Description
InstructionsYou are to analyse the given case study, Osmington Orcas, individually using all aspects of the subject materials in an essay style format.The case study for this assessment is written by Steve Swanson. (2020). Workplace Dynamics in Professional Sport: A Case Study of Identification, Political Skill, and Personal Control. The essay must be 1,500 words (+/- 10%) excluding reference list, tables and appendices
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Abstract
This case is based on a collection of real-life scenarios encountered by employees working for
professional sport organizations. The workplace in this environment contains circumstances distinct
to the sport context, which this case aims to highlight. A small work group of three individuals with
diverse backgrounds representing key departments in a professional basketball club are brought
together to lead a difficult challenge in the community. Over the course of the season, several
meetings and personal interactions play out which present difficulties in productivity due to individual
differences in human relations capacity and varying psychological connections with the environment.
In combination with the teaching notes, the case is designed to highlight (1) the special nature of
employee identification in the professional sport setting, (2) an array of political skills, which are
relevant and useful to the sport workplace, and (3) the role of perceived personal control in sport
organizations. An overview of theory and its specific application to the case is provided along with
discussion questions and answers to aid instructors in effectively engaging with students around the
topical areas.
Keywords: human resource management, identity, organizational behavior, organizational
identification, sport management, team identification
Maria, the Community Relations Assistant and the Director of the Osmington Orca’s HOME project,
made her way back to her office after another unproductive meeting at the team practice facility. She
couldn’t stop thinking of the dire consequences if she couldn’t start to make some headway with this
homeless project. She had been on the job for nearly five months and had not yet been able to get
enough buy-in from her work group to establish a clear direction and make meaningful progress.
Maria had initially been excited to work with Lauren, the Director of Marketing, and Omar, the
Director of Player Programs; but she worried that if she couldn’t get them to help her find a way
forward, her boss would tell her that things just weren’t working out and that they were going to find
someone else to fill her position.
Background to the Setting
The Osmington Orcas are a member of the National Basketball League (NBL) which is at the premier
level of the North America sporting landscape. One of the core values of the organization is giving back
to the community, and it has been an industry leader in developing corporate social responsibility
programs which are cutting edge and address issues at the fiber of the regional area. In recent years,
a homeless crisis has emerged as the biggest social issue facing their community, with thousands of
homeless people living on the streets of Osmington. As this crisis has reached a critical level in the
metropolitan area, the Orcas organization has become focused on finding a way to use the power of
sport to affect positive change in this challenging aspect of their local society. The crisis has also
become extremely relevant at a micro-geographical level, as the majority of the homeless population
tend to exist in the area of the city where the Orcas’ arena is located, and therefore have a very visible
presence for employees working at the arena and fans attending games. Working with the local
municipalities, the Orcas have developed a partnership to fund a new staff position with the specific
remit to develop a plan of action for how the Orcas organization can best address this issue. There
was a strong desire to have the person in post by the beginning in the offseason, with the intention of
providing an approximate three-month window to establish a clear organizational direction on this
issue during the following season. The primary responsibility for this hire is to facilitate a concrete
pathway for the Orcas to make a meaningful difference in this important community issue, but
secondary duties in the main community development area would also be expected.
Maria Gets to Work
Maria’s first day in her new position was in early August. In her interview, she had told her new boss
that she was “extremely passionate about addressing the homeless issue in the local region, and sport
was a suitable vehicle to assist with such an important community matter.” While determining the
necessity for this position, the senior leadership team recommended that the new employee should
lead a special internal task force called Homeless Orcas Mean Everything (HOME). The name was
derived from the perspective that the Orcas should represent the entire community, and therefore
consider the homeless population as part of their community family who all need a place to call home.
To ensure diversity of thought and representation from key organizational areas, the senior leadership
team arranged for two other members of the staff to help Maria develop a specific action plan to
engage with this societal challenge in the best way possible. In the interest of forming a crossfunctional team, and being mindful of the way the Orcas are regarded in the community, the senior
leadership team directed the Marketing Director (Lauren) and the Player Programs Director (Omar) to
work alongside Maria on the HOME task force.
