France's World Cup defeat offers lessons on teamwork

One of the greatest upsets of the World Cup has been the stunning defeat of the French soccer team . But the clobbering of a favored team thanks to infighting and insubordination offers some lessons for average working stiffs and their bosses.

The French team had some of the best players in global soccer, was given widespread support by their countrymen and women, and was headed by a competent group of managers. But the organization fell apart in a spectacular fashion, which brought national disgrace to France, even prompting a government inquiry into the loss.

Players weren’t happy with the team’s leadership under Coach Raymond Domenech, so they refused to do their jobs. Team managers didn’t listen to the players, hurled insults, and lost control, and still another resigned. And now everyone is pointing fingers at each other.

It’s sounds like a typical day at any dysfunctional organization.

A lack of trust, respect and communication can doom any company — or any team — no matter how talented its players or employees or managers are, said David Nour, a consultant and author of “Relationship Economics” and “ConnectAbility”, who has also played and coached soccer.

“Soccer is a culmination of individual skills, but success comes from the cohesiveness of the team, the chemistry of the team,” he said. “In an office, if you don’t trust the people you work with, respect them, how can you have that chemistry?”

Sometimes it is just all about “testosterone and a lack of maturity,” added Maury Peiperl, a professor of Leadership and Strategic Change at International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland. “It’s when people want to have power over other people for sake of power, or people don’t trust other people because of their own past experiences. In my experience, it’s more often the men than women that screw this up.”


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