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Alex Maschoff

Anthony Crowell

Ashley Deisting

Brian Grant

 

The steroid culture that has infiltrated the overall culture of Major League Baseball has been allowed to expand and propagate without supervision over the last few decades. Over this time the culture has developed a strong nature with the players of the organization. The management and coaches involved in the game have not addressed this issue appropriately to this point and in order to protect the integrity of this American pastime there must be a strong commitment to changing this pervasive culture. Considering the subcultures that exist in the forms of players, minor league baseball players, MLB management, coaches and coaching staffs there are several different cultures that exist. The most concerning culture within these subcultures are the MLB players who have become the scapegoat for the use of performance enhancing drugs. The culture of using performance enhancing drugs is more prevalent here and will be the strongest here. The steroid culture among the coaches and coaching staff may be less strong but they are, in many cases, former players so with that history there is an innate understanding of how this culture has developed over the last few decades. MLB management's participation in the steroid culture is the least strong and this subculture will be the most important in leading a change in overall organizational culture. The context of MLB's steroid culture stems predominantly from a culture of winning and an extreme desire to be the best. Due to this commitment to winning the context that MLB operates in will play a key role in change. The fans of the game are key stakeholders in this issue as many of them are divided on how to address the issue of steroid use. Some fans will advocate for stiffer penalties, others will remain indifferent to steroid use as long as their team wins, and yet others will have no reservations about steroids as long as the product on the field is entertaining. The players, like the fans, are also divided. Those using steroids have no problems continuing to use steroids if it gives them a competitive advantage, yet players who aren't using desire a level playing field and an opportunity to establish their place in the history of this great game. The 2005 drug policy served as the benchmark for change in MLB culture and for the first time MLB demonstrated that it would not remain complacent regarding the issue of steroid use in baseball. The 2005 policy demonstrated that MLB was committed to maintaining and refurbishing the reputation and integrity of the game of baseball. While this policy was the first move for MLB to change the steroid culture in the game there are still changes to the policy that would better demonstrate the commitment to change the MLB should be demonstrating. The organizational environment within MLB has always been an environment of history and tradition and in that vein MLB practices has always been to maintain the traditional values of the organization. MLB's practices have always been designed to maintain the rules and regulations of the past while the MLB players have lived in an environment of progressive advancement in terms of technology. These conflicting environments have shaped the current practices but the new drug policy has demonstrated a movement within MLB to commit to changing and unifying the practices of all stakeholders in MLB. Without full commitment of key MLB executives, coaches, and players this current drug policy will likely fail. MLB executives including Commissioner Selig and Players Union Chair Donald Fehr will play key roles in restoring the integrity of the game and are vital figureheads when it comes to demonstrating a commitment to change. These two men must understand that what's good for one is good for the other and the cooperation will benefit both parties in the future. These two men will have the biggest impact on changing attitudes regarding the steroid culture. Coaches will have the biggest impact on players and media considering that those are the key stakeholders with whom they interact routinely. Players will play a key role on impacting other player as well as fans who will continue to cheer for these men. Develop a reward system for those who stay clean. Follow through testing at all levels and more often. Random testing is good but they need to be tested at a higher frequency. The stories of the players who tested positive and got suspended can be told to scare other players into not doping. Rituals can be developed at the end of the season for each team that go a full season without using drugs. The reward system for players who do not use drugs is non-existent. There needs to be some form of positive reinforcement because it can send a message of valuing a drug free environment. Our plan will sustain the new corporate culture by creating an atmosphere of cleanliness on the drug abuse level. By having a drug-testing policy that is enforced at all levels we can cut drug abuse substantially. We will also have to implement anti-doping education for the children who participate in our youth activities sponsored by the MLB. We need to reach more people, so that they can understand the use of steroids and the impact it has on the integrity of the game. When fans and spectators are paired with the people involved in MLB, we can start towards achieving the goal of banning performance enhancing drugs.