It was the first week on the job for Maria in the community relations department of the NBL’s
Osmington Orcas. After completing an introduction program with the human resources staff and being
formally introduced at an all-company meeting earlier in the week, Maria was ready to finally begin
working on the (major) project she was hired to lead. While her job duties aligned globally with the
wider area of community relations, her main task at this time was to lead the HOME initiative. Maria
was excited about the taskforce membership and had called for an initial meeting with the group later
that afternoon, which would provide the first opportunity for her to meet the group members in
person. She was passionate about the cause, but at the same time feeling a bit nervous about making
a good first impression and starting off on the right foot with Lauren and Omar.
Throughout the morning, several thoughts rushed through Maria’s head:
I really wonder how this meeting will go today. These people don’t know me, or my style, so we will
need to spend a little time learning about each other to get started. I’ve corresponded productively
with Lauren and Omar on email, but having in-person meetings is a little different. I don’t want to
waste precious staff time but know it will be hard to jump right in without understanding Lauren and
Omar on a personal level. I’ve checked out their bios online and feel like I know everything I can about
them, but you just never know how people really are until you work with them directly. Some of my
new colleagues in the community relations office have indicated that Lauren might be somewhat
difficult to work with, given the issues she had last year with the marketing fiasco. I’ll be sure not to
mention that. I can’t believe she allowed the Orcas brand to suffer like that when the star player was
accused of domestic violence. That was a big problem, or at least that is what I hear at around the
water cooler. Now Omar, from what I’m told, is kind of an unknown entity to most people in my area;
he doesn’t seem to have many friends on the business side of the organization. Maybe he’s just private,
or maybe just busy, or maybe he just thinks he’s a “big shot.” But I’m sure he knows a lot of influential
people around the league, and I’m eager to work with someone on the player ops side of the house.
This is a great opportunity for me, so I hope I can make a good impression. But I’m scared. This is a
high-profile assignment, and it’s my first one here. I don’t know anyone in the organization, and I’m
not at the same level as the others on the taskforce, nor do I have the same institutional or industry
knowledge. I need to relax so I don’t seem like a “rookie.” I’m sure everything will be fine, just be
professional and start moving the project forward in the best way you know how.
HOME Task Force’s Initial Meeting
The first official meeting for the HOME Task Force was called for the middle of September. This
meeting was scheduled to take place in the Orcas room, one of the nicest meeting rooms in the
building, with the walls filled with photos from floor to ceiling of historic moments in Orcas history.
Maria was conscious of not being late to her own meeting, so she made sure to leave at the right time.
However, as she entered the room Lauren was already sitting at the table with her laptop open and
talking to someone who Maria thought might be a member of the senior management team. Darn,
Maria thought, she beat me here. Wow, she’s very professionally dressed and looks like she means
business. Maria confidently entered the room, but it still felt a little awkward as their eyes met while
Lauren quickly finished up her call.
“Hi, I’m Lauren Byers, the Marketing Director. You must be Maria. Welcome to the Orcas. I’ve heard
good things about you,” Lauren said.
Maria responded with, “Hi, yes I’m Maria, a pleasure to meet you Lauren. Likewise, I’ve heard great
things about you, and I’m really happy you were able to be on the HOME committee with me. Your
background and experience will I’m sure be extremely helpful.”
After the two had exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes, Omar entered the room dressed in an
Orcas track suit and said, “Hi Lauren, good to see you again,” and extended his hand for a handshake.
“You must be Maria. I’m Omar. Great to meet you. Sorry I’m a little late. The coach needed to talk to
me for a minute just when I was leaving the practice facility to drive over here.” “Hi Omar. Very nice
to meet you,” replied Maria. “No problem, I understand. It’s really great to have a member of the
basketball staff on the HOME project.”
After a few minutes of small talk about the growing traffic problem in the area, Maria wanted to spend
time getting to know both Lauren and Omar but was suddenly interrupted by Lauren who said, “Maria,
not to run your meeting here, but my schedule is packed today, so can we just get down to business?”
Maria was shocked and a little caught off guard. So she quickly opened her laptop, took a sip of coffee,
and began with an historical overview of the cause, the assignment, the goal, and how she was hired
and charged with leading the mission. After a few minutes, Lauren explained how she’s really
supportive of the project, and conveyed that she wants to do everything she can to support it, but
also said from the start that she’ll need to be ultra-conscious that the Orcas brand image is in no way
tarnished by future activities in this initiative. Omar followed with a short statement of his support,
and acknowledged how important of a social issue this was. He then inserted the caveat that he was
very busy with player operations matters and sometimes unexpectedly got involved with the
immediate personal needs of the players, so his schedule was unpredictable most days. Further, Omar
made sure to mention that while most people thought it was easy to get the players to engage with
initiatives like this, in reality their contracts sometimes do not allow for this. So before the taskforce
goes too far, it would be important to run ideas by him if they involve players. Omar ended his
comments with an offer to call some of his league contacts who have worked on similar community
projects and see if he could learn from their experiences.
Maria sensed that Lauren and Omar both had hidden agendas, but at this point, she didn’t have a full
read on what they were. In the interest of moving the meeting along, she decided it would be best to
spend 30 minutes brainstorming ideas about how the organization could best help the current
homeless status in the community. The conversation really lacked direction, and Maria sensed that
the group dynamics were not off to the best start. The issue was not going to be as easy to solve as
she originally thought. In fact, in the middle of the ideas, both Lauren and Omar were quick to discuss
the need to consider “unintended consequences” of connecting prominent, wealthy people to others
who are far less fortunate. And further (and maybe most importantly given the history with Lauren of
late), the ramifications of another failed initiative to the Orca’s brand. Could this be a recipe for
disaster if perceived by the public that the Orcas weren’t doing enough? Were there safety or health
issues that had yet to be considered for the players? Sensing that she didn’t want the meeting to end
on a sour note, Maria suggested they regroup in a few weeks’ time after thinking a little more.
After the meeting Maria was overwhelmed by the enormity of the situation and felt pretty deflated.
I’m not sure what I’ve gotten myself into here. Both Lauren and Omar seem nice, but it’s easy to see
how they are definitely coming at this thing from different directions. Lauren really appears to be super
protective of her territory, and the way she speaks so matter-of-factly seems to rub Omar (and me) the
wrong way. It’s like she really is engaged with the idea of making this look right for the organization,
but is not much of a fan of the team or tuned-in to their day-to-day situations. Note to self: Lauren
knows how to use her influence and isn’t afraid of ruffling feathers. And wow, Omar really has his
finger on the pulse of the players and their needs/desires. He is passionate about his job, I can tell. His
track suit is awesome, and I wish I got to dress like that at work. However, seems like he’s overly
interested in insulating the players from any unexpected negative outcomes that may result from their
involvement with the homeless population, rather than making a contribution to a worthy cause on
behalf of the Orcas organization. His tendency to guard the players’ availability will greatly restrict our
use of a major organizational asset, and it may make the franchise seem somewhat disingenuous to
the cause. While we were searching for answers, I was grateful for Omar’s offer to use his league
contacts to get some insight into how they’ve dealt with other sensitive issues. That seems smart, and
I certainly don’t have the same level of network. However, I’m also worried about how it might look if
we’re seen as copying others, rather than developing our own innovative solutions which are most
appropriate for our specific community. I don’t want the senior leadership of Orcas thinking of me as
someone who takes shortcuts with ‘google searches’ for complex problems. I don’t think that meeting
gave them the best taste of my capabilities, so I wonder what they are thinking of me now. I didn’t
want to be confrontational, especially with two well-known figures in the organization, so I ended up
just going along with what they said.
HOME Task Force’s Second Meeting
A few weeks after the first meeting, Maria thought it was time to get the taskforce together again,
and started emailing Lauren and Omar. It was challenging to find a time that worked; Omar was always
in meetings with players, coaches, team representatives, or on the road. Lauren was equally booked.
So, out of deference to Omar (and a nice excuse to see the team’s practice facility) she asked Omar if
they could meet at his office. He accepted. Maria was relieved that this seemed appreciated by Omar,
pleased that Lauren had no issues with it, and she secretly was excited to have the opportunity to go
to the practice facility for the first time. Maria was mature enough to not get overly excited about
potentially seeing any famous Orcas players, although she also had to admit that she was drawn to
the idea of being closer to the team. She was also, however, more focused than ever to help the
organization move forward on the important HOME initiative.
In between the first and second meetings, Maria had done a great deal of thinking about options to
put forward so that she could feel at more of an advantage when debating issues with the group.
While she was yet to have a preferred direction, she felt far more equipped to consider steps most
appropriate for the task force to consider putting forward to the senior management team. One idea
that had been recently considered by the city council was to create large tents to provide temporary
shelter for the homeless, and Maria wanted to get Lauren and Omar’s thoughts on a couple of ways
the Orcas could potentially get involved.
While waiting for Omar in the meeting room, Maria said to Lauren, “Did you see last night’s game?
Boy was it an exciting finish. I’m so amazed at the skill of players, and it’s such a great feeling to be a
part of big wins like that. The players all seem like really good guys too, and it’s pretty cool to learn
more about their backgrounds in the short time I’ve been here.”
Lauren responded by saying, “No I didn’t catch last night’s game. I decided to watch a movie instead.
I really like the marketing aspect of working here, but I’m actually not that into basketball. Even though
I know the power of social media to build connections with fans, I think a lot of it is just trivial
information that I don’t have much interest in personally.”
Early in the meeting, Maria brought up a few ideas. “Since we’re looking to do something timely and
in partnership with the community, I was wondering if we might be able to partner with the city
council on their proposed tent initiative for the homeless? For example, we could consider putting our
logo on the tents as visual representation of our partnership and commitment to the community. In
addition, we could have a few players visit the tents each week during the season to shake hands and
hand out food for those in need.”
After a bit of thinking and serious faces, Lauren broke the silence and said, “I would have concerns
with regard to the overall image of the organization. I see how this is well-intentioned, however
putting our logo on a tent which could be perceived as representing undesirable circumstances seems
too risky to me. I’m also fairly certain that several members of the senior management I know would
also be very skeptical. I think we need to consider alternatives that wouldn’t have this type of
associated risk.”
Omar followed up by saying, “Yeah, I also don’t think it’s reasonable to consider such a long-time
commitment by the players due to their busy schedules, and most of them have clauses in their
contract that restrict the number of appearances they have during the season. Coach is also very
sensitive about having enough rest time and keeping their minds right. I’d also have reservations about
their own player brands, much like Lauren was saying about the whole organization. There are also
some safety concerns, because I hear that a lot of the homeless population have drug addictions and
might not be in the greatest health.”
While she had some of the same concerns, Maria was surprised by how direct the responses had been
from Lauren and Omar. It was almost as if she was forcing their participation, rather than feeling a
collaborative effort. But at least they were talking through a few ideas, and that alone, if for no other
value, gave her a chance to understand her colleague’s perspectives and values as they related to the
mission.
As they left the meeting room and headed towards the lobby, they ran into someone that Lauren
immediately recognized and made a beeline to speak with. As Maria caught up with her Lauren said:
“Hi Councilman Nguyen. Lauren Byers from the Orcas. We met at the Chamber Dinner a few months
ago.”
“Oh yes, how are you? Surprised to run into you here at the practice facility. I thought you were
located at the main office,” Councilman Nguyen said.
Lauren responded with, “Yes, that’s right. I’m here today to meet with a member of the coaching staff
on our homeless initiative you may have heard about. We’d like to see if we might be able to work
with you on the tents idea the council is considering. We’ve just been discussing how important it is
to try and make a difference in this local issue, and also work with the city council to make sure we
manage community perceptions in the best way possible.”
“Lauren, I couldn’t agree more,” said the councilman. “I think it is so impressive that you and the Orcas
are looking to help in this area, and I think you’re right that it will be in both of our best interests to
develop a plan that the local community can get behind. I wish you and your colleague here all the
best, and look forward to working with you more on this initiative.”
On the way out of the practice facility they ran into one of the star players arriving for practice. He
called out to Omar with a big smile and gave him a high five into a handshake. Omar introduced Maria
and Lauren to the player and they had a brief chat, then it was off to the parking garage and back to
work. As they walked out of the doors, Maria noticed a crowd of fans who were roped off by security
trying to get pictures and autographs from the players who were arriving for practice. Internally, she
was basking with pride, reflecting on how special it was to be affiliated with an NBL team. She viewed
herself as a ‘fan on the inside’ who could help make a difference for both the organization and the
community.
Maria’s Frustration Builds
Over the course of the next few months, Maria began to feel as if she was tasked with the impossible,
as all the options considered were wrought with concern from either Lauren, Omar, or both. Maria
knew that they usually were making very reasonable and impassioned arguments, however at the
same time she felt like they were not meeting their call to provide recommended steps for the Orcas
to engage with this important community issue. While it was never meant to be a top-secret venture,
it was a little concerning how much Lauren and Omar had reached out to others for possible solutions,
and sometimes to voice their concerns. Though Maria did not have a high need to be in charge in
typical interpersonal dynamics, she was in this case, and didn’t feel she was making much progress.
She decided to meet with both Lauren and Omar individually to develop a bit more rapport with each,
and to address some ground rules for information sharing and loyalty to the HOME task force and its
stated objective. She had begun to feel pressure from senior leadership for not being further along in
the overall initiative.
Around one month into the NBL season (late November), Maria noticed some differences in the
organizational dynamics and with her interactions Lauren and Omar. The immediacy of the ‘next
game’ seemed to have several employees more on edge all the time. There was excitement in the air
before each home game, and a bit of relief when the team took off on an extended road trip. Engaging
with employees during the season took on a different feel, and Maria had to learn by experience the
best ways to do this. When she started her job, Maria felt like she had the full attention and efforts of
Lauren and Omar, but that had certainly lessened as the regular season had gotten underway. This
change had been most pronounced with Omar, who always seemed to be too busy to meet or engage
with the task force as there was always something ‘urgent’ he needed to take care of after the last
game, or prior to the next. When trying to schedule one meeting, Omar had actually gotten pretty
aggressive with her on the phone the day after a tough loss, saying “Look Maria. I know it might be
hard for you to understand, but we’re going through some rough times at the moment. I just have
more important things to do right now.” With games every few days, it seemed like it was going to be
a never-ending battle to get him to concentrate on the HOME initiative again. Lauren, who had come
from the banking world where day to day operations were not nearly as contingent on external factors
(like team performance), was also becoming frustrated because of what appeared to be a lack of effort
by some of the players during a recent losing streak. She told Maria, “They just look like they’re feeling
sorry for themselves. Maybe we should require them to engage with this homeless initiative so they
realize how fortunate they really are.”
Deep inside, Maria understood the challenges Lauren faced in her job and didn’t take offense. She
knew that when the team loses it can often negatively influence many of the metrics Lauren tracks
and jeopardize the way her job performance is viewed. In this league, the organization’s brand image
is often influenced by a number of uncontrollable and external factors, and though Lauren had been
working in sport for a while now, she still didn’t seem to accept that part. Further, Lauren had missed
several recent games because “it was too difficult for her to watch when the team was losing,” and
Maria figured this was part of the reason.
Decision Time
It is time for another called meeting. Maria is determined to make some real progress during the next
in-person conversation she has with the group. She needs an update from Omar on his efforts to reach
out to his league contacts for relevant ideas. She also needs Lauren to put forth a positive idea, rather
than a litany of objections. Most importantly, she wants to move the needle and make some
meaningful progress on what she was hired to do. Her next moves will no doubt have a major impact
on the success or failure of the project.
DESCRIPTION
Aim
This Report is to analyse a contemporary case study which draws upon all aspects of the
subject materials in an essay style format.
Instructions
1. You are to analyse the given case study, Osmington Orcas, individually using all aspects
of the subject materials in an essay style format.
2. The case study for this assessment is written by Steve Swanson. (2020). Workplace
Dynamics in Professional Sport: A Case Study of Identification, Political Skill, and Personal
Control.
3. The essay must be 1,500 words (+/- 10%) excluding reference list, tables and appendices.
The essay will include the following elements:
• Introduction – describe the key themes identified in the case study
• Body – Identify 3 organisational behaviour concepts, theories or models in relation
to the case study and integrate your discussion with academic peer-referenced
literature. Application of concepts, theories and models need to be contextualised
to the case and not just a general theoretical discussion. As this assessment is
based on a case study, you do not need to describe additional case studies in your
essay.
• Topic 1 – Clearly define the topic and discuss the relevant topic concepts,
theories, models that can be applied to this case. Include literature review and
where appropriate to this topic, discuss answers to the case study questions. It
is not necessary to answer all the questions at the end of the case.
• Topic 2 – As above
• Topic 3 – As above
• Conclusion – summarize the key themes and position taken from the research undertaken
• References – You need to review at least 12 academic references. Academic references
should be peer-reviewed or from credible newspapers and business magazines. References
from other students papers, wiki, blogs, online dictionary etc. are inappropriate
Three topics:
(Organisational behaviour is the study of the psychology and sociology of people at work.
It is the systematic analysis of the relationship between context – other individuals,
groups and organisation structures – and the actions of the individual. We use a case
study approach to our exploration and discussion of the following topics. In our
increasingly globalised business environment, all these are considered in an international
context.)
1.Group behaviour； 2.Communications； 3.Leadership
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