athletic... · web viewour methodology for this project was composed of three core elements:...

Table of Contents

Overview of Analysis…….………………………………………………………………1

Background of Organization…………………...………………………………….1

History……………………………………………………………………..1

Structure…………………………………………………...………………2

Mission…………………………………………………………………….3

Methods…………………...……………………………………………………….4

Major Themes………..…….………………………………………...……………..……5

Dynamic Leadership…………………………………...………………………….5

Adaptability..…………………………………………..…………………………..8

External Focus…………………………………………………….9

Flexibility………………………………………………………...10

Organizational Commitment…………...……….……………………………..…11

Overview of Culture…………………………………………………………..……..…13

Leadership Analysis……………………………………...………………………13

Transformational Leader: David Brandon…………………………...….13

Delegative Leader: Hunter Lochmann………..……………………...….14

Substitutability Leaders: Ryan Duey & Jordan Maleh………..……...….14

Leaders within the Department…………………………..…………...….15

Adaptability Analysis……………………………………...……………….……17

Office Culture Driven by External Focus…………………...………...….17

Culture of Flexibility………………………..…………………………...….18Organizational Commitment Analysis………………………………………......18

Overview of Commitment………………………..……………………...….18

Causes of an Oxymoronic Employment Cycle………………………...…20

Unique Cultural Components……………………………………………………22

Recommendations & Conclusion………………...……………………………….…...23

Recommendations…..………….……………….........................................…..…23

Concluding Statement…………..…………………………………………...…..24

References………………………………...……………………………………..………25

Appendices …………………………………………………………………...…………27

Appendix A……………………………………..…………………..…..………..27

Appendix B…………………………………………..……………………..……28

Appendix C…………………………...……………………………………..…...29

Appendix D ……………...……………………..……………………………..…31

Overview of Analysis

This section will discuss the background of the organization (history and structure), as well as

the methodologies utilized to gather information about the organization. For this organizational

cultural analysis, we chose to focus on the Marketing Department within University of Michigan

Athletics.

Background of Organization

History

Athletics have been a highlight at the university since the 1860s, but marketing did not

become a central focus until college athletics started becoming a big business in the 1990s

(Kinney, 2007). Even then, the University of Michigan had a very small staff throughout the

early 2000s who were given the daunting task of marketing the burgeoning athletic program. It

was not until the current Athletic Director, Dave Brandon, was hired in 2010 that the marketing

of athletics was truly emphasized. As the former

CEO of Domino’s Pizza, Brandon understands the

importance of brand power and marketing a big

business to create positive connections with the

community and increased interest in the product.

As Athletic Director, one of the first things Dave

Brandon did was hire Hunter Lochmann, who became

the first ever Chief Marketing Officer in collegiate athletics (“Michigan Athletics”, 2012).

Lochmann had a background as the vice president of marketing for the New York Knicks, a

storied basketball empire, with a similar brand power and tradition-related appeal as the

University of Michigan Athletic Department.

Dave Brandon announcing PNC Bank as official sponsor (ASBR, 2012)

Structure

Just last year, Hunter completed hiring his staff (for now) within the Marketing

Department. As far as the structure of the department, Hunter is the boss, and directly beneath

him are: Ryan Duey, Director of Marketing, Promotions, & Event Presentation (who has been

with the UM marketing since 2005), Jordan Maleh, Director of Digital Marketing, and Kristen

Ablauf, Director of Licensing. These directors help oversee an additional staff of associate and

assistant directors. All together, the department is made up of 11 full-time staff. This may not

seem like a big group, but compared to the early days of athletic marketing, this is a sizable

improvement. Each person within the department has a particular focus and area of expertise or

interest. Together, they make up the complete marketing machine. Without one of these people,

they would not be able to carry out all of their duties. When Hunter was hired, he wanted to

place a special focus on, “the business of social media and constructing a strong email database

system to give Michigan's brand more reach” (Rothstein, 2012). He hired his staff accordingly,

and has expanded in the necessary areas to mirror the blossoming of technology and consumer

research as it relates to sports. Below is an outline of the 11-person department.

(Structural Map, Tamony, 2012)

CMO

Director of Marketing,

Promotions & Event Presentation

Associate Director of Event

Presentation

Assistant Director of Marketing Partnerships

Assistant Director of Marketing &

Promotions Assistant Director of Marketing

Marketing Assistant

Marketing Assistant

Director of Digital Marketing

Assistant Director of Digital

Marketing

Director of Licensing

An additional, and very important component is the intern program. This recently expanded

program offers a unique experience for current U of M students to work as marketing

representatives at athletic events. Interns help deliver an optimal game experience, and are key

members of the department, as they execute the promotions and giveaways at games. The intern

program offers leadership positions, known as Head Coaches, who oversee the scheduling of

interns and marketing operations of the athletic events.