Anthony Crowell, Ashley Deisting Paul Lehrer

Recommendations for Capacity:

1. The organization needs to refine its mission statement, uniting all of the members together.

2. The organization has to be open to change, become more flexible from a structural standpoint.

Recommendations for Power:

1. The organization needs to appoint a leader to make to decisions for the good of the company.

2. Run cost-benefit analysis to determine the financial state of the organization. Determine what steps the organization has to take to become efficient and successful. After all money is what usually makes an organization powerful (NIKE).

Recommendations for Interest:

1. Need to keep the volunteers interest in the organization. Listen to the volunteers ideas to make the company better, but do not give them the power to make it happen on their own.

2. Involve and educate staff in the change process that will be taking place in the organization. Essentially creating a better corporate culture.

Team names: Tony Crowell, Jamie Prescott, Ashley Deisting, and Paul Lehrer

 

1. The common goals of the BCS are to create a playoff type setting that will not interfere with the academics of the athletes.
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3. The major stakeholders of the BCS are the conference commissioners and the different committees and boards of the BCS.
4. Potential positive results would be easier, hopefully better, communication which leads to an effective organization.
5. Potential negative results would be difference of opinions between the committees which may lead to inability to compromise to come up with an effective solution to a situation.
6. Yes the authority structure of the BCS should be changed because the organizational structure is too horizontal when it should be more vertical (more specialized). It should be more decentralized as a whole so that everyone's opinion is taken into account however within the divisions it should be more centralized.
7. For the BCS, it would be better to keep the playoff structure the way it is because it does not interrupt the academic schedule of the athletes as much as a bracket-type structure would. Also, the bowl games are making more money because they are historical and more meaningful then a bracket-style structure. Changing the structure would also create more physical stress for the athletes because their season would contain up to 16-18 games which is too many without a rest or bye-week like professionals get. A disadvantage is that there is not a crowning of a "true champion" for college football. Also, the way they determine the opponents for bowl games is not necessarily fair, it should be based on win-loss records and not fan base or historical background.
8. Right now there isn't a clear structure and as a big-time college football organization, they should have a strong, solid one. We recommend a smaller form of the divisional form because it needs to have high vertical structure, formalization, and centralization within the divisions but it does not need that many employees.

Group Members: Ashley Deisting, Jamie Prescott, Anthony Crowell 1. The athletic director should determine which expectations have priority because he/she is the liaison to the media, president of the University, and the coaches. He/she has control of all the athletic teams at the university and has the proper authority to make all the decisions. 2. external profile: strong image/reputation, strong marketing department resource management: cost/benefit analysis performance on the field: success (players, coaches, staff), winning (scoring and sportsmanship) ethics: University values (athletics vs. academics), personal values (academics vs. socializing) education: graduation rates, GPA, volunteering institutional enthusiasm: football games (being on campus), more wins = bigger morale for the school 3. Highest priority should be placed on external profile first, then resource management, and lastly institutional enthusiasm. Winning on the field seems to affect the external profile first, and having a great external profile draws in some better recruits that can help the university continue to win games. Resource management would then come into play. If you can be efficient in spending money than you are on the right track in being and effective organization. Institutional enthusiasm seems to come in last because it is not overemphasized in performance on the field. Winning games featuring external profile and resource management will help make institutional enthusiasm greater for the university. 4. By defining the expectations Wolf et al.'s article, it gives MSU's goals a purpose. Goals have to be realistically made and rational because it is important to reach them if you want an effective organization. Other expectations you could add to help achieve the listed goals and objectives include: caliber of the board, internal procedures, and sport science support. 5. A. Spend X amount of dollars in the Department of Athletics. B. Raise X amount of dollars through fundraising events. C. Run a cost-benefit analysis on each sport the MSU competes in. D. Run a quarterly analysis of revenues and expenditures and adjust revenues and expenditures accordingly depending on the analysis and findings. 6. The systems resources approach would also be useful for assessing MSU's effectiveness. This approach takes into account the organization's relationship to its environment. MSU seems most focused on performance on the field and external profile. This approach makes use of acquiring needed resources which winning games on the field can get the organization.