Learn from the NBA: Global Management Internal Training Model

Author: Yang Shuke
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-12-01
Features:
Foreword 1: Bringing intelligence into the management of basketball has gone through more than 50 years of, giving rise to an organization like the NBA; the NBA has developed for another 50 years, evolving into a basketball myth. For more than 50 years, the NBA has gained widespread fame, even reaching the level of household names. Whenever people mention basketball, they inevitably talk about the NBA. For more than 50 years, the NBA has accumulated immense wealth, creating a wealth myth and fostering many billionaires—not just the owners of the league, but even employees here could become billionaires. For more than 50 years, the NBA has pushed professional sports to their zenith, becoming a model of success in the world of professional sports. For more than 50 years, the NBA has spun countless thrilling and heart-stirring stories, with many people "laughing to the heavens" and others "shedding blood and tears" over them. Today's glory of the NBA has prompted deep reflection: What is it that has shrouded the NBA in the halo of wonder and admiration of the world? What is it that has allowed the NBA to create such immense wealth? These questions have lingered in my mind, persistent and unwavering. With reverence and curiosity, I visited the NBA headquarters, where I met the current president of the NBA, Mr. Stern. In our conversation, I came to a realization: their success was not due to luck but rather excellent management intelligence. The NBA is a model of management success, employing its unique management models, methods, and strategies to achieve the pinnacle of management. Mr. Stern once said, "The history of the NBA is a history of intelligent management. It perfectly integrates talent strategies, training management, team spirit, and business acumen, striving for the highest peak." He also told me, "In the NBA, barefaced financial transactions are commonplace. The sole purpose of building a team is to make money. We always prioritize making money above all else." From this, we can see that the ultimate goal of the NBA as an organization is to maximize profits, and its management methods and models are all designed around this objective. As Mr. Stern, the president of the NBA, said, the greatest characteristic of the NBA is bringing intelligence into the management process, making management more targeted and practical. Today, people are placing increasing emphasis on intelligent management, which is a good thing—it proves that healthy competition has become the trend. We can see this: with the rapid advancement of the market economy, all kinds of enterprises have sprouted up like mushrooms after rain, and the competition management of various organizations has been placed on a new agenda. However, due to various reasons, management still has many imperfections and requires deeper exploration. The globally renowned American management master Peter Drucker said, "Management is the lifeline of a company or organization. Any rigid, conceptual management system can easily lead a company into a dilemma of not daring to step out of its comfort zone. For modern managers, what is most needed is intelligent management." Haier places great importance on creating a competitive environment for employees within the company. "Born of struggle, die of complacency," this is a phrase often by Haier President Zhang Ruimin to his employees and one of the core tenets of Haier culture. Within Haier, two cartoons themed "Survival of the Fittest" are widely circulated. One is the story of an eagle feeding its chicks: eagles are the strongest species of birds, and according to research by ornithologists, this may be related to their feeding habits. Eagles lay four or five eggs at a time, but since their nests are very high, they can only bring back food to feed one chick at a time. The feeding method of eagles is not based on equality but rather on which chick fights the hardest gets the food. In this situation, the weaker chicks die from hunger, while the fiercer ones survive, passing this trait down through generations, making the eagle species stronger and stronger. The other cartoon is a dialogue between a lion and a deer. The lion says, "I am very strong, but if I don’t hunt, I will be as weak as the deer tomorrow." The deer replies, "Because of you, my life is in danger. To avoid being caught by you, I must run constantly." These two cartoons warn us: today’s society is a society of survival of the fittest. If we lack a strong sense of crisis and competition, we will inevitably become failures. If a company lacks an appropriate competitive system, it may be delayed in its evolution and in the competitive environment. And in the cruel competition, intelligent management is even more essential. Only with intelligence can we secure a place in the fierce battle of commerce. Great masters are all deeply versed in the mysteries of intelligent management! There is no doubt that in China, learning intelligent management is urgent. However, the unfortunate truth is that there is no such practical textbook available domestically. Therefore, we decided to launch this research topic. Our five-person team spent two years researching and ultimately summarized the successful experience of the NBA, writing this series of books titled "Learning from the NBA," aiming to provide important references for those striving for excellence. While summarizing the intelligent management of the NBA, this book also offers insights and value for our enterprises, injecting new management concepts into modern enterprise management competition to guide healthy growth. In fact, the various problems modern enterprises face in management, such as talent, market, competition, and motivation, can all be found in the NBA. The NBA provides us not just a basketball stage but also an excellent team that integrates management and wisdom.