Federation International Football Association Management

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Table of Contents

Abstract
Federation Internationale Football Association (FIFA)
Literature Review
Case Study Analysis
FIFA’s Organizational Structure under Gianni Infantino’s Leadership
Changes Made Since the Election of President Gianni Infantino
Conclusion
References

Abstract

Leading organizational change is one of the core strategies for enhancing the continued existence of businesses, especially in the current era where transformations are being witnessed in different areas, including technology, culture, and consequently the way of carrying out institutional agendas. Many organizations, including those that have a global bearing such as the Federation Internationale Football Association (FIFA), have had to deal with change to enhance the way they operate. This study is founded on FIFA’s change management strategy that entailed the replacement of the organization’s corrupt president, Sepp Blatter. Gianni Infantino who is currently FIFA’s head has been in office for two years since 2016.

Through a literature review on the general issue of leading organizational change and a case study on FIFA’s leadership, this study also reveals why FIFA adopted the move to expel Sepp Blatter from being the organization’s head. Specifically, in a later section, the paper will highlight issues such as poor governance, the flouting of various ethical principles, and mismanagement of the organization’s resources as key elements that triggered the need for leadership change in FIFA.

Leading organizational change requires stakeholders to be aware of how the proposed strategy will result in constructive transformation. The study will address Gianni Infantino’s plan for changing FIFA’s organizational structure, owing to the gaps witnessed during Sepp Blatter’s era. The strategy is expected to address the question of poor governance and ethics linked to the previous regime. Stakeholders have expressed confidence that Gianni Infantino’s transformational leadership approach will restore FIFA’s lost image.

Conclusively, based on the expositions gathered, the study will suggest that implementing leadership change in organizations is usually founded on various issues, for instance, the need for better organizational management and adherence to the laid down policies.

Federation Internationale Football Association (FIFA)

Change is an unavoidable phenomenon in the contemporary business world. Organizational leaders are anticipated to be in the forefront implementing strategies that can steer their business operations forward. Although various obstacles such as employees or stakeholders’ rejection of the proposed change bar organizations from realizing a successful transition, leaders are expected to moderate the situation by suggesting possible and viable options that can be adopted to safeguard their business’ image and operations. Otherwise, any organizational head whose behavior or way of operation does not contribute to the realization of the laid down objectives, relieving the respective leader of his or her responsibility may be the only wise option. Fai (2016) reveals, “Even though 90% of organizations are in some stage of transformation, only 30% of change initiatives succeed” (para. 1). This finding reveals the complexity associated with leading change in an organization. For instance, self-interested individuals may be against the proposed transformation, owing to various illegal benefits they enjoy in partnership with the organizational leader. They may side with a leader who encourages fraud, bribery, and election malpractices among others.

The above unethical practices marred FIFA’s leadership under Sepp Blatter to the extent that selecting a new head was the only available alternative as far as saving the organization’s global standing was concerned. FIFA is an organization whose operations lie under the administration of the Swiss law established in the early 1900s and located in Zurich, Switzerland. Although the association’s agenda is to enhance global football performance, Sepp Blatter’s conduct did not live to this goal and hence the reason he was deprived of his leadership position following concerns related to his contravention of some stipulated organizational principles. As the paper reveals, the move to bring Gianni Infantino on board as FIFA’s new president was a well-deliberated step that was founded on stakeholders’ awareness that he was better placed to steer organizational change to the extent of restoring the agency’s global image. To substantiate the degree to which interested parties were longing for a leadership change in FIFA, David Gill, announced his plan to quit his newly acquired position as FIFA’s Deputy President in the event that Sepp Blatter would retain his challenged leadership rank in the organization for the fifth time through unethical practices such as vote rigging.

