Specific requirements for implementation

¶ … Sportsmanship' in Employees

Business is nothing but a sport, where winning comprises of gaining points in shareholder value, market share, profitability etc. And just like any other sport, winning in the business world requires a motivated, united and committed workforce, with a deep-rooted sense of 'sportsmanship.'

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines sportsmanship as "Conduct and attitude considered as befitting participants in sports, especially fair play, courtesy, striving spirit, and grace in losing" (dictionary.com). Dictionary definitions besides, surprisingly, there appears to be very little consensus on what exactly construes 'sportsmanship.'

However, there is a good reference point in a research study published in 1996, which attempted to derive a definition of sportsmanship by applying premises from social psychological theories and research: "Results from a factor analysis revealed the presence of five factors corresponding to the respect and concern for: a) one's full commitment towards sports participation, b) the rules and officials, c) social conventions, d) the opponent, as well as e) a negative approach towards sports participation" (Journal of Applied Sports Psychology, 1996, 8[1]; 89-101).

Correlating the above five factors to the business world will reveal that all five are equally applicable to an organization. Employees need to be fully committed to a company's goals in order to achieve them; there has to be respect for an organization's management, policies and rules without which there will be chaos and anarchy; camaraderie in the office requires adherence to social conventions; basic regard for internal opponents is necessary to build a culture of healthy competition and in a similar vein, regard for even the 'external' opponent is important to ensure that business practices are ethical; and finally a 'negative approach to sports participation,' needs to be avoided if employees are to be committed to the organization's agenda instead of their personal one.

Interestingly, there is a very strong link between sportsmanship and ethics: "As with ethics, when we talk about 'sportsmanship,' we are talking about someone's character and actions.... Sportsmanship is a matter of being good (character) and doing right (action) in sports.... Most of the acts we call unsportsmanlike are going to be wrong or bad outside the sports arena as well" (The NCCA News Web site).

Today, there is increasing concern about corporate ethics and social responsibility and organizations are being held accountable, be it in accounting practices or in formulating and following a code of conduct. Therefore, it follows that a company needs to look for the right ethical standards in an employee, encompassing not just overt honesty but intangibles such as humanitarism and professional integrity. In other words, a company needs to look for 'sportsmanship.'

In any case, job performance models in 'Organizational' behavior talk about an individual's beliefs and values, alongwith ability and knowledge as essential inputs for motivational behavior: "The organization's base rests on management's philosophy, values, vision and goals.... The workers perceive this as the quality of work life which directs their degree of motivation" (Big Dog's Leadership Page Online). Implicit in this is that there has to be 'sportsmanship' and a sense of shared values in an organization, if it is to stay competitive.

True, personality traits and an individual's ethical standard are difficult to judge during the recruitment process, even with the most rigorous of screening procedures. Which is probably why Corporates look for prospective candidates from other companies or industries which are known for their team spirit and sportsmanlike culture: "More companies like Photocircuit are enlisting the services of veterans to fill jobs...the military, with its leading-edge technology and spit-and-polish management style, may be the best boot camp around...while learning the art of war, they also learn discipline, teamwork, managing people and delegating tasks" (The Atlanta Journal- Constitution).