MANAGING

The Beautiful Game

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........ 3 BOOT ROOM V/S BOARD ROOM ................................ ................................ ................................ .......... 3 CONCLUSION ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............. 5 APPENDIX 1 A: RATIONALITY AND DECISION MAKING ............ Error! Bookmark not defined. APPENDIX 1 B: INNOVATION MANAGEMENT ................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. APPENDIX 1 C: COLLABORATION ................................ ...................... Error! Bookmark not defined. APPENDIX 1 D: NOTES ON SLIDES ................................ ...................... Error! Bookmark not defined. APPENDIX 2: BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................ ................................ . Error! Bookmark not defined. APPENDIX 3: STATEMENT OF ACADEMIC HONESTY ..................... Error! Bookmark not defined. APPENDIX 4: PEER ASSESSMENT ................................ .......................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

- THE BEAUTIFUL GAME -

INTRODUCTION
We, as optimists, believe that the global economy is on the cusp of a great transition. We aim to play a significant role in the metamorphosis of this sluggish economy into a financial juggernaut. Armed with management theories, we will pave the path to a brave new world. However, these illusions of grandeur are also responsible for bringing the global economy down to its knees in the first place. Reflection on the events that triggered this downfall tells us that the very management theories that helped fuel the economy brought about its collapse too. As MBA students, it is thus essential to learn how to wield this twin edged sword called Managing. Though some of us are studying these theories for the first time, all of us have applied them in the past in one way or the other. We learnt to float when we were thrown into management. We used Fayols principals even though we did not know of him. This realization sparked a debate about the usefulness of studying theories and their practicality as some of us believed that each manager has his or her own management style and a theory that is developed by personal experiences. The jazz metaphor expanded our understanding of complex adaptive systems, and we started looking for analogies in our day to day life where management theories reconcile with practical application. Our passion about football led us to explore an intriguing analogy as managing a football team and striving to bring the best out of a group of highly competitive and individualistic players for the greater good of the team is akin to the proposition faced by todays managers and CEOs. By investigating how theories meet practice on a football field, we aim to establish a parallel between a stadiums boot room and a corporate boardroom.

BOOT ROOM V/S BOARD ROOM

Todays football manager walks a tight rope. The astronomical amount of capital pumped into football these days has made the job of a football manager a nightmare. The results matter, but so does the style of play. He is answerable not just to his employers but also to millions of fanatic fans. The fans are an integral part of the stakeholders in a football club. These stakeholders expect the football manager to deliver a set of objectives. There is no established recipe to make a great football manager, but the ingredients can be found in various management theories. Attention to detail is a key aspect of this job. Forecasting and planning for next weeks match requires detailed Intel about the opponents. Previous performances are studied and reflected upon; formations are tweaked and customized to counter the rivals strengths; training sessions are organized to work on weaknesses; a game plan is devised and communicated to all and finally the manager co ordinates with behind the scene actors like the coaching staff, sport and health science professionals etc. This preparation results in a competitive performance, though victory cannot be guaranteed. Irrespective of victory or defeat, the football manager will study the performance to identify potential strengths or weaknesses for the future. This is strikingly similar to Henri Fayols five principles of management. These principles help us, as managers, to continually adapt and improve in an ever changing environment.

The ever changing environment is the bane of all managers as it makes the task of forecasting and predicting almost herculean. During a football match, the environment is continuously changing. Just like a game of chess, the opposition manager can alter the game play by one move. Also, unforeseen events like injuries, suspensions, weather etc can lay waste all the strategies and plans made before the match. Managing these situations differentiate a good manager from an average one. In the corporate world, we can make numerous projections and strategies, but if we are inept at swiftly responding to unforeseen stimuli, then all our preparation will come to no good. It is said that a crisis brings the best out of natural leaders. Half time at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium-Istanbul, May 25 2005, was a definite crisis for Rafael Benitez, manager of Liverpool Football Club. Liverpool was losing 3-0 to AC Milan in the Champions League Final. It was during the half time break that Rafael Benitez earned his spurs. His inspiration and bold strategic changes helped Liverpool to rise like a phoenix and eventually win the match. An analysis of his performance made us realize that his behaviour where he acted like a figurehead, leader, disseminator and resource allocator matched a lot with Mintzbergs behavioural roles of management. Mintzbergs behavioural description makes an interesting read and explains the importance of obtaining the right information and processing it in a way that aids decision making. One aspect of Mintzbergs roles that struck us as extremely important is the role of a manager in allocating resources. These resources can be financial as well as personnel. Like a football manager who chooses the right mix of players depending on the tactics of the opposition rather than just pick his eleven best players, a corporate manager has to keep the organizational goals in mind while selecting a project team. A good way of allocating and utilizing limited resources is by being innovative and trying out new permutations and combinations. A certain amount of risk is imperative as fortune favours the brave. Various management theories stress on leadership types and motivation skills. The theory that caught our eye was Douglas McGregors XY theory. Theory X, which results in diseconomies of scale, is very common. In fact, out of a group of six, four of us belonged to organizations where theory X was rampant. Interviews with the four team members proved that their productivity suffered and the authoritarian set-up stifled creativity. Theory X was the reason why Rafael Benitez was asked to quit as manager of Liverpool Football Club, as he was deemed as extremely authoritative. There was discontent among players and he finally lost the dressing room. This paved the path for club legend, Kenneth Dalglish to return to the helm. Dalglish is known as a peoples manager and his style of management is described as participative and innovative. Creativity is now encouraged and overall morale is on an all time high. This is McGregors theory Y. Although Dalglish has unshackled the players, he has made a stringent code of conduct and is running a tight ship. This tells us that neither theory X nor theory Y should ideally be used in isolation and to become a successful manager, we need to find a right balance of theories. The above observations made it clear to us that management theories definitely have a place in todays hybrid business environment. The strategies employed in the boot-room can be directly used as a metaphor for theories used in the board -room. Theories have to be viewed as a means to an end. Some managers tend to get boxed in their thinking while following theories down to the tittle. They view theories as frameworks within which they prefer to function. We believe that management theories should be used as a foundation rather than a framework. A strong theoretical foundation can help managers spread their wings and fly.

CONCLUSION
Even after coming to a consensus about the importance of theories, we were still not sure about their practical implementation. Some believe that theories turn management and business into a science. This scientific approach to business tries to identify patterns and motives and reduces the stress on human innovation and creativity. Even though we appreciate the scientific approach, we believe management to be an art -an art which can be honed and developed over time with trial and error. Another bone of contention is the application to theories to different management roles. Running a Not for profit organization is quite different to running a profit seeking highly competitive firm. So is there a universal theory that fits all? We realized that the answer to this question is an emphatic no. Theories are not a recipe for success. Various theories can just provide ingredients which a manager can use to conjure a success. He or she may not get it right for the first few times. But continuous critical reflection and learning from errors will definitely help. In the end, we all agree that good theories dont make good managers; rather good managers make good theories.