Mission

The mission of the marketing department aligns with the mission of the Athletic

Department as a whole. Citing the mission statement presented on the athletics’ website:

“The mission of the Athletic Department is to support and supplement the mission of the

University of Michigan by providing intercollegiate and recreational sports programs. The

development of successful teams and quality recreational sports programs, with a focus on the

welfare of our student-athletes, is inherent to our mission. The Athletic Department is dedicated

to the principle that the pursuit of excellence in intercollegiate athletics must be accomplished

within the framework of an academic community committed to providing equitable opportunities

for all student-athletes, students, and faculty.”

This is the general guiding declaration that the marketing team also follows. They must

act with the best interests of the amateur college athletes in mind, abiding by NCAA guidelines,

Left image: Student Interns for 2011/2012Right image: Head Coaches (in black) during a time-out contest at basketball game (M. Chang, 2012)

just as the rest of the department. More specific to their job is the daily mission to:

1) Build the Brand (maintain the reputation and integrity of the brand)

2) Drive Change and Innovate (social media, technology, delivering the experience)

3) Grow in Every Way (maintain and boost revenues)

4) Talent and Culture Wins (recruit and retain the best staff, winning culture)

This four part agenda is the foundation for the Michigan Athletics Game Plan of 2012/2013. For

the entire game plan, and the specific goals, strategic initiatives, and objectives, please see

Appendix A. As an additional guidance tool for their vision, mission, and goals as a department,

they utilize the “Denison Model” (Appendix D). The model provides an outline of their general

purpose and direction as a department and is provided by Denison Consulting, a firm who helps

high-performance business cultures, like the Michigan Athletic Department.

Methods

Our methodology for this project was composed of three core elements: observation of

the work environment, personal interviews, and surveys. Firstly, four of our six group members

are or have been interns for the Marketing Department. This allowed for us to have a sense of

what the work environment was like prior to even beginning the interviews. From our experience

with the department, whether it has been time spent in the office prior to athletics events or time

spent with the staff at parties and events, we entered into the project with a fairly good sense (or

so we thought) of the culture and behaviors of the office. Obviously, we could not rely solely on

what we knew from watching and interacting; we had to actually speak with the staff in order to

view things from their perspective.

We requested interviews with Hunter Lochmann, Ryan Duey, Chris Kaiser, Angela

Thick, Whitney Tarver, and Dan Arment. We selected these individuals because they have varied

positions and experience. All except for Hunter agreed to the interviews. Hunter explained that

he participated in a similar student project before and it did not go well for him, so he politely

declined. At least two of our group members were present for each of the in-person interviews,

which took place over the course of a week. All but one interview, took place inside the

marketing office. For a list of interview questions, please see Appendix B.

Prior to finishing the interviews, we had decided that we would also like to send out a

survey to everyone in the department, including the Head Coaches (see Appendix C for

protocol). We concluded this would be the best way to gauge general attitudes and feelings about

the work environment and culture within the department. We received nine total responses.

Major Themes

Our research provided us with many potential themes and patterns woven throughout the

behavior, attitudes, and practices of the department. We chose the three most notable: Dynamic

Leadership, Adaptability, and Organizational Commitment.

Dynamic Leadership

One of the major themes that can be extracted from observing the marketing department

from an organizational behavioral standpoint is a unique form of dynamic leadership. At every

level of Michigan Athletics, the power and influence of Athletic Director Dave Brandon is felt.

As mentioned above, Brandon brought a breadth of experience and marketing wisdom into the

athletic department. In fact, according to an interview with a marketing employee, since

Brandon’s hire three years ago, the marketing unit of the athletic department has grown from a

staff of three to eleven members, and in turn a much greater emphasis has been placed on

marketing as a whole (Respondent 1, personal communication, October 23, 2012). A former

University of Michigan football player himself, Brandon is obsessed with the consumer

experience. In a recent “60 Minutes” segment on the revolving world of college sports, Brandon

revealed that his entire mission is for Michigan fans to be entertained from “the moment they

leave their driveways to the moment they come back home,” and accordingly brings an attention

to detail to every facet of the program, including taste tasting concessions hours before game

time (“College Football”, 2012). Surely, this type of infectious attitude and enthusiastic

leadership at the top of the organizational ladder trickles down ensuing levels to the rest of the

marketing employees.

Hunter Lochmann is the senior member in charge of the

Michigan Sports Marketing Department, as the athletic department’s

first ever CMO. Lochmann brings not only a wealth of expertise but also

an uncommon combination of credibility and trust to his respective

division. As such, it is fascinating to observe just how much each of the

marketing employees interviewed felt so positively connected and influenced by Lochmann. In

an employee interview, the respondent commented on how Hunter is “the greatest boss ever”

(Respondent 2, personal communication, October 23, 2012). During her coinciding interview,

another staffer added how “positive Hunter always is, and how he promotes the notion that it is

okay to have fun at work” (Respondent 1, personal communication, October 23, 2012).

Furthermore, both employees, when asked their commitment levels to work on a 1-10 scale,

replied with “tens” primarily because they both love working for Hunter (Respondents 1 & 2,

personal communication, October 23, 2012). Hunter is clearly a source of inspiration, trust, and

motivation for those that work under him.

