Ruben Amorim, the new manager of Man Utd, said that “the soap opera will soon come to an end”.
(A series for each of the five permanent managers; let’s not dwell on the four mini-series for each of the caretaker managers.) There is a series for each permanent manager; we won’t dwell on the mini-series of each caretaker manager.
Many columns have focused on what went wrong in the club during that time. The decline of Man Utd coincides with the dominance and rise of Man City, and the resurgence and resurgence of Liverpool & Arsenal.
I won’t add to the debate but will instead outline how Man Utd could get back to being a world-class football club. By success, I don’t just mean being worth a lot money.
Case study on investing in organizational culture
This is a case study that will demonstrate the importance of culture in an organisation. I will also argue for a cultural re-set at this club. Although your club may not be as large as a premier league team, the principles are the same.
First, a quick history lesson
If you are unfamiliar with the recent history of Man Utd, it is a club which has had a phenomenally successful past but has underperformed and is drifting ever since 2013.
Before this, Sir Alex Ferguson was the manager from 1986 to 2013 and he helped the club become a global powerhouse.
Two key issues are important to note at this stage.
Ferguson was a strong leader, the undisputed head of the club. Ferguson had a set of clear principles and was brutal in his management. It was either his way or no way. It was a culture that was very distinctive and it accounted for the success of the company.
It took him four years to win his first trophy. Owners of the club at that time had patience and understood that foundations needed to be laid. Compare that to the impatience of new managers today, who are expected to be successful within two years after joining.
Why has the post-Fergie management failed?
Since Ferguson retired, the club has tried all types of managers but none has lasted. This could be due to several factors:
- The purpose of the club has been misaligned. Maybe there was an assumption that success on the pitch would follow if the focus on financial growth was emphasized.
- The organisational cultures has not been reset. For many clubs, culture is the foundation of success on the field. Man Utd appears to be stuck in an identity crisis post-Fergie
- The manager is over-reliant on his or her ability to succeed. It is understandable, given Ferguson’s legacy, but it is naive today. Each new manager is given a difficult task from the start and confidence begins to diminish as soon as results begin to dip.
The pattern is so bad, that it’s jokingly called a “career killer” for players and managers. There are numerous examples.
How to create a winning environment
How can the club change the culture and turn things around?
Run a culture assessment
Take it as you would any other organization and find out what is really happening. What is unique about the club and needs to be preserved? And what should change? What are the values of the club today? What are the values of the club? Not those on the website, but the ones that actually show up in the way the people work and behave. What is the impact on performance, both on and off-the-field?
What are the unwritten laws that govern how things work? Consider the unwritten rules, beliefs and assumptions that keep the culture in place if they are not explored and surfaced.
Listen to stakeholders, staff members, players, owners and fans. Mix up your tactics by using anonymous surveys, focus group discussions and one-on-one interviews to get a good mix of qualitative and quantitative insights.
Replay this to anyone who is involved. This is an act that shows courage and acceptance. It sends the message that there is a major reset taking place.
Design the desired culture
Use the insights from the assessment to create a set of simple and meaningful values and behaviors that describe the culture required. Engage your staff to make them feel ownership and connected.
What core values should be maintained as the DNA of the club? What aspirational values are needed to move the club forwards?
Clarify the mental shifts required and the levers you can use to achieve the change.
Examine how the decision-making process needs to be changed to support and enable a target culture.
Show how culture will support the business model and the strategy. It is important to get everyone involved, embed change and track and report the impact.
Embed the desired culture
Leaders will need to demonstrate their values and adopt new methods of decision-making, as well as new ways of working.
It is important to have a shared understanding of why the change was made, the new plan and the contribution from everyone. Everyone needs it, just as much as the team.
The culture assessment can identify those who are blocking change, and also, more importantly, who has to be brought on board (or let go).
Will the club engage in this type of culture development?
They should be familiar with the terrain, as they have a good reputation for creating high-performance cultures and teams.
It’s hard to do it yourself. We can easily be influenced by institutionalized thinking, behavior, and assumptions. This is doubly challenging when you have a heavy legacy. This is not an ‘unknown’ situation. We all need to have our blind spots pointed out from time to time by a third party.
Let’s wait and see if this cycle can be broken by the next manager. I wish him good luck.
You want to do a culture assessment in your organisation? Pecan Partnership will help you understand your culture, its causes and impact on the delivery of strategy. Learn more.