Leading organizational change requires a leader who can stand firm to implement transformational strategies. This paper will use FIFA as a case study organization to examine how Gianni Infantino has implemented changes since his assumption of office in 2016. As part of his major transformations, the study will examine the degree to which he adjusted the organizational culture that had tinted the association’s global image. It will also comment on the degree of effectiveness of his leadership strategy as FIFA’s president. It will also investigate FIFA’s organizational structure under Gianni Infantino’s leadership with the view of finding out whether he effected changes in this area. However, the paper begins by offering a literature review of the general concept of leading organizational change.

Literature Review

Organizational change is an important aspect of the dynamic nature of organizations. In particular, organizational change infers to the progression in which an organization alters its structure, policies, operational approaches, technological advancements, or corporate culture to facilitate the actualization of its objectives and goals (Alvesson & Sveningsson, 2015). Important to note, leaders, play an important role in facilitating the implementation of organizational change. As such, the effective execution of organizational change requires executives or leaders to employ particular approaches and techniques that streamline the change process. In this respect, the observance of best practices in leading an organization’s change management is a crucial aspect of contemporary organizations.

According to Alvesson and Sveningsson (2015), cultural change is a more critical factor that determines organizational transformation compared to aspects such as the operational model and strategies. For this reason, it is crucial for leaders responsible for change management to instill values that foster the establishment of an organizational culture that upholds the essence of positive change. As Anderson (2016) observes, change managers address proactively the issue of resistance to cultural change in the organization. Furthermore, the establishment of support structures is a vital step towards streamlining the embracement of change within an organization.

According to Hughes (2016), the process of leading organizational change needs to commerce at the top. Amid the importance of engaging all staff members concerning the need for adopting change, it is also crucial to seek the commitment of executives at the top of the organization. In this view, the CEO and other executives need to demonstrate their dedication to the realization of the proposed organizational changes. Rafferty, Jimmieson, and Armenakis (2013) assert that starting the change process at the top ensures that executives agree with the projected changes and implementation specifications. Furthermore, commencing the change process from the top provides executives and staff members the room to discuss the impact of the transformation, including the assessment of conflicting viewpoints before settling on a consensus regarding the process of change implementation. Therefore, leading change needs to uphold the essence of involving executives to foster aspects such as collaboration and commitment to the successful discharge of transformative approaches.

In addition to the involvement of the organization’s top management, change leaders also need to consider the participation of every unit in the organization. In line with the views of Schein (2015), the involvement of every department of the organization in rolling out the change is crucial since it provides leaders with an opportunity to gain positive insights, as well as criticism regarding the intended transformation. The input from frontline and mid-level individuals in various sections of an organization facilitates the identification of possible glitches that may undermine the effective and efficient implementation of the proposed change. According to Hughes (2016), the engagement of various departments in the organization is crucial because it lessens parties’ resistance to change. Furthermore, involving stakeholders within the organization enforces an understanding of complexities that surround the change process.

According to By and Burnes (2013), the process of leading change considers the input of informal leaders. In this respect, effective change leaders usually seek to unleash the power of influential persons to facilitate the acquisition of positive insights that foster the success of the transformative program. Irrespective of their formal positions, vastly connected individuals are habitually at the core of the change process. Informal leaders may positively influence cultural change in an organization, thus developing support for the projected transformation. Therefore, the multilevel engagement approach of rolling out change is important since it facilitates the smooth implementation of complex change initiatives.

As Hrebiniak (2013) reveals, the process of leading change needs to take into account the essence of integrating rational and emotional aspects of change management. In most instances, change leaders prioritize the rational aspect of transforming the organizational structure, culture, or operational models. The rational aspect of change management usually emphasizes tangible outcomes of the organizational transformation. In this light, change leaders focus on the possibility of the change initiative fostering the expansion and growth of the organization. Nonetheless, Anderson (2016) underlines the need for change leaders to incorporate the emotional element of organizational transformation along with the rational aspect to facilitate the realization of change that is meaningful to every stakeholder. The integration of the emotional aspect is crucial towards fostering the commitment of parties affected by the change initiative. It is important to note that human beings easily accept changes that appeal to their minds and emotions. Therefore, the fusion of reason and feelings is a crucial feature of leading change management in organizations that seek to realize exemplary performance.