Hunter Lochmann (Michigan Athletics, 2010)

Where Lochmann’s true colors show is in his ability to delegate and make his employees

feel at ease. In the marketing department, there is a culture, understanding, and expectation that

each individual is in charge of their specific tasks and projects (Respondent 2, personal

communication, October 23, 2012). This type of leadership approach allows for the construction

and definition of roles.

For example, in an interview, an employee

spoke of feeling in complete control of the newly

created H.A.I.L. student rewards program, and that

this responsibility lends her to feel an overall stronger

sense of organizational commitment than she may

have otherwise felt if the department was managed in a

different way (Respondent 1, personal communication, October 23, 2012). This member is not

alone regarding this sentiment; in a survey given to the marketing department members, five of

the nine respondents answered the following statement by responding “agree” or “strongly

agree”: I am a leader in this department (Survey, November 7, 2012). By initiating this form of

structure in the workplace, Lochmann (and in a way Brandon) are breeding a new wave of

leadership and leaders from amongst a young group of motivated employees that work for

Michigan marketing.

Ryan Duey is another definitive leader in the marketing office. He exudes an obvious

passion and enthusiasm for his role and the department as a whole. He oversees a number of

employees, as his title is the Director of Marketing, Promotions, and Event Presentation. He

brings a range of expertise to the table, and is critical for the entire department with his role in

football. He has helped to put on a number of spectacular pregame and in-game promotions and

HAIL advertisement (Promotions, 2012)

surprises. He has worked for the organization longer than Dave Brandon or Hunter Lochmann,

but recognizes that it is imperative to work in a dedicated and prompt fashion for his superiors,

and while this “go, go, go” approach can be stressful, the end result is always worth it. In an

interview with another marketing employee, the respondent commented on how it is understood

amongst the younger employees that their work reflects upon Lochmann and Duey’s work,

which is a major source of motivation to do well in the department (Respondent 1, personal

communication, October 23, 2012). At the end of the day, the leadership in the branch realizes

that with 31 athletic teams to support and effectively market, it takes an entire team effort to do

an outstanding job, which is why the department’s leaders take on a great deal of the ground

work in addition to delegation.

Adaptability

The University of Michigan Sport Marketing Department has had an advantageous

opportunity that has allowed the organization to become one of the most well-known

departments in the country, demonstrated through recognition among many top institutions. The

department’s ability to adapt has stood out as a major theme that makes them successful, and

secures their likelihood of accomplishing great things in the future. As the market changes, it is

obvious that the University of Michigan Sport Marketing department will be among the leaders

based on our analysis. The nature of the marketing industry is that marketers must always be

moving forward and improving to be one step ahead of the marketplace. With this, the

department hopes to create change, emphasize customer focus, and promote organizational

learning (Appendix D). When analyzing this theme of adaptability, the department has expressed

their goal to devote their time to two broad segments: An External Focus and Flexibility. These

segments were espoused in several internal interviews and are shown in Appendix D.

External Focus

External focus is the actual influence that the market has on the department. No day is

ever the same while working in sports marketing. This is a reflection of their dependence on

external factors, most often the University of Michigan fans’ ever changing preferences. Ever

since Dave Brandon has came to Michigan as the Athletic Director, the department size and

duties have seen growth. The reason that the marketing department expanded at such a rate was

the sole fact that the market of consumers was changing. One marketing employee explained that

one of the largest motivating factors of his

work is this sense of cultural change, not

only within the department, but among

consumers (Respondent 3, personal

communication, October 26, 2012).

Fellow coworkers must focus on the

outside world and anticipate what

consumers will want next. When demands change, the department must be able to change their

goals and mission or else they will not be successful. Although this is a challenge, the UM Sport

Marketing department thrives off of their fans and consumers. The work they do is always

exciting and new, which can be stressful, but as one employee put it, “Who wouldn’t want to

work for Michigan Athletics”? (Respondent 4, personal communication, October 26th, 2012).

Additionally, while marketing all varsity teams at the university, the department must be

able to change across sports and alter their plans for each. This leads into the other adaptability

subtopic of how the marketing department functions under a flexible setting.

Keeping up with social trends (Multimedia, 2012)

Flexibility

Flexibility is key when adapting to various sports teams and an array of fan types. While

working in front of nearly 115,000 people at the Big House, the sport-marketing department

must adjust to consumer demands, sometimes adjusting on the spot. One employee pointed out

that one of the biggest challenges is that everyone has an opinion, and black and white decisions

are very rare (Respondent 3, personal communication, October 26, 2012). As a result, the

environment in which the department works is highly stressful, striving to be “great at juggling

multiple things”. Because of the high level of stress and large marketing projects, the

department most often divides the project up into smaller groups. Although this does not

eliminate the stress, it allows employees to interact and build unique, fun loving relationships,

which were expressed in each interview we performed. One employee summarized her opinion

on the high performance, fast-paced nature of the department:

“Of course it’s stressful, on a national stage, pretty high standards, microscope is always on us,

the things we do millions of people see, so it is stressful, stressful having to think on your feet,

very stressful to make it seem like nothing is ever wrong, but at the same time, the more

experience you have with it, the easier it becomes, if you’re second guessing yourself, you’re

going to mess up” (Respondent 4, personal communication, October 26, 2012).

