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Professor Chris Styles<\/strong><\/p>\n Michael Clarke was recently named the most influential Sportsperson in Australia by The Australian Newspaper. He won the 2012 Alan Border medal (voted for by peers, the media and umpires), and scored more runs in test cricket than anyone else in the game last year. \u00a0He even got an apology from the Sydney Morning Herald a few months back for their misjudging of him as a player and a captain.<\/p>\n But in the last few days he and the Australian coach, Mickey Arthur, have been heavily criticised by the public, past players and sections of the media for stepping down four players from the test in Mohali for not doing their homework. The rationale given by them was that this incident was the last straw in a string of breaches of team discipline and came on top of two large, embarrassing losses in India. \u00a0They are well paid professionals and the management team felt it was time to draw a line in the sand.<\/p>\n Remember when being a cricket captain just involved \u00a0setting a good field and deciding whether to bat first if you won the toss? Welcome to leadership in the 21st century.<\/p>\n Whether we like it or not, sport, and sports teams, look more like businesses than ever before. Probably because that\u2019s what many have become. \u00a0Cricket is a good example. \u00a0With multi-million dollar bids for television rights, players earning exorbitant match fees and sponsors critically assessing ROI (return on investment), cricket is a sizeable business indeed. The question then becomes about how Clarke should lead the Australian cricket team in such an environment.<\/p>\n Taking a corporate model, Captain Clarke is equivalent to the CEO and Mickey Arthur could be viewed as Chairman of the Board. \u00a0They decide who is in and out of the team, the organisational structure, strategy and tactics. \u00a0Earlier this week, four members of the organisation didn\u2019t comply with a request from senior management to provide their thoughts on a turnaround strategy, and they were put on ‘special projects’. One declined the offer and has taken indefinite leave.<\/p>\n A consultant brought in to help evaluate performance might look at a lot of things, particularly now that they can access huge amounts of data generated by various performance programs including detailed video analysis. \u00a0But the consultants might also ask one very basic question: how did it come to this? \u00a0It\u2019s not about who did how much homework, being late for a bus, or wearing the wrong uniform. \u00a0It\u2019s likely to be more fundamental. \u00a0The problem is really about the culture of the organisation, and any change in performance requires a change in culture.<\/p>\n Leaders talk a lot about culture but culture is often hard to put your finger on. \u00a0We see the outcomes of culture \u2013 behaviours, performance, staff turnover and retention – but culture itself is harder to define. Management consultants McKinsey & Co (who may have already got the call from Clarke), are attributed with a broad definition of organisation culture which is \u201chow we do things around here\u201d. \u00a0If we believe the reports from India, the way things were done by the Australian team appear to be pretty lax. \u00a0There would also seem to be a distinct lack of accountability on and off the field.<\/p>\n In simple terms, changing culture requires an organisation to decide where it wants to be and what culture would support getting there, and then collectively deciding change is needed.<\/p>\n Clarke has stated very publicly where he wants the team to be \u2013 to return Australia to its position as the #1 test team in the world. \u00a0He has also obviously decided that currently, ‘how things are done around here\u2019 isn\u2019t going to support the achievement of that goal. \u00a0So he, and the coach, have decided to get tough. Llike those in the corporate world, perhaps Clarke\u2019s big leadership test will be his ability to bring everyone in the team along with him.<\/p>\n