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Columnist
How does an organization dominate its industry like the Yankees have done with their legendary 80-year winning streak? The secret is a set of 14 principles applicable to the worlds of business and baseball. By Lance A. Berger and Dorothy R. Berger We know how rare it is for a company to dominate an industry for more than a few years. Customers and technologies change, and new competitors rise up to challenge the great companies that have grown complacent because they thought that the lush days of success would last forever. This makes the Yankee record over the past eight decades all the more amazing. Since 1921, the Yankees have been in the World Series 39 times and have won the championship 26 times. No other team comes close -- the nearest team has won only nine championships. It may not be exaggerating to say that no other team in any sport in history has a comparable long-term record of winning championships. Certainly, being a dominant force for eight decades is a feat achieved by few corporations in American history. Whether you love or hate the Yankees, it is clear to anyone who looks at the history of the team from an objective, business perspective that they are not just another sports team. Something about the Yankee organization enables them to win decade after decade, despite changing players, changing owners, and changing managers. Our book, “Management Wisdom from the New York Yankees’ Dynasty,” argues that the secret is a set of 14 principles that represent the Yankees’ best management practices. The principles emerged in the 1920s under the leadership of owner Jacob Ruppert, and have been developed and refined by later owners and management teams ever since. The 14 management principles that emerged from our study of the history of the team’s success are applicable to any organization. That is why you don’t have to be a Yankee fan or even know anything about baseball to benefit from the management wisdom of this sports dynasty. All that is required is an interest in building a competitive advantage in your company. The iconic characters -- from owners to managers to players -- who served in the various Yankee organizations are symbolic of the types of people we manage and work with every day in our work environments. The Yankees, in the context of this book, are a metaphor for sustained organizational and business excellence. The principles are grouped around three main themes: leadership, process, and culture. Together they constitute a road map for building your own dynasty. Leadership Establishes the Foundation Principle 1: Cultivate Ownership Values from the Top Down Principle 2: Hire the Best Frontline Managers You Can Find (They’re the Most Important People in Your Organization) Principle 3: Formally Recognize Your Informal Leaders Processes for Developing and Maintaining a Dynasty Principle 4: Set the Bar Higher than Your People Have Ever Seen It (Quantitative Performance Measures) Principle 5: Make Organizational Competencies the Heart of Your Appraisal Process (Qualitative Performance Measures) Principle 6: Make Everyone on the Team a Talent Scout Principle 7: Create a Balance of Superstars, Stars, and Solid Performers (Assessing and Classifying Your Employees) Principle 8: Establish Your Talent Strategy and Fill in the Gaps Principle 9: Create a Solid Farm System (Train and Develop Your People) Principle 10: Pay Your People Based on Their Contribution to Organizational Success Principle 11: Make the Superstar the Focal Point of Your Organization Design Your Culture for Success Principle 12: Diversify Your Talent Pool Principle 13: Celebrate Your History, Heroes, and Legends: Creating Traditions of Excellence Principle 14: Boldly Promote Your Tradition of Excellence The 14 principles are as applicable to the world of business and to your company as they are to the Yankees. May they help you build a dynasty! |
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Lance
A. Berger is a management consultant to Fortune 500 companies and has
served as a consultant to Major League Baseball. He specializes in
talent management, change management, and compensation. Dorothy R.
Berger is a consultant in talent management. They can be contacted at lbassociates@voicenet.com.
This article is excerpted with permission from their new book,
“Management Wisdom from the New York Yankees’ Dynasty,” ©2005 by
Lance A. Berger and Dorothy R. Berger. All rights reserved. Published
by John Wiley & Sons Inc., http://www.wiley.com/business.
For the book's listing on Amazon.com, click on the book cover image
below. Copyright © 2005 Directors & Boards, P.O. Box 41966 Philadelphia, PA 19101-1966. All rights reserved. Contact the webmaster. < Privacy Notice > |
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