As this employee stated, adaptability is key to their department, and without their ability

to do so, it is much harder to achieve the reputation of being the “leaders and best” (Respondent

3, personal communication, October 26, 2012).

Organizational Commitment

The culture of the marketing department reflects an environment in which the employees

are extremely committed to their work. Organizational commitment can be defined as “a desire

on the part of an employee to remain a member of an organization” (Colquitt, LePine, &

Wesson, 2012, p. 63). Each employee appears to experience a certain type of commitment, as

they all desire to remain a part of the organization for different incentives and motivations. These

commitment types as they pertain to organizational behavior concepts will be discussed in the

Overview of Culture section below. Two employees mentioned that they love working for their

boss, Hunter, and as a result they strive to do their

best and give him their all (Respondents 1 & 2,

personal communication, October 23, 2012).

An additional sentiment demonstrated that

at least one employee is emotionally committed to

working in the sports industry, as he claims that,

“no day is ever the same”, and he thrives on that

constant energy (Respondent 3, personal

communication, October 26, 2012). Another component of this department involves working

with students, and in an interview, Respondent 3 noted that this was a major perk of the job.

Respondent 5, a Head Coach, (position listed in introduction) explained that he is committed to

his position because he wants to be hired for a full time position out of college (Respondent 5,

personal communication, October 25, 2012). For this person in the department, there are costs

associated with leaving; he has already put a lot of time and effort into his position without

receiving pay. Although this student intern does not need to stay with this organization, after

Ryan Duey coaching student interns during a staff game of flag football (Chang, 2012)

they graduate will be the time to receive compensation for his hard work and dedication to the

department.

The employees in the marketing department appear to have high levels of job satisfaction,

and we found that this is related to how what they value matches up with their job requirements.

The employees in this organization value athletics and they genuinely enjoy working in the sport

industry. Their work in the Michigan Athletic Department allows the employees to work in a

field that they are interested in. Respondent 1 mentioned that she is a “huge sports fan” and is

passionate about Michigan athletics.

How employees view their supervisors contributes to overall job satisfaction, and

Respondents 1 and 2, believe that Hunter and Jordan are very good mentors and bosses. Alluding

to a similar emotion, Respondent 4 exclaimed, “Who wouldn’t want to work for Michigan

athletics?” (Respondent 4, personal communication, October 26, 2012). Another employee

explained that he is very satisfied working for the marketing department, as he is given unique

opportunities that he would not have had otherwise. The employees expressed high levels of job

satisfaction, which correlate with high levels of organizational commitment.

Although the employees of the organization expressed high levels of job satisfaction and

organizational commitment, there are some downsides to working in a collegiate marketing

department. Respondent 3 described the trend of a “four-year cycle” that appears to be occurring

within the organization. He explained that in the collegiate environment, a majority of the

employees are younger and may come to the marketing department with the intention of gaining

experience and training. Once the employee has the skills needed, they seek new opportunities

and new jobs. They typically move from the collegiate environment to a professional

environment. Once the employee gains the experience needed to enter another organization, they

may no longer feel committed to the marketing department. Although the employees appear to

exhibit high levels of organizational commitment and satisfaction, the trend of not staying in one

place for too long may hint at other motives for the younger employees.

Overview of Culture

This section will further explore the office dynamics as they relate to the themes above. We

directly coordinated our Overview of the Culture with the themes, in order to produce a cohesive

analysis. The section headings are similar, but in this section, we will discuss specific

organizational behavior concepts from our course material.

Leadership Analysis

Transformational Leader: David Brandon

As discussed earlier Dave Brandon is the Athletic Director at the University of Michigan

and is known for his transformational leadership. A transformational leader is someone who

inspires others to commit to a shared vision that provides meaning to their work, as well as acts

as a role model (Colquitt et al., 2011, p.462). Brandon is able to bring large amounts of

motivation specifically into the marketing department. This motivation stems from Brandon’s

expert power or “passion” for the fan interaction and marketing (Respondent 3, personal

communication, October ). This inspiration motivation that Brandon has allows other

employees of the marketing department to gain organizational commitment and enthusiasm for

their work as well (Colquitt et al., 2011, p.465). All of these qualities have made Brandon an

important and unique figure not only in the athletic department, but specifically the marketing

department. Brandon has been able to prove in a short period of time that he is an effective

leader and one who knows how to identify other leaders to operation specific segments of the

athletic department.

Delegative Leader: Hunter Lochmann

As mentioned above, Hunter Lochmann was hired by the Dave Brandon in 2010.

Lochmann is a delegative leader, which is a leader that gives an individual employee or a group

of employees the responsibility for making the decision within some set of specified boundary

conditions (Colquitt et al., 2011, p.455). This type of leadership allows high follower or

employee control. Lochmann within the marketing department provides motivation and

encouragement to his employees, while still having the power to step into a project if necessary.

This type of leadership Lochmann has implemented involves having high trust in one’s

employees because initiating and consideration behaviors are relatively low in this type of

leadership (Colquitt et al., 2011, p. 457). However, this being said Lochmann acts as a delegative

leader, but has all the characteristics of a transformational leader. Lochmann encompasses leader

visibility, which is defined as the awareness of a leader’s power and position. Lochmann’s

power within the department is clearly understood, but it is also understood that each member of

the department has their own leadership roles as well.

All employees of the marketing department agreed that Lochmann inspires them and is

seen as a role model within the department. Due to this fact Lochmann has referent power,

power existing when others have desire to identify and be associated with said person. It can be

seen that Lochmann, even in his delegative leadership role, shares many of the same leadership

qualities and seen in a relatively similar fashion as Brandon.

Substitutability Leaders: Ryan Duey & Jordan Maleh

Ryan Duey and Jordan Maleh are both secondary leaders within the marketing

department under Hunter Lochmann. They are secondary leaders, but act as high substitutability

leaders. Both Duey and Maleh act as additional leadership resources within the marketing

department (Colquitt et al., 2011, p. 422). Their leadership is highly visible to employees and

they help support Lochmann’s delegative work environment, but in different ways. Duey has

more of an outspoken, outgoing and very humorous personality, while Maleh is quieter in

comparison. Both are known to have good relationships with each member in the office and have

high levels of consideration for each member. Though their personalities and leadership styles

may differ, this does not diminish their strength as leaders. Duey has been with the organization

from the early days, before Hunter Lochmann or David Brandon were even on the scene, so he

brings a unique perspective to the department, and uses his prior experience with the

organization to his advantage.

One interesting fact about Maleh is that many members of the department identified him

by his intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration (Colquitt et al., 2011, p. 465).

Maleh was hired to bring the marketing department into the 21st century of digital media and has

creatively questioned the old situations and has helped reframe them into new ones. Coinciding

with individualized consideration, evidence indicates that Maleh’s behavior acts as inspiration

for other members in the department. Maleh’s behavior involves coming into the office early,

staying late and coaching members into reframing the marketing department in terms of digital

media. Both Maleh and Duey both are instrumental in providing secondary leadership resources

in the marketing department and help others in delegating their leadership within their

boundaries of the marketing department.

Leaders within the Department

The marketing department has a hierarchy in leaders, shown below, and all employees

comply to with the hierarchy. David Brandon is at the top with the most power and the highest

authority in the marketing department, then subsequently next is Hunter Lochmann, then Ryan

Duey and Jordan Maleh.

Nevertheless, as discussed earlier Lochmann has the highest authority within the marketing

department with his delegative leadership style. This type of leadership allows employees of the

marketing department to be their own leaders within their specific boundaries. Many employees

and the majority of Head Coach interns expressed that they felt like leaders within the

department (Survey, November 7, 2012). Yet, there is still a sense of centrality in the

organization. Centrality is defined as the level of importance a person’s job is and how many

people depend on that person to accomplish their tasks (Colquitt et al., 2011, p. 422). Even

though members of the department have their own boundaries of leadership, there is this sense of

dependence on each member to get tasks done in order to accomplish tasks or projects.

Related to this, there seems to be a high level of psychological empowerment in the

marketing department that contributes to this correlation of each employee being a leader and

centrality. Psychological empowerment is a belief that work tasks contribute to some larger

purpose. Based off data from the interviews and surveys, an assumption can be made that

because the employees consider themselves leaders there are high levels of self-determination

and belief in one’s competence (Colquitt et al., 2011, p. 181). These characteristics coincide

David Brandon

Hunter Lochmann

Ryan Duey Jordan Maleh

with intrinsic motivation, motivation that is felt when task performance serves as its own

reward (Colquitt et al., 2011, p. 169). Overall, Lochmann has made an intrinsic work

environment for its employees by allowing them to be leaders.

Adaptability Analysis

The marketing department is described as adaptive due to the constantly changing

environment of college athletics. Adaptive task performance is an integral employee response

because more and more organizations are increasing productivity/efficiency with fewer

employees (Colquitt et al., 2011, p. 34). In addition, adaptive task performance involves proper

execution in times where unusual tasks may be involved. The marketing department is still

relatively small in terms of hires despite all of the sports they are responsible for promoting. The

fans and consumers dictate the marketing strategies that should be implemented so it is important

to be responsive, as well as work towards constant innovation and improvement. The department

exhibits adaptability because every day brings forth a new challenge and each employee must be

ready to react.

Office Culture Driven by External Focus

With the department growing in size within the past few years, there has been a huge

shift in organizational culture. The addition of more people has shifted organizational goals with

further emphasis on marketing and innovation. As a result, Dave Brandon’s continued efforts in

bringing marketing to the forefront of athletics have fostered a strong cultural sense in the

department itself. All employees within the department have a strong sense of organizational

norms and what is acceptable or not allowed (Colquitt et al., 2011, p. 526). Moreover, since

consumer responses and perceptions drive the department’s overall goals, there is a palpable

focus on external factors and how they influence attendance to certain events. This provides the

department with motivation. The goal setting theory is applicable with the goal, which

according to the employees is to make sure all games and competitions are sold out. This

ultimate goal drives proficiency and effort (Colquitt et al., 2011, p. 174).

