Entry #3 Organizational Structure on & off the field

During these past couple weeks of class I have been interested in the organizational structure of sports teams and how they can differ on and off the field. The structure can be different from one team to the next as well as one sport to the next. As someone who has been a player in a Division I softball program and currently a Graduate Assistant I definitely understand this importance in order to be a successful team. As I am approaching graduation and applying for jobs I have thought about these different organizational structures because I ultimately would like to coach or take on a role as the director of operations on the administrative side of athletics. To better understand my perspective of these structures I am using my own experiences and staff structure.

First, I would like to start by explaining the organization structure of a softball team on the field. I would consider this structure more of a team based design. Everyone's position or role is departmentalized working towards the same common goal (to WIN). I broke the departments into coaching staff, pitchers & catchers, infielders, outfielders, hitters, and reserve players. It takes everyone to win a game which is why it would also be appropriate to view it as an All-Channel Network. The communication amongst all departments is crucial in almost all sports. At times this could be inefficient in the dugout, but on the field it is extremely important. Like Pete Rose stated in the reading "baseball is a team game, but 9 men who meet their individual goals make a nice team." It takes everyone including the reserve players and coaching staff to win a ball game. The position players are loosely connected and spread out on the field, but synchronization must occur amongst them all. This synchronization is probably most important between the pitcher and catcher from my own experiences as a pitcher. We had to be on the same page or else we could easily be caught off guard or chaos would occur. The coaching staff is there mostly to help make decisions, but have to be careful not to disrupt the team's performance. It's also important to structure a team with like characteristics that can mesh together to allow for success. In the attached drawing I showed the organizational structure as a team based design (Figure 1) and as a All-Channel Network (Figure 2).

Now, from a coaching staff position off the field the organizational structure is totally different. In the office of a coach, the structure I have experienced is a bureaucracy. I don't necessarily agree with this style, but I live and learn from it each day. The head coach is directly above the Associate head coach followed by the assistant coach. This is where the structure starts to get a little tricky from my own personal experiences. I would like to think the net level in the chain of command is the Graduate Assistants, Media Relations, Athletic Training, and Director of Operations, but in my situation I have to report the the head coach as well as the assistants. Under the Graduate Assistants come the student assistants and the student manager. I don't believe the student assistant and manager should be on the same level because as a student assistant you have more experience and are more knowledgeable to coach. Also, the head coach is directly in charge of the student assistant coach and the Graduate Assistants manage them. In addition, I think for a coaching staff to operate in a positive way they must work as a team more so than a bureaucracy. The internal process approach is a great way to explain this "staff relationship." There must be an absence of internal strain, where members are highly integrated and function smoothly. Trust, benevolence, and communication are of the most important in this type of role. I have laid out the organizational structure (Figure 3) of the coaching staff off the field.

To conclude my thoughts on this topic, I think my own experiences have definitely helped shape my opinions and beliefs about how a softball team should be structure on and off the field. I would love to work for a staff that communicates and has a team structure, yet still has a head coach that can oversee and delegate responsibilities with trust and great communication. Everyone has input, some more than others, but the trust is what keeps a successful team on track.

Entry #2: The "ideal" Management Style

Based on discussion in last week’s class I thought it would be appropriate to talk about the history of management in order to determine an “ideal” management style in my opinion.  I understand there are definitely different types of managers based on the organizations visions and goals, but based on my analysis I created a style for someone who would be involved in a recreation organization. The following analysis will take you through six “styles,” or time eras, and conclude with my version of the “ideal” manager.

Frederick Taylor & Taylorism

I like theory behind this style based on efficiency because I’m a person that likes to divide up work and responsibility equally as long as workers are trained well and trustworthy. This relationship between coworkers creates a great work atmosphere because everyone is working toward the same goal as a team rather than individuals. Even though this style is focused on the “1 best thing,” I think there could be some changes made to better the management style.

Henri Fayol’s functions/Principles of Management

I like the fact that this theory is based on personal experiences and its ability to define roles and functions of an organization. The five functions its places an emphasis on (plan, organize, command, coordinate, control) are a perfect combination of responsibilities a manager should utilize. However, the way in which these principles are enforced is the key to being a great manager. The fourteen principles of management also explain many disciplines that managers should possess, but there are a few that don’t make a lot of sense to me. Number six, subordination of individual interest does not take into consideration the personal interest of the employees. I believe it is crucial to show interest in your employees as a manager in order to keep them happy and retain them long-term. Number nine, scalar chain, is not realistic in today’s society because promotions and further education have increased immensely. The ability to move up in the chain of command can be as easy or hard depending on the organization.  The principles I do like include the idea of forcing employees to take initiative, being kind to employees, creating harmony within the organization, and treating coworkers fairly.

Elton Mayo & Hawthorne Studies

This management style was all based on the behavioral era and recognizing each individuals wants and needs in order to help them become more productive. Humans were no longer viewed as just a skill set; they had a need for job satisfaction. I think it is important to understand that this personal attention from managers especially, created a trustworthy environment and ultimately happier employees. The development of Human Resources was also a huge push during this time era which is important to any manager.

McGregor & Theory X/Theory Y

The main point I took from this theory was the fact that managers shouldn’t judge employees or allow opinions to determine how you treat them. The perceptions a manager has about his/her employees should remain invisible to employers. This theory clearly outlines the way mangers treat Y and X employees. The X employers are viewed in a negative manor compared to the Y employers. This causes the manager to act more like a supervisor rather than a supportive and empowering boss.

Herzberg’s Motivation – Hygiene Theory

This theory is my least favorite of the management styles discussed in class. The theory is based on satisfiers vs. motivators and recognizing personal strengths. By better understanding the strengths of employees the manager should be able to make employees happy but that is not always the case. This is an all or nothing mentality that can cause people to become unhappy. I believe that money isn’t everything and the need to recognize motivational elements that draw out the best in our employees is of the most importance. The motivation to make more money and receive better benefits will constantly affect the mindset of employees in this day and age.

W. Edwards Deming & Total Quality Management

This is the most current theory we discussed and the most meaningful to me. I think in today’s society managers must focus on customer satisfaction. In order to have long-term success in organizations they must keep the customers happy by listening to their wants/needs. The fourteen points of Total Quality Management also seem like the perfect way to manage successfully if a majority of them can be achieved. However, there is a lot of overlap among the points which can make it difficult to achieve all of them. The eight key best practices also seem logical when it comes to employee satisfaction. For example:  giving employees the freedom to take risks so they can learn from it, creating a culture of trust, collaboration amongst staff, and recognizing employee’s visions/values.

My vision of the “ideal” manager:

I believe an “ideal” manager will attempt to implement a mixture of past and presents theories based on personal experience, research, and collaboration amongst co-workers. The manager must be driven by consumer’s satisfaction in order to produce positive long-term results. This will help to increase loyal customers and employees at the same time.  Employees are ultimately a manger’s potential customers who are spreading word of mouth to the public. This is why it is also important to create a harmonious and autonomous environment. An autonomous allows for the employees to have freedom to take risks and make decisions which is very empowering. In addition, building trust amongst co-workers will allow for the manager to better motivate them and listen to their personal interest. As we know, money isn’t everything and is only one motivator manager’s are necessarily in control of. This puts importance on creating an efficient and effective culture in the workplace. In order to be efficient the manager must divide responsibility and build buy in to the company’s vision/values. In conclusion of the “ideal” manager I want to leave you with this quote: “Before people care what you know, they need to know you care.” Mangers should really take this into consideration and adopt a balance of past and present studies to establish a successful long-term workforce.