The identification of practical solutions to issues that prompt change in an organization is a crucial consideration in the process of leading organizational transformation. According to Burke (2017), driving change needs to consider the establishment of formal and informal solutions. Importantly, leveraging proper solutions enables stakeholders to change their behaviors in line with the intended transformation. In this respect, it is crucial for change leaders to consider altering formal aspects within the organization, including the structure, operational strategies, and human resource development. In addition, Alvesson and Sveningsson (2015) assert that is it crucial for change leaders to consider leveraging informal solutions in the process of facilitating the transformation of an organization. Importantly, informal aspects of organizational operations such as culture require fixing to facilitate the implementation of desirable changes. For instance, the creation of a culture that underscores the provision of quality services is crucial in enhancing customer satisfaction.

Kuipers et al. (2014) underscore the essence of leveraging technology in the process of leading organizational change management. Importantly, the incorporation of technology into a change initiative facilitates the realization of flexibility in various aspects of an organization. For instance, the integration of technologies such as Decision Support Systems (DSS) goes a long way in streamlining the flexibility of decision-making processes and the emphasis on positive changes. Furthermore, according to Cummings and Worley (2014), leveraging technology in organizational change plays an important role in facilitating the flexibility of managing human resources (HR). In this respect, the incorporation of technology into the HR management streamlines career growth, training requirements, and remuneration in the course of organizational transformation. In this light, leading organizational change succeeds after leveraging technological advancements in various aspects of the organization.

Burke (2017) reveals the aspect of change leaders’ need for assessing the performance of the change initiative to facilitate the identification of challenges that may undermine successful organizational transformation. In addition to the assessment, leading change also takes into account the significance of adapting to the proposed new structures and processes that seek to foster transformation (Cummings & Worley, 2014). Adapting to change allows leaders to establish mechanisms that support the process of organizational transformation in the course of its life cycle. The approach also ensures that every stakeholder moves along with the wave of change in the organization.

Case Study Analysis

FIFA’s current membership under the leadership of the newly elected president, Gianni Infantino, stands at more than 200 national associations. Revenue generated in this organization is arguably part of problems such as questionable governance, corruption, and poor organizational culture that the current president is addressing. However, it is crucial to examine the association’s organizational structure that the president oversees.

FIFA’s Organizational Structure under Gianni Infantino’s Leadership

Based on the resolutions made in the 2016 Extraordinary Congress, the association confirmed that indeed new policies would be implemented, including the rebranding of the FIFA Executive Committee to adopt a new name, the FIFA Council. According to Garcia and Meier (2014), under the leadership of Gianni Infantino, this new committee was given not only an innovative structure but also extra authority relative to the previous commission. Firstly, FIFA’s boss, Gianni Infantino, steers the committee’s agenda, including its decision-making processes, whereby the Secretary-General (SG) is expected to communicate directly to the commission under the new leadership. Parties to the commission retain their ranks unless removed through voting in their corresponding confederations. The fresh FIFA Council’s 37-member team under the headship of Gianni Infantino assumed office in late 2016. The diagram below shows the transformed structure spearheaded by the new president.

Figure 1: FIFA’s Current Organizational Structure. *Source: Garcia and Meier (2014).*

Changes Made Since the Election of President Gianni Infantino

According to FIFA (2016), Gianni Infantino’s input in leading change in the organization can precisely be summed up as transformational. The president assumed office at a time when FIFA was falling following cases of unethical conduct such as corruption, poor governance, and mismanagement of organizational resources linked to Sepp Blatter. The number of members under the respective vice presidents was significantly cut from 222 to only 30 under Gianni Infantino’s leadership (Garcia & Meier, 2014). This move was not only a remedy to the witnessed cases of corruption but also a way of ensuring that income generated is not paid to superfluous officials (FIFA, 2016). In his speech immediately after being elected, Gianni Infantino’s transformative plans were evident when he vowed to utilize the vast available prospects “to make the beautiful game bigger, better, and more meaningful to the world” (FIFA, 2016).