Culture of Flexibility

As the department holds itself responsible for putting on successful games for 115,000

people, it is extremely important to be able to have explicit knowledge. This is evident in the

department, as information is easily and affectively communicated (Colquitt et al., 2011, p. 239).

One of our survey questions measured the confidence level of the employees in their ability to do

their job, and 100% of the respondents answered “Very Confident” or “Extremely Confident”

(SURVEY). This reflects the employees knowledge and training that has allowed them to adapt

to their job and the changing needs of the department. The marketing department has to ensure

that all staff members are updated and aware of pertinent information, especially when weather

is uncontrollable, or scheduling is difficult. In addition, the marketing department works closely

with different entities, such as IMG; therefore, compromising is especially critical to resolve

conflicts or to deal with communication lag time. The environment is also relatively stressful, but

coping (Colquitt et al., 2011, p. 137). with the stress and high demand becomes easier with more

experience and familiarity through each event.

Organizational Commitment Analysis

Overview of Commitment

As previously stated, organizational commitment is the desire for an employee to remain a

member of an organization (Colquitt et al., 2011, p. 63). Based on interview qualitative data

there is high levels of commitment to the organization, even head coaches to the organization.

However, there is not enough support to clearly identify if all employees have the same type of

organization commitment.

Many employees in the department are “fresh” hires straight out of college or relatively

new to the labor market and for them this is their first major job. Relatively new workers like

some in the marketing department are commonly associated with normative commitment-

commitment to an organization because the employee ought to. However, there is no normative

commitment found within these employees in the marketing department, thus probing would

have to be done to farther examine if there is in fact a correlation (Colquitt et al., 2011, p. 64).

Meanwhile, there is evidence that because the marketing department is a highly sociable work

environment there is evidence of significant affective commitment, commitment to an

organization due to emotional attachments and involvement with the organization (Colquitt et al.,

2011, p.64). The marketing department has events that are not work-related, which builds build

relationships amongst employee personnel (Respondents 1-5, personal communication, October

2012). These events can contribute to affective commitment as well.

Infamous Michigan Motto (“Athletic Development”, 2012)

Full-time employees of the marketing department are more related to affective

commitment, but Head Coach interns seem to have a continuance commitment. Continuance

commitment is the commitment a member has because of an awareness of the costs associated

with leaving the organization (Colquitt et al., 2011, p. 181 64). Head Coaches are associated with

continuance because many of these interns feel they need the organization. They need the

experience in order expand their future job options, thus they are not necessarily embedded into

the organization.

In summary, there is no single type of commitment that can be pointed out as the only or

overall type of the commitment to the marketing department employees. The commitment seems

to be subjective to the position, experience and intent of the employee or intern.

Causes of an Oxymoronic Employment Cycle

Discussed earlier was the fact that there is a relatively high turn-over rate and a trend of a four-

year cycle of employees entering and exiting the marketing department. This cycle seems to be

oxymoronic due to the information gathered in the surveys and interviews. Job satisfaction is one

of the leading indications of organizational commitment, and based on the data collected, almost

all employees agreed that that they have high job satisfaction (Survey, November 7, 2012).

(Colquitt et al., 2011, p. 114). Even with this evidence though there is still this cycle of

employment within the department, which made us question, with such high job satisfaction,

why is there this cycle for full-time employees?

Lack of promotions or advancement in the marketing department may be a reason why.

There is evidence that a correlation can be made because majority of the staff is “younger” and

for many this is their first experiences in the athletic and sport labor market. Thus, some

employee might leave to expand their opportunities and chance of advancement. This correlation

is true amongst interns, however further research and a longer period of time is needed to see if

there is significance amongst full time employees.

Furthermore, another possible cause would be stressors involved in the job. Almost all

the respondents said they experience some kind of role overload, the number of demanding

roles an employee has is so much that not all the roles can be completed. Respondents said that

there is a lot of work to be done within the department amongst each person, but it is

“manageable”(Respondents 1-3, personal communication, October 26, 2012). From our

observations, it is obvious that the marketing department experiences time pressure because

they all 31 sports and their home events. There is time pressure to accomplish things for events

that occur in the same day and same week. Time pressure is also present due to the long hours

the staff has to work not only in the office, but at events as well. Events require the staff to work

all over the athletic campus inside and outside no matter the weather.

These stressors can manageable for an employee that does not have a family, and there is

no one in the department besides Lochmann that has a family with a wife and children, as

pointed out in an interview with Respondent 2. There is a chance that workers leave due to work-

family conflict, but this is an assumption that farther research is needed.

Work responsibility is present as well, which refers to the nature of the obligations that

a person have toward others. The marketing staff does not only answer to each other and the

leaders of the organization, but they have an obligation to the teams and coaches they market for.

