With this year’s packed sports calendar—from the European Football Championship to the Tokyo Olympic Games—sport is front and centre. With its many virtues, it is not uncommon for sport to be associated with the business world. Indeed, more people are taking part in inter‑company sports competitions organised in Luxembourg. So how can sport contribute to the cohesion of your employees and the strengthening of relationships with your clients?
To unite teams
Where a company places hierarchical barriers, sport breaks them down. Indeed, in sport, it’s no longer managers but teammates with different skills pushing the team towards a common goal. Thus, mutual support and kindness are essential to achieving collective performance. Here, the individual does not count—what matters is the group. Incidentally, is it a coincidence that start‑ups have modelled themselves on this kind of organisation?
To reverse roles
In sporting practice, it is not uncommon for the person who takes the lead not to be a manager. This therefore allows roles and relationships among colleagues to be transformed.
Practising a sport together brings out traits of character in some individuals who are rather low‑profile in the workplace. Sport is thus a true revealer of each person’s personality.
To go beyond oneself
Sport also conveys a desire for challenge. When practicing a sport, the aim is to exceed oneself and to win. By cultivating this desire for challenge, sport contributes to the motivation of employees who maintain this mindset within the company. One thinks especially of salespeople—but whatever the job, surpassing oneself is essential.
A shared experience
Organising company Olympic‑style games or a sports day gives employees the chance to share a moment together. This creates shared memories. Moreover, if you mix the teams, the day becomes a platform for dialogue between employees who don’t normally work together—or who don’t even know each other. The larger the company, the more important it is to mix teams.
By creating challenges, genuine emulation and group dynamics will arise. It is certain that if this type of day is well organized, you will feel its effects in the long run.
To contribute to employee well‑being
By enabling your employees to let off steam and have a good time together, you improve their well‑being and reduce their stress. With the change in relationships that often occur in sporting practice, it is not uncommon for interpersonal communication in the office to improve and for team productivity to progress.
To strengthen relationships with clients
Finally—but by no means least—sport, by developing a certain positive group dynamic, is also an excellent lever to strengthen relationships with clients. By inviting your clients to take part in a sporting event, you create a new informal communication platform outside of traditional business. Here, the secret is to mix the teams well and to choose fun activities accessible to everyone that will appeal to your target.
We know that sport has many benefits. We see it at the individual level but also at the group level. Within a company, it constitutes a real lever for engagement and performance which is still too little used. So, don’t hesitate any longer and ride this 2020 trend!
Netty Thines
Communication Consultant
Mediation SA