The cohesive management: the football lesson for high-tech organizations

Abstract

ABSTRACT The purpose of the paper is an empirical verification of model of the cohesive management for business organizations. The cohesive management concept is a particular type of management carried out in top European football clubs. Football clubs are characterized by their far-reaching agility, operate in an extremely competitive reality (the winner takes all!), where success depends on the commitment of highly diverse talents from all over the world. Extensive literature research provided a basis for operationalizing the dimensions of cohesive management (CM) in relation to business. The hypothetical model of the CM was verified by empirical research conducted in 406 companies from Poland and the USA. Research models were tested using SEM and moderated multiple regression. The study revealed that what works in top team football is not outdated in relation to business management (CM structure was confirmed); however, it is impossible to mechanically transfer the solutions developed there (significant changes in CM dimension structures were noted). The study demonstrates the importance of CM for organizational performance, whereby the impact is significantly higher in high-tech organizations.