Unique Cultural Components

As a result of our group members’ involvement with the department, we have noted a

number of unique observable artifacts, including: symbols, physical structures, language,

stories, rituals, and ceremonies (Colquitt et. al, 2012, p. 520). All of these components contribute

to the visible culture. Firstly, when you walk into the office, there is no shortage of Michigan

paraphernalia, with posters, apparel, and merchandise draped around people’s individual offices

and cubicles. A few of the employees also have a print out or framed copy of the words: “The

Team, The Team, The Team”, a reference to a famous

speech given by legendary Michigan football coach,

Bo Schembechler. This particular symbol

encompasses the general need and admiration of

teamwork within the office.

These symbols serve as reminder of the

institution they work for and a motivator for the

employees to maintain the power of the brand. That

being said, as far as the physical structure of the

office, the marketing department takes up a relatively

small space in the Hartwig Building (part of the athletic

“campus”). With the expansion of the team, a few employees share office space. There are two

in one corner office, and three in a large back office. The top 4 employees (CMO & three

directors) have their own offices and the assistant share an open desk space in the center. One

employee joked that he enjoyed his “roommate”, referring to his office space partner because

Bo Schembechler (U of M Football Coaches, 2012)

they are constantly around one another (Respondent 2, personal communication, October 23,

2012). This did not surface as a problem for the employees.

Another interesting cultural quirk about the department is the way they address one

another. Many of the employees have nicknames (often related to a twitter handle), or

abbreviated versions of their real names. This reflects the high level of comfort and sociability

that they share with one another. Although the work they do is professional and serious business,

they take the time to have a little fun. Part of this stems from that they are constantly around

sports, which they love. A few of the employees enjoy the occasional prank or office playfulness.

Earlier this year when they ordered a high powered t-shirt gun for in-game use, one of the

employees decided to try it out in the office and aimed it at the mid-section of another employee.

This employee was hit with the impending t-shirt, and everyone got a good laugh from it, and

thankfully no one was injured. There are many stories like this, and they enjoy sharing them with

others. As far as rituals and ceremonies, the department meets quarterly for a meeting, and there

are regular meetings scheduled between employees with similar duties. Several of the employees

get together on Thursday nights to play volleyball in the nearby gym, and many of them will go

out for happy hour after work or on weekends. Once a month, there is a group lunch, and at the

beginning and end of the school year, there is a celebration for the intern program participants.

There is hardly a shortage of activities, as the marketing department also partakes in Athletic

Department-wide holiday events.

Recommendations & Conclusion

Recommendations

As far as recommendations, we discovered that the work schedule places a burden on

some of the employees, as they are often at the mercy of the athletics schedule, with many long

weekends and nights. For this generally young staff, this may not be too much of an issue, but it

may very well be a contributing factor to employees leaving after a period of time. Though this

scheduling cannot really be altered, we recommend that employees are recognized for the long

hours they work. Perhaps devoting a Friday afternoon (quarterly) to optional staff yoga or

massages (budget and interest permitting) would allow for some stress relief. As for how to

tackle the cycling of employees through the department, we have a broader recommendation.

Increasing the opportunities for job enrichment or job crafting in the marketing department

would contribute to keeping employees happy and satisfying their desire to be challenged with

their work. Job enrichment is when duties and responsibilities associated with a job are

expanded to provide more variety, identity, or autonomy. Meanwhile, job crafting is where

employees can shape, mold, and redefine their jobs in a proactive way. These types of job

characteristics help make employees more active and help expand their ideals of worth to the

organization (Colquitt et al., 2011, p. 106). Additionally, if evidence is found that work-family

conflict is in fact a contributing factor, then the department should search for solutions to lessen

the stressors for the employees.

Concluding Statement

This organizational cultural analysis of the Michigan Sports Marketing provided an

insightful overview and exploration of the inner-workings of the department. We chose this

organization based on the personal interest and experience of several group members. Although

there were many themes we found, we narrowed in on the three most prevalent: a dynamic form

of leadership, a sense of adaptability, and organizational commitment. Each one of these

overarching themes encompassed a range of topics relevant to our coursework, providing a real-

world example of how these organizational behavior concepts apply.

References

ASBR staff. (2012). University of Michigan athletics selects PNC as official bank sponsor.

Abec’s Small Business Review. Retrieved from http://www.abecssbr.com/featured-

stories/09/2012/university-of-michigan-athletics-selects-pnc-as-official-bank-sponsor/

Athletic Development. (2012). Michigan Athletic Development. Retrieved from

http://support.mgoblue.com/

Chang, M. (2012). Facebook photos of marketing activites. Facebook. Retrieved from

www.facebook.com

Colquitt, J., Lepine, J. & Wesson, M. Organizational behavior: improving performance and

commitment in the workplace. 3rd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2013. Print.

"Has college football become a campus commodity? 60 Minutes: CBS News."Breaking News

Headlines: Business, Entertainment & World News - CBS News. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov.

