Parts of the system must remain in balance,
April 20, 2007, 7C.
Many
football fans are eagerly awaiting the results of the
upcoming NFL draft. Teams will take turns selecting players
from a pool of talented college athletes. Teams will also
trade their draft picks with others in hopes of building
high-performing offensive, defensive, and special teams
units. Teams will select draftees with the hopes of
strengthening the weaknesses of their teams and enhancing
the strengths. Teams are built with the selection of
individual players.
Football
is a team sport. Players must function as a single unit in
order to succeed. Weak players can create vulnerabilities
that can be exploited by opposing teams. However, overly
strong players can also be harmful to team performance. A
running back who does not wait for his linemen to execute
his blocks will be ineffective and harm the team’s
performance. Likewise, punters who outkick their coverage
can also harm the performance of their teams. Sometimes
individual players have to back off of their optimal
performances to enhance the overall team performance—other
times, they have to exceed their normal abilities.
In
addition to blending with other players, it is critically
important that all the players successfully carry out their
own responsibilities. Teams are composed of players who
fill different roles, or positions. The specific
responsibilities of players vary on each play. A lineman
who misses a block, a defensive back who misses a tackle, or
a kicker who misses a field goal all harm the performance of
their teams. Losing one’s cool and committing a personal
foul also harms the whole team. Team success requires
individual players to fulfill their individual
responsibilities and meld their performances with those of
other players.
During
the draft, some of the most talented players may be passed
up for selection because their talents do not match the
needs of teams. The players whose talents and skills match
the specific needs of teams will be selected. Teams with
outstanding offensive talent will likely pass over drafting
offensive players in favor of defensive or special teams
players—even when the most talented players in the draft are
offensive players.
The
examples just described are applications of systems theory.
A system is made up of interdependent and interacting
elements that function together to form a whole. Systems
are purposeful and are simultaneously made up of subsystems
and are parts of supersystems. All organizations are
systems. Individuals must fulfill their role
responsibilities with attention to the performances of
others in the organization. Care must be taken to balance
the performances of individuals and units with others in the
organization. Over-performing elements can be just as
unbalancing to an organization as those that are
under-performing. A balance between all interdependent
elements must be gained and maintained—including
interactions with suppliers and consumers. Managers must be
able to shift attention and resources to and away from
elements to bring about balance and to foster optimal
organizational performance. NFL coaches and owners
understand these principles, and so should managers of all
other types of organizations.
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