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Hypothetical Hockey

Written by: Tom Lemanski

Article Overview: With the cancellation of the 2005 National Hockey League season, we could only think about hockey as there was none available to watch. It was an opportunity to think about what might happen if we changed some of the rules and apply the example to organizations that are (to be kind) less than effective.

Hypothetical Hockey

With the cancellation of the 2005 National Hockey League season, we could only think about hockey as there was none available to watch. It got me thinking about hypothetical hockey as I have seen it played in organizations.

Imagine you are the coach of the Chicago Black Hawks and scheduled to play a game against the Montreal Canadians at The Forum arena in Montreal. Upon arriving at the arena, you meet the opposing coach who provides a tour of their remodeled facility. As your tour progresses you inquire about two conspicuous absences. There is no scoreboard above, and there are no nets on the rink. The Canadians' coach explains that they are over budget and short on time and so the game will have to be played sans nets and scoreboard. Would you agree to play anyway? Imagine what such a game might look like. Players skating, checking (yes, perhaps even fighting) in attempting to maintain possession of the puck. For what purpose?

As silly as this sounds, there are an astonishing number of organizations demanding that their so-called teams perform under these conditions.

In Patrick Lencioni's book, The Five Dysfunctions of A Team, three of his notable dysfunctions relate to this score-free hockey game scenario.
1. Inattention to Results: If no one knows the score, where do you focus your effort?
2. Avoidance of Accountability: In the absence of measurable goals, who really knows who's accountable for what?
3. Lack of Commitment: Is sustained commitment possible where winning or progress is unknown?

Note: Fear of Conflict and Absence of Trust are the other two.

How functional are your teams? Ask yourself...
· Are we attempting to run our business in a score-free environment?
· Does everyone in our organization know where and when they're winning and where and when they're losing?
· Do we hold meaningless performance reviews with arbitrary evaluations, or do our employees know their score and are able to rate themselves based on their measurable contributions to key achievements?
· Are we keeping score of the right things or are we defeating our purpose with misaligned goals?

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Article Tags: goals, keeping score



Related Forum Posts
Re: USA vs Canada Hockey time . . . - I was busy watching EUFA Championship here to notice the Hockey game.


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