2012. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50135410n

Kinney, G. (2007). Beginning dates of Michigan varsity sports. Bentley Historical Library:

University of Michigan Athletics History. Retrieved from

http://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/misc/sportdate.htm

Michigan Athletics. (2010). MGoBlue.com. Retrieved from http://www.mgoblue.com/g

enrel/120210aad.html

Multimedia. (2012).MGoBlue.com. Retrieved from http://www.mgoblue.com/multimedia

/instagram.html

Promotions. (2012). MGoBlue.com. Retrieved from http://www.mgoblue.com/hail/

Rothstein. (2012, Jun 19). Wolverines push the marketing envelope. Wolverine Nation:

ESPN.com. Retrieved from http://espn.go.com/colleges/michigan/football/

story/_/id/8067187/michigan-wolverines-push-marketing-envelope

U of M Football Coaches. (2006). Bentley Historical Library: University of Michigan Athletics

History. Retrieved from http://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/ football/ coaches/gschemb.htm

Appendix A: Michigan Athletics Game Plan

Appendix B: Interview Protocol

Interview Questions (by subject):

Job Performance/Organizational Commitment

1. How committed do you feel to your current position?2. Is there a way that your organization evaluates your performance?

Job Satisfaction/Leadership 3. Overall, how satisfied are you with your job? What makes it good/bad? (could give prompts about how they feel about coworkers, pay, promotion opportunities, boss, and work itself)

4. Are there clear leaders within the office or is it a more collaborative environment? How do the leaders here influence others within the office as far as attitudes, inspiration, and work ethic?

Motivation- 5. How are your co-workers motivated to perform their best? 6. What factors motivate you the most?7. How does your work contribute to the larger purpose of the marketing department? Why is your work meaningful to you?

Stress8. Would you consider your job to be stressful? If so, how do you handle stressors?9. Is most of your work done in groups? How many co-workers would you normally work on tasks with?10. Do you feel that you are given too many tasks/projects to complete in a certain amount of time?

Trust/Ethics11. What practices are in place to ensure the following of NCAA rules? How important are ethics in this regard when dealing with college coaches and student-athletes?12. How important is it to the athletic department for the marketing group to be viewed as trustworthy? How does this play a role in the overall reputation of Michigan Athletics?

Organizational Culture

13. What did you hear about the marketing office before you started working in the office? Did any of the stories seem to be true?14. Are there any daily routines that the whole office participates in weekly, monthly or quarterly?15. Do you believe that there are any subcultures or countercultures within the organization?16. What symbols would you say is the most important and most influential in the organization?

Appendix C: Survey Protocol

1. Please select one of the options on how the language of the office is when trying to accomplish a group project or goal?1- Very Aggressive-negative language is always expressed when trying to achieve a goal2- Sometimes Aggressive- tendencies of negative language when trying to achieve a goal3- Aggressive language is used, but it is usually used in a positive manner4- Non-aggressive and positive language is always used when trying to achieve a goal

2. On a scale of 1-4, did you have a fair understanding of the espoused values when you started working here? (Espoused values are values that have the company hold and explicitly states, e.g. mission statement, verbal statements to employees)1- Completely Understood Espoused values2- Fairly Understood Espoused values3- Understood minimal amount of the Espoused values4- Did not understand any of the espoused values

3. On a scale of 1-5, how would you rank the solidarity of the culture in the office? (solidarity meaning how friendly co-workers are to one another)1- Complete Solidarity2- More Solidarity than Malice3- Half/Half Solidarity & Malice4- More Malice than Solidarity5- Complete Malice

4. On a scale of 1-6, how would you rank the sociability of the culture in the office?

1- I do not socialize with any of my co-workers in the office2- I only socialize with my co-workers when I have to3- I socialize with less than half of my co-workers 5- I socialize with the majority of my co-workers6- I socialize with all of my co-workers

5. On a scale of 1-5, how do you feel about the diversity of the work culture?(Diversity in terms of thinking and the forming of ideas)1- Everyone in the office thinks alike there is no real diversity within the office.2- Majority of office thinks alike there is very little diversity within the office.3- Select individuals bring diversity to the office.4. Majority of the office bring diversity to the office.5- All individuals in the office have their own diverse way of thinking.

6. On a scale of 1-5 how do you feel about the creativity of the work culture?1- No Creativity

2- Little Creativity3- Neutral 4- Some Creativity5- Highly Creative

7. On a Scale of 1-5, please indicate how accepted you feel within the office amongst your co-workers?1- I feel completely accepted by my peers 2- Majority of the time I feel like I am accepted by my peers3- Depends on the situation/ Neutral4- Majority of the time I do not feel like I am accepted by my peers5- I never feel like I am accepted by my peers

8. How would you classify the amount of stress you experience related to your job? a) zero/none b) low c) moderate d) high

9. Most of your stress is related to which of the following:a) supervision b) work group c) social injustice d) work environment/customers

10. Which season is the most stressful?a) Spring b) Summer c) Fall d) Winter

*Why? Please explain.

11. Overall, I am satisfied with my job.

Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral AgreeStrongly Agree

12. I could see myself working here in 2 years.






15. The work I do is meaningful to me.


16. The work I do is meaningful to the University of Michigan community.


Appendix D: Overview of the Denison Model

athletic... · web viewour methodology for this project was composed of three core elements:...

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