2. Article Review
Managing a hockey team is like a business
Professional sports teams face challenges similar to business leaders
The Detroit Red Wings new general manager and vice-president is Ken Holland
The Red Wings’ winning team is built on many classical qualities
Loyalty: trust between players, fans, coaches, and management
Long-term vision
Stability: corporate culture and sustainability
Communication: open and transparent
Mentorship: support and cross generational exchange with young and old players
Passion: burning drive to win
A hockey team needs to have core players, a style of play that players adapt to, and strong values
The Red Wings players have to fit themselves into the team
The hockey team is strict on who they hire
The Red Wings do not hire their friends, they hire the best people available
The Detroit Red Wings do not micromanage
The team sets the vision/strategy and they let the frontline management team do the rest
3. Article Review Continued
The management for the Red Wings firmly focus on vision, culture, commitment, and long-term plans
to achieve success in the culture
Young players do not enter a team, they enter an institution
New Red Wings players are required to fit within the team’s strategy
The Detroit Red Wings never overreact to any situation, they review the issue precisely
The team does not replace management quickly
The hockey team likes the way they run things, which is the classical way of getting things done
The Red Wings do not look into what the fans and players want
The team does things to strictly get them done and to be the most successful they can be, they do not try to
please anyone else
The hockey team wants to keep their fans happy, but at the end of the day, it’s all about winning
The entire team sticks to a plan and the management focuses on developing players for the future
The Detroit Red Wings say that there is no substitute for winning
The hockey team has arguably been the most successful sport organization in the past twenty years
The Red Wings have managed to grow through classical ways as well as through the development of their draft
picks
4. Classical Approaches
Classical Approaches are based on increasing the efficiency of organizations
and workers through management practices
Henri Fayol’s Theory of Classical Management was based on an operational
management theory and he was the father of that theory
Elements of Management are what managers should do
Managers need to plan, organize, command, coordinate, and have control in their
organizations
Principles of Management are how managers should enact elements
Managers use structure, power, reward, and attitude to use and implement the elements
of the theory
5. Elements of Management: Planning
The element of planning is used to determine the best way to attain organizational goals
The Detroit Red Wings management makes very bold moves in order to steer the organization in
the direction that they want them to go in
The management makes the players do specific drills, have particular eating habits, and workout in
certain ways as well as practice in certain ways in order to be most effective and be the most successful
Doing things, at the hockey team’s organization, to be the most successful did not happen
overnight
It took the Red Wings years and many phases to get where they are today
The team had to go through learning pains and changing economics of the National Hockey League
The Detroit Red Wings have an old-style dynasty that makes them very successful year after year
The hockey team has determined their best way to attain organizational goals and it has been
working for them for many years because they have been so successful for decades
6. Elements of Management: Organizing
The element of organizing is used for human resources and evaluation of employees
The hockey team is not too concerned about emotions and feelings, they are more worried
about the management needed to win and be successful
The Red Wings’ system requires a lot of patience dealing with many different players and making them
adapt to the team’s culture
The Detroit Red Wings evaluate their players and drop players if they do not make the cut
The team holds tryouts, practices, and watches closely in games to determine who will make the team
and play the most in order to be the most successful team they can be
The hockey team also determines where players and staff would work best
Some players are better suited for offense, defense, goalie, etc.
The staff is put in management positions that will be the most beneficial for the organization
7. Elements of Management: Command
The command element is used to set tasks for employees
The Detroit Red Wings want their guys to be ready when they get on the team
Each player has specific things they have to accomplish on the team and they have to be ready to take
responsibility for the things expected of them
The team has certain tasks that all of the staff members have to take care of
There are specific members of the organization that have to take care of the equipment, the players,
the money, the games, the practices, etc.
