mismanagement within sport’s governing bodies.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) is struggling to rebuild its reputation after staff were shown to have taken bribes to cover up failed drugs tests. And that’s before we even start on the issues at FIFA.
Learn from sporting mistakes
I’d argue that we’ve got as much to learn from these sporting failures as from the successes.
After all, many of us work in large organisations where a ‘set’ culture has developed and is followed, often unthinkingly by employees, just because that’s what’s always been done.
I’m not accusing businesses of turning a blind eye to doping or conspiring to fix voting for the next host of the World Cup (allegedly), but there are definitely lessons we can learn.
From FIFA to the IAAF, all these cases share one theme – a culture grew up internally that seemed to ignore how success was achieved, and rewarded those that behaved unethically. This in turn reinforced corruption and an inward-looking, defensive culture. I’m sure we’ve all heard the excuse of “Everyone else was doing it, so I just followed them” within organisations we’ve worked in.
So how do you change culture and get everyone on board? Here are my thoughts on the matter. Hopefully it will help Lord Coe at the IAAF and Gianni Infantino at FIFA, as well as HR leaders closer to home.
Before you start, you have to recognise that changing culture is really, really difficult. The old Peter Drucker quote, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast, lunch and dinner” keeps getting repeated because it’s fundamentally true.
It is ingrained in the organisation and unique to it. No wonder one of the most common reasons people leave a job is that they didn’t fit in with the culture.
Map your position
The first step to changing culture is to understand where you are now. Involve employees (those that aren’t either suspended or under police investigation) and collect their insight. What do they think is acceptable behaviour and why? Does this vary between different departments? You can use these responses to map the sort of organisation you are culturally now, against where you want to be. Where are the gaps between reality now and your public, strategic goals?
Lead from the front
Another common thread running through scandal-hit sporting bodies is the impact that leaders have on everyone’s behaviour, performance and the overall culture. You can see that in the standing ovation Blatter received when he returned to FIFA HQ, after being charged with corruption. Putting in place clear objectives, communicating them and sharing best practice has to come from the top – along with a tough approach to those that won’t change.
Let people talk
The mis-selling scandals that have bedevilled banks were exacerbated by a culture that didn’t give staff a voice. People didn’t know how to raise their concerns or discuss issues in a constructive way, and were worried that they’d be seen as disloyal, meaning it was simpler to say nothing. The key to changing this is to encourage honest dialogue, and to demonstrate that no one gets in trouble for giving their opinion. Financial services companies are moving down this road now. It isn’t easy – I’ve heard of meetings where silence has reigned for 15 minutes until someone plucked up the courage to provide their independent thoughts.
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