Project Management Lessons (1)
The Institute of Sport
Organisation and people development in the business of sport
In July, 2022 the Manly Sea Eagles, a team in Australia's National Rugby League were embroiled in what has been described variously as "one of those silly and unnecessary culture skirmishes that sports clubs get us into" to something "that can cause a divide".
And cause a divide it did!
Seven players from the Manly Sea Eagles refused to wear a pride jersey and eventually chose to boycott the match where the jersey was to be worn.
LGBT pride is the promotion of the self affirmation, dignity, equality and increased visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people as a social group.
On face value it seems like a simple enough decision by the club to publically support a cause but unfortunately this was not the case. According to Guy Rundle of Crikey...
The geniuses at Manly-Warringah came up with the “pride” thing and didn’t tell the players before announcing it. Had they done so, they might have got an education.
The result was an almighty stoush between various parties and the aforementioned boycott of the game by the newly minted 'Manly Seven' who cited their religious and cultural beliefs as reason not to wear the jersey nor play in the game.
Unsurprisingly public reaction was mixed and occasionally extreme. Some praised the seven for their stance whilst others condemned them as hypocritical. The opinions of rugby league heavyweights and religious leaders alike were sought and debated and the entire episode descended into claim and counter-claim of prejudice and racism.
What can project management teach us?
A key tenet of project management is stakeholder identification and engagement and it is in this facet that the management team at the Sea Eagles failed.
Though it may be time consuming (not necessarily) and a non core function (it should be) the simple effect of identifying and subsequently engaging with stakeholders has a myriad of benefits for management, staff and organisations alike:
And what sport or event organisation doesn't want these!?
This is not to say every stakeholder should be consulted with every decision. As well as being identified stakeholders should also be rated on both their power and interest and from this a matrix and associated communication strategies derived.
Regardless of their level of power and interest, stakeholders demand some form of engagement.
A cursory examination of this situation (albeit through media ) reveals the spiraling effects of:
Sport can be better than this!
Click on the link for further information on Project Management for Sport and Events.
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