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Löpande feedback i förändringsarbetet

Ongoing feedback for football association in change

In this article you will find out…

- The importance of following up changes through ongoing feedback
- That Quicksearch can help you with what feedback you should collect, how often and what type of feedback is suitable during the change work
- Tips via our webinar on how to succeed with change

Quicksearch has been conducting relationship surveys for over 20 years and are experts in statistics, survey methodology and analysis.

I have read a report from the organizational consulting firm McKinsey which shows that three out of four organizations fail with their change initiatives. Now that the football season is almost here, I want to tell you about a football association in change that did not use continuous feedback during the journey.

In my youth I played in one of the city's soccer teams. We ran a classic 4-4-2 formation. It was straight lines and long balls. Everyone knew their place in the team. Lars Lagerbäck would have been proud. As far as I remember, we used to place in the middle of the table and we managed to avoid the playoffs every year.

Before the 2010 season, a new chairman came into the association. He was recruited from the business world where he had worked for many years as operational CEO. He had a genuine interest in football. As CEO, he was also used to being judged by bottom line results and he was unimpressed by recent years' table positions and felt that the association should have higher goals with the business. Barcelona had great success with their 4-3-3 formation, with the three midfielders centering and the full-backs coming up high and gaining numerical superiority in midfield. A 4-4-2 formation felt more than legitimately old-fashioned. It was time for a change!

He told the board about his plans. The team would start playing a modern and attractive football and they would adopt a 4-4-3 system which meant a much greater flexibility for players and coaches. The board was excited, finally someone came in with fresh ideas. And it was true that the team had not reaped any major success at the end, besides, they played quite boring, didn't they? The new chairman was given full mandate to implement his changes.

The coach gathered us in the team and told us about the upcoming plans and that it would require a lot of the team going forward. From what I remember, it was a mixed atmosphere. Some thought it was about time the team changed its playing system, while others began to giggle a bit at the comparison with Barcelona. We were placed in smaller groups and discussed further. Our task was to go through our strengths and weaknesses as players and think about how we would solve the new tasks.

The new season kicked off and the team started with three straight losses. The coach and the chairman received many questions from the press and media about the lousy start to the season, but they showed a common front where they pedagogically explained that it takes time to change the game system and that you cannot expect immediate success when you make such big changes. Internally, things had already begun to creak. Some of the players felt very insecure with the new game system. We didn't really know where to go on the pitch and didn't feel the coach could explain how and why. Some began to grumble among themselves. The coach, in turn, wondered if he really had the right material for a 4-4-3 formation.

To make a long story short, the coach was replaced after five games and about half the team left during the current season. The team finished in the same position as before.


Could the association have acted differently?

  • We could collected ongoing feedback from the entire organization – from the players and leaders who came to be affected by the change. It would have given a better picture of the challenges that everyone experienced. It is better to collect relevant feedback than to assume that the whole organization thinks the way you do.
  • An important aspect that McKinsey highlights is the importance of straight and clear communication. When a change happens, everyone knows that there are winners and losers and to pretend that everyone will gain from the change is to risk falsehood which will lead to frustration and dissatisfaction. Take the dialogue directly with the employees who will be affected.
  • Once the change process has begun, it is important to maintain a close dialogue with all parties involved. It can be an invaluable help to collect continuous feedback digitally if the organization does not sit together. Dare to ask and take objections and challenges seriously.
  • Finally, it is important to be persistent. Everyone knows that change work is difficult and that it takes time to create something new. McKinsey emphasizes the importance of sticking to the goal but showing flexibility on the way there. If one method doesn't work, try another, if one path turns out to be a dead end, you have to backtrack and try a new one.

Working with an organization in change is not easy. At Quicksearch, we can help you prepare for a change through ongoing feedback. What feedback should you collect and how often? What type of feedback is appropriate during change work?

Do you want to know more about how to follow up changes through ongoing feedback? 

Source: McKinsey and Mastering the Challenges of Leading Change: Inspire the People and Succeed Where Others Fail by James Dallas.

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Writer

Patrik Johansson, Consultant and project manager, Quicksearch

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