On the ice, the hockey players have individual duties they have to do
The offensive players have to try to score
The defensive players have to keep their opponents from scoring and transition the puck up to the
offense
8. Elements of Management: Coordination
The element of coordination is used to show that separate activities come together in harmony
The Detroit Red Wings have to do many different activities to make the team harmonize and
work together
The hockey team’s management needs to draft good players, the players need to develop, and the
players and management need to work together to win games and be successful overall as an
organization
The Red Wings do things that will benefit the team overall for many years
The right players need to be picked in order to be a successful team down the road on the ice and in
the culture of the organization
The entire organization works together to create an effective team
The staff and players have many different kinds of duties, but at the end of the day, they all have one
common goal and that goal is to win and be successful
9. Elements of Management: Control
The control element is used to show the comparison between goals and activities to see if the
organization is functioning well
The owner and general manager of the Detroit Red Wings have all of the power and control of the
organization
These positions put other people in the right places
The entire hockey has a common goal
Whether a person is a staff member or a hockey player, they all want to be successful and win hockey games
All of the activities in the organization are done in order to make an effective and positive
organization
Having the general manager and coach view how all of the members and players are functioning together will
keep the hockey team at a competitive and successful level
Everything everyone does for the hockey team benefits the organization and it keeps them at the successful
rate they are at now
Goals and activities are set in order to win
The team does not care about the members’ feelings too much, they do activities and achieve goals based only
on winning and that is a demonstration of how the team still operates in a classical management way
10. Principles of Organizational Structure
The principle of structure deals with Scalar Chain (strict vertical hierarchy), Unity of Command
(orders for task), Unity of Direction (similar goals), Order (places for people and tasks), and Span of
Control (control people)
The Detroit Red Wings have a classical management style
The owner is at the top, then the general manager, then the head coach, then the assistants, and so on
The head coach and owner of the hockey team are very strict
The head coach has a hard-driving style, he is very demanding, and he expects his players to have success no
matter what
The owner orders specific tasks for the management to do in order to be successful
The entire team, whether they are staff members or players, have one shared goal
The whole organization wants to win and be successful at the end of the day
Everyone in the organization has a specific place and they also have specific tasks
The hockey players play the sport and the staff members assist in the running of the team
The owner and general manager control all of the staff members and the head coach controls all of
the players
11. Principles of Organizational Power
The power principle includes Centralization (control over decisions and activities), Authority and
Responsibility (positions in the organization), and Discipline (workers are obedient to the rules)
The owner and head coach of the Detroit Red Wings control all of the decisions made within the
organization
Whether it be changes in positions or financial changes, the owner controls the decisions and activities
that are being implemented
The owner sets the tone, wants the team to work hard , and has high expectations for the organization
The head coach makes decisions for the sport in practices and in games
The hockey team has certain positions in the organization and everyone does their own specific
job
From the general manager to the head coach to the assistants to the players, everyone has something
specific and unique to add to the team
Everyone in the organization is expected to follow the hockey team’s rules and be obedient
The members of the team have to fit into the culture and they also have to follow what they are told to
do in order to keep the organization successful and functioning well
12. Principles of Organizational Reward
The principle of reward deals with Remuneration of Personnel (rewarded for
employee work), Equity (treated justly), and Tenure Stability (guarantee time on
job)
At the Detroit Red Wings, when the organization is successful, they get rewarded
for what they have done
All of the organization’s members get salaries, bonuses, equipment, banquets, awards,
benefits, etc.
Everyone in the organization is treated equally
No matter how important a certain member is to the organization, they are all treated
equally fair, harsh, appropriate, etc.
Through agreements, members of the hockey team have stability and guaranteed
time on the job
Contract agreements keep members on the team unless big issues arise and changes
need to be made
13. Principles of Organizational Attitude
The attitude principle includes Subordination of Individual Interest to General Interest (the
interests as a whole over the interests of an individual), Initiative (value employee effort), and
Esprit De Corps (all for one and one for all)
Not one member of the Red Wings trumps another member
The interests of everyone on the team are equal even though their interests are not taken into account
largely
The general goal of winning and being a successful organization is the general interest of the
organization as a whole
The hockey team is focused on winning and being an effective organization, therefore they need
employee effort to get that job done
The entire Detroit Red Wings team needs to give all the effort they have in order to stay the successful
team they are
When the members give all of their effort, the management, owners, etc. value what they have done
Not one person is left behind on the hockey team
Even though the members have different tasks and functions to perform, the whole team works
together and stays together through the ups and the downs
14. The Detroit Red Wings Overall
The Red Wings prove that smart classical management can still trump the
obstacles in the National Hockey League today
From the ice to the boardroom, the next generation of Red Wings players are
carefully planned and thought out to replace the teams that won Stanley Cups in
the past
Through a classical management style, the hockey team has stayed very successful
over the past few decades
The hierarchical order keeps the team in check even though many other
organizations have changed to other styles of management
The Detroit Red Wings build their team on classical qualities that lead them to
winning
The hockey team is not too concerned about the feelings and emotions of the
members, all they are focused on is getting the task done and that task is to be
successful and win
15. How the Concepts Apply
Every organization wants to build a successful team and be successful for many years, therefore the
hockey team will continue to implement its classical strategy
The Detroit Red Wings are doing their best to build a planned, organized, commanded, coordinated,
and controlled organization through the classical management style they have been doing over the
past few decades
The hockey team needs to be structured correctly, have power in the right hands, give appropriate
rewards, and have great attitudes in order to be successful
The team makes sure everyone is giving their absolute best effort, adapting to their specific strategy,
and is doing the specific jobs required of them
The Detroit Red Wings have set values and expectations that help lead and motivate the organization
Loyalty, long-term visions, stability, communication, mentorship, passion, and other values have
impacted the team in a beneficial way
The organization is complicated and has its own way of doing things
The Detroit Red Wings are not following anyone else’s rules or guidelines, they are sticking to what
they know will benefit them and keep them at a successful level
The hockey team sticks to a classical plan and the management focuses on developing players for the
future as well as keeping a winning and successful organization present in their hockey team
16. Why the Concepts Apply
Like any good and successful business and/or company, the Detroit Red Wings
want to be successful and win games
The organization needs to continue to keep the strategy that works for them
and keep the strategy that is most effective for them
The classical management strategy is what keeps the organization most successful,
influential, strong, and effective
The hockey team knows in order to stay afloat and keep itself on a positive
note, they need to continue with the strategy that they know and have
demonstrated for decades
Players, staff, other members, media, camps, programs, owners, sponsorships,
tours, games, practices, and other events will keep the organization successful and
running smoothly
17. Where the Concepts Apply
These classical management concepts are applying to the Detroit Red Wings
and they have been successful for many years
Areas such as leadership, respect, attention, awareness, the team locker
room, the ice, the practices, the games, and the organization as a whole are
continuously staying with the classical management strategy
The organization is also applying itself in different events such as banquets,
tours, appearances, games, practices, dinners, youth camps and programs,
etc.
18. Questions
Why do you think that the Detroit Red Wings management style has not failed
yet even though management styles of other teams have changed drastically
over time?
What are the opinions of the Detroit Red Wings fans as to how the team is
managed?
Are the Detroit Red Wings too harsh on their players and management or is
that strict atmosphere the reason why they are so successful?
What is the one classical quality that keeps the Red Wings successful and
what is the one quality that hurts the team the most?
Has the classical management style helped or hurt the players and fans of the
Red Wings?
19. Future Research Ideas
Research how the management style has slightly changed at the Red Wings
organization even though there have not been many big changes to the
hockey team’s management
Find out the hockey team’s biggest struggles and figure out how they fixed
them
View all of the costs and benefits that go along with a classical approach for
the Detroit Red Wings
Look at data that makes the hockey team so much more successful than other
teams
Calculate what would happen if the Detroit Red Wings switched to a human
relations or human resources approach
20. Works Cited
Miller, Katherine. Organizational Communication: Approaches and Processes.
Seventh ed. Stamford: Cengage Learning, 2012. 3-4. Print.
Moore, Karl. The Red Wings and How To be Successful For the Long Run.
Forbes, 15 May 2013. Web. 8 Feb. 2016.
<http://www.forbes.com/sites/karlmoore/2013/05/15/the-red-wings-and-
how-to-be-successful-for-the-long-run/#76844a624f96>.
Shoalts, David. Red Wings are Exhibit A on how to build a dynasty. The Globe
and Mail, 24 May 2013. Web. 8 Feb. 2016.
<http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/red-wings-are-exhibit-a-
on-how-to-build-a-dynasty/article12147433/?page=all>.
