Project
The Challenge
A leading NSGO struggled to optimize its two diverse priorities – maximizing profit from a globally recognized annual event and continuing to grow the grassroots efforts nationally.
The Outcome
The NSGO was organized to create a single strategy that would address two diverse priorities for the organization, and provide governance, structure, and measures to encourage collaboration and achieve strategic priorities.
The NSGO had enjoyed years of steady revenue growth from a national event that attracted competitors and interest from around the world. It was recognized globally as a major event, televised and well supported, yet ratings and revenue growth did not compare favorably with similar events within the sport and other events of this stature. At the same time, the organization was faced with declining grassroots participation. The sport, one of the most readily played a decade earlier, became associated with socioeconomic and demographic stigmas and rapidly declining youth appeal.
The board and senior management believed that there was an opportunity to change the trend and revive both participation in the sport and boost the national event’s financial position. The leadership team was intent on preserving a close link between the two focal areas while optimizing the outcomes for each division.
Balancing the goals of two diverse operating units and creating governing and functional harmony between full-time employees and an extremely active volunteer workforce added to the organization’s complexity. The divisional and individual interdependencies created complex working and cultural challenges. The team sought to maintain the integrity of the makeup of the organization, yet ensure there were adequate incentives and delineation of responsibilities. This enabled the two bodies of workers to thrive while collaborating effectively to achieve common goals.
A revised mission, vision and strategic plan were developed for the organization. The team implemented a new governance and organization structure, clear roles and responsibilities, the established committees including both volunteers and employees. The organization design included the creation of cross-functional teams for various customer-facing initiatives. Priorities and performance measures were established for the organization, divisions and cross-functional team. The grassroots structure was divided into regions and then state and local supporting divisions. At all levels, clear governance structures were established to maintain the identity of the local area while complying with national goals. Fundamental to the plan was the creation of a distinct culture that would extend across the organization and its regions to embrace the qualities that would appeal to the grassroots participants.
The team established a clear process to enlist the knowledge and support of senior and middle management within the two divisions in addition to working closely with the volunteers and employees. From the beginning of the project, we sought parity and representation across the key areas of the organization to encourage support and input appropriately at each stage of the review and solutions phases. Defining the problem was the first step and soliciting consensus on the real issues was essential to ensuring that the main problems were addressed while tabling less critical elements for review at a later stage. The team sought guidance and insights from experts within the organization and international experts as well as the organization’s partners. To infuse diverse thinking to the process, we brought learnings and insights from individuals and organizations outside the industry, including: the military, for-profit corporations in diverse industries, not-for-profits, media experts, players and spectators.
The NSGO now boasts the most viewed and supported global event in the sport, with profitability above industry norms. Even more impressive has been the sustained growth and frequency of participation of youth in the sport. The organization operates as a single body, with representation from both volunteers and employees, maintaining its heritage along with the ability to efficiently operate to attain specific goals.