He embarked on several changes, including the implementation of the FIFA Forward Program among other schemes that could cost more than four billion American dollars within 10 years specifically to advance football performance globally (FIFA, 2016). He also added the number of football participants by more than 60%. In addition, following the issue of corruption that was steered by the former president, Gianni Infantino spearheaded organizational change by transforming the previous outdated framework that encouraged corruption. The new structure has the potential of evaluating and monitoring FIFA’s vital business functions such as the distribution of World Cup vouchers among others. The president’s agenda here is to guarantee “optimal financial returns and customer satisfaction, as well as the highest standards of transparency and good governance” (FIFA, 2016). In other words, FIFA’s current positive image that is free of scandals is attributable to Gianni Infantino’s transformational leadership.

Conclusion

Based on the expositions made in the paper, it is indeed apparent that leading change in an organization is only possible when devoted leadership is put in place. Establishing the best practices may call for the readjustment of the prevailing structure, including laying off redundant and corrupt individuals. Hence, as revealed in the paper, the process of leading organizational change needs to take into account the essence of culture since it is a key ingredient for successful business transformation. In this view, leaders need to establish an organizational culture that supports the intended change that may bring about positive results. Leaders responsible for change management in an organization need to assess the impact of change while at the same time adapting to the organizational transformation. In most cases, leaders fail to evaluate the organization’s success before proceeding with the process of implementing positive change.

Quantifying an organization’s success stories is crucial since it uncovers its current position before implementing the transformative initiative. From the case study, the dawn of 2016 was marked by the establishment of an emergency conference, dubbed, the 2016 FIFA Extraordinary Congress. Such a meeting, which followed issues raised in the previous year associating the organization’s former president, Sepp Blatter, with unethical conduct, informed the need to revisit and reorganize the association’s structure. Changes initiated, beginning from the then organizational framework, were characterized by the laying off of various redundant officials. In other words, the case study has confirmed that FIFA had no option other than securing a leader, namely, Gianni Infantino, who could steer change in the organization to restore its tainted image. Consequently, under the new management, the conference emphasized two key agendas, including the review of the then policies and the selection of the much-awaited transformative boss who would spearhead the entire process of structural reforms in the association. Currently, the president’s positive impact has been felt globally.

References

Alvesson, M., & Sveningsson, S. (2015). Changing organizational culture: Cultural change work in progress. London, England: Routledge.

Anderson, D. L. (2016). Organization development: The process of leading organizational change. Washington, DC: Sage Publications.

Burke, W. W. (2017). Organization change: Theory and practice. Washington, DC: Sage Publications.

By, R. T., & Burnes, B. (Eds.). (2013). Organizational change, leadership and ethics: Leading organizations towards sustainability. London, England: Routledge.

Cummings, T. G., & Worley, C. G. (2014). Organization development and change. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Fai, T. (2016). 7 steps to leading organizational change and transformation. Web.

FIFA. (2016). FIFA president Infantino unveils “FIFA 2.0: The vision for the future”. Web.

Garcia, B., & Meier, H. (2014). The power of FIFA over national governments: A new actor in world politics. Web.

Hrebiniak, L. G. (2013). Making strategy work: Leading effective execution and change. Upper Saddle River, NJ: FT Press.

Hughes, M. (2016). Leading changes: Why transformation explanations fail. Leadership, 12(4), 449-469.

Kuipers, B. S., Higgs, M., Kickert, W., Tummers, L., Grandia, J., & Van der Voet, J. (2014). The management of change in public organizations: A literature review. Public Administration, 92(1), 1-20.

Rafferty, A. E., Jimmieson, N. L., & Armenakis, A. A. (2013). Change readiