#Twenty20Thinking

Could the rapid evolution of Cricket[1], the world’s second most popular game, provide a framework for businesses to compete in today’s world?

Cricket’s profile is growing in the U.S. thanks to the rising influence and size of the South Asian (and to a lesser extent Caribbean) diaspora. ESPN estimates that there are as many as 30 million cricket fans in the U.S alone[2]. The Cricket World Cup, which concluded a few months ago in England, shattered previous viewership records. Throughout the tournament, 2.6 billion video clip views were recorded across various platforms, and official tournament social channels added 12 million new followers in the space of six weeks.[3]  While the World Cup is played between national teams, its private club version, based in India, the IPL or the Indian Premier League (valued at $5.3 billion[4]) concluded its 12th season in May had a viewership of 462 million and a watch time of 338 billion minutes on TV[5].

Growing up in India, cricket was a big part of my life. But in many ways, as I have aged, cricket has grown younger. It has changed from being a game watched by leisurely spectators in a relaxed setting, over several days, to a multi-billion-dollar business. 

Cricket as a sport has evolved in ways few other sports have. Test Cricket, which used to be the staple of the game, used to last for five days, and its current evolution of #Twenty20 cricket compresses the game into a few fast-paced, excitement-laden hours. In doing so, it has met the need for spectator excitement and fits itself to the time-pressures of our modern-day lives. This has also allowed its followership to be at par with other global sports such as soccer, tennis, etc., where excitement gets encapsulated into shorter periods, and translated into multi-million-dollar TV contracts.

Of late, I have been giving thought to how this evolution in cricket might provide a perspective on the characteristics that separate the older, established, though dying titans of industry, from the younger upstarts that transform it by changing and adapting themselves to the nature of the business game. I call it #Twenty20thinking. Let’s look at how some of these changes have occurred and Cricket and explore the possible parallels in the business world. 

#Twenty20thinking has winners and losers. Draws are eliminated.  While this might come as a shock to many fans of competitive sports, the major difference between test cricket and #Twenty20 (limited-overs) cricket is the elimination of the possibility of a draw. The possibility of draws can often result in a very defensive mindset, rather than a truly aggressive one. I would argue that in Test cricket, the overarching motto was “do not lose; if possible, win, but DO NOT LOSE!”, while limited-overs, or #Twenty20 cricket, almost always, result in a winner. This ethos of winning is what permeates every player, every strategy, and every ball bowled in a #Twenty20 game. The players play to win. A similar parallel is often noticed in the business environment. There are many companies where the mindset is to “not lose.” Often referred to in the informal office lexicon as CYA – cover your ass – many employees focus on “not doing the wrong thing,” which is very different from always doing the right thing. The more successful companies play to win, and most of their employees know their roles in contributing to the win. The strategy is clear, and the execution plan well understood by most of the workers. When a large percentage of employees of any company feel that they are playing to avoid a loss, rather than a win, one sees a reflection of the ethos of Test Cricket. When one observes a desire to win, a clear understanding of the strategy and the plan to win, one sees a reflection of the ethos of #Twenty20 cricket. Agile companies are always playing to win, and the winds of change and agility are on their back. Apple and Microsoft play to dominate their respective fields. They don’t rely on their size and longevity for their security. Their strength is to innovate and adapt, and that they do. Companies playing for a draw view change and agility as headwinds. It should be noted that this is not just a matter of size, but largely a matter of perspective and attitude. This is the #Twenty20 attitude. The companies that rule the global landscape play to win, while those who don’t, may remain large but are rarely viewed through the lens of exceptionality.

#Twenty20thinking necessitates the need for closure in tighter time frames. As discussed earlier, Test cricket lasts five+ days, #Twenty20 (limited-overs) matches last less than a day. In #Twenty20, fans come expecting a result, and know they will get one, whereas a winner may or may not be declared in Test cricket. #Twenty20 cricket takes into account a very common human desire that Test Cricket doesn’t – the need for closure, and, in the modern world, we would like this to be done quickly and definitively. The Test Cricket ethos is often witnessed in larger corporations that have not faced any worthwhile challenges in a long time or are content with their place in the business society. These corporations exemplify a Test Cricket ethos, where processes seem to go on forever, without end or any sense of closure. Success, or the lack of it, is often measured by how long the processes can be sustained before the nakedness of the emperor is called out. However, the shorter time frame – exemplified in #Twenty20 - force teams to move towards a closure – whether it be a win or a loss. A business that adopts this attitude understands that there are wins and losses, quickly adapts, retools, and prepares for its next success. They innovate and this may result in wins and losses. Irrespective, they move on. The innovations for Tesla exemplify #Twenty20 thinking. And even if they fail, and they do, the feedback system they inculcate into their “game”– often seen in sports are viewing game videos – allows then to adjust, adapt, innovate and move forward. The #Twenty20 mindset businesses know that if they don’t, their customers and fans would be long gone, and their business model will collapse.

#Twenty20thinking offers no prizes for longevity, just recognition for results.  A common complaint by any first-time spectator to Test Cricket is that it seems to go on forever. Indeed, it does. For 5+ days! As long as two batsmen don’t get out, the game continues towards a draw and no one loses. In limited-overs cricket, you either score or get out. It is not uncommon to see people employed in some slower companies where they are doing the same job for years on end. The formula for employment success is to keep your head down. Become an expert at whatever “widgets” you are making, and don’t ever question assumptions, practices or processes. This ensures longevity, even if it is at the expense of being locked into the same position for years. Employees of companies that reflect #Twenty20 thinking are dissatisfied at the lack of upward mobility. They want to be challenged, their voices heard, their challenges appreciated. If not, they leave. They follow the principles that if they are not evolving, they are dead. They will not be defined or put in a box. Amazon exemplifies this. They refused to be pegged a certain way. A hallmark of more agile companies seeking to dominate their marketplace is that they are quick, agile and embrace change – as long as it propels them forward and upward. They play to dominate, and they play to win. They don’t play to stay stationary. There is only one way to go. It is moving up. This is #Twenty20 thinking.

#Twenty20thinking isn’t ashamed to borrow models.  While traditional cricket was played largely among countries and politically defined entities, #Twenty20 wasn’t afraid to borrow from franchise models more popular in largely western sports. #Twenty20 kept the basic facets of the game but changed how the game would be expanded without being limited by government borders and enhanced by the free flow of capital investment. Companies with a #Twenty20 mindset aren’t afraid to borrow models from other industries and apply it into theirs, to the benefit of their customers. A near legend in this space is how Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines, revolutionized air travel with its focus on customers and the quick-gate turnaround, something that he picked up by watching NASCAR. Oscar has done something similar in the health insurance space. The #Twenty20 mindset is humble enough to appreciate the value of operating models in other industries and isn’t afraid to ask the question, “Could this model work in my business environment?”  

#Twenty20thinking develops the art of engaging the customer. Test cricket was a spectator sport. The pace and results of #Twenty20 cricket make it a participant sport. The sheer excitement of the game fills stands with fans in team attire, excited and holding their breath, as each ball is bowled, and each stroke is executed. Engaging the customer created streams of revenue never before realized in Test cricket. It is almost as if the fans need to participate in the excitement of the game their teams are playing in, for their self-actualizing. #Twenty20 thinking in the business world engages the customer in the business of the firm. They are not just customers. They are cheerleaders. They are evangelists. Pixar is a great example of this kind of thinking. The stories they convert to movies are received because they are the stories in the lives of their audience. Their audience identifies with the stories of Woody and Ratatouille. The #Twenty20 company is an extension of the customer. The #Twenty20 game an extension of the identities of their fan-spectator. The identities are merged, mixed to create an impregnable epoxy that competitors dare break at their own peril. 

The key to #Twenty20thinking is learning how to play fast and sure. It is not about being careless but to be adventurously careful. High rates of productivity are recognized and reproduced throughout the organization and this is what allows companies to weather possible downturns. #Twenty20 cricket was not making an old game sexier. It was changing how the entire game was played. #Twenty20 thinking changes how the game is played, for the business and its entire competitive landscape. And then it waits for the competition to catch up. 

#Twenty20 cricket frees the player to take their ability and convert it into huge opportunities in quick and short time frames. It recognizes that the time is short and that we do not have forever to capture opportunities. It innovates, and even if the innovation were to fail, it generates an excitement that powers future innovation. Success is celebrated. Failures are quickly studied not repeated. There is a long arc of a legacy that is built on the backs of multiple significant victories.

#Twenty20thinking needs to become ingrained in business. Yes, there are situations like banking and healthcare where such thinking has steeper hills to climb. But it recognizes and places people in areas of strengths, coupled with the freedom to innovate and score. And score well. 

Sadly, too many companies are still playing Test cricket in a #Twenty20 world. And they will soon go the way of the dinosaurs, and their death mourned by none, and barely noticed by the last drunk sleeping in the stands. 

Companies that adapt #Twenty20thinking see the world differently, in ways no one has dared to imagine before. George Bernard Shaw immortalized the following words: “You see things, and you say “Why?” But I dream things that never were; and I say, “Why not?”[6]

#Twenty20thinking is when the “Why not” become ingrained into the corporate culture. Borrowing from the minds of great innovators and inventors in history, the corporation answers in enthusiastic agreement, “Exactly! Why not”?

[1] For those of you who are unfamiliar with the game of cricket, this would not be a place for me to try and explain the game to you. However, the internet does provide a tremendous resource for those seeking to understand the game. I have often directed people to the Hindi movie, Lagaan, as a great edutainment tool for those wishing to understand the game. But be warned, this movie is almost 4 hours long!

[2] https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/08/cricket-is-catching-on-in-America-where-it-was-popular-a-century-ago/378683/

[3] https://www.icc-cricket.com/media-releases/1277987

[4] https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/03/cricket-ipl-india-sports-mlb-baseball.html

[5] https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/sports/ipl-2019-breaks-viewership-records/articleshow/69483861.cms

[6] George Bernard Shaw, Back to Methuselah, Act I, Selected Plays with Prefaces, vol. 2, p. 7 (1949).