The World Cup came to an end last week after a tumultuous month of loud fanfare and fine football. The huge number of international spectators would, undoubtedly, return with fleeting memories of African sights and, more particularly, sounds (of vuvuzelas). A more enduring takeaway would be a few management lessons for discerning corporate managers.
In fact, one can cull out many different lessons from the way South Africa delivered a faultless, snafu-free pageant spread over 30 days and many locations. However, this article focuses on the management principles reiterated by the actual game of football played out during the FIFA 2010 matches.
The most interesting aspect of the 60-odd matches played was the near uniformity in the style of playing, the techniques used and the strategies adopted. In other words the basic fare has been standardised.
This is the result of almost all football players playing for clubs all over the world. This helps the players to not only learn and adopt the best playing techniques of world-class players but also get an in-depth feel for each other's strengths and weaknesses.
Many of these players originate from the countries with little track record in this game. When they return to their country teams, they transfer this technology and, in the process, enhance its standards. In short, globalisation has shown its potential of being a great leveller and this process should be embraced in every area of human endeavour be it sport, commerce or technology.
Two groups
Like in football, the corporate world is divided into two groups. The first comprise companies who maybe called “incumbents” and who dominate their respective markets – usually the top three according to Prof. Jagdish Sheth of Emory University.
The second consists of “insurgents” — entities struggling to survive with some aspiring to dislodge an incumbent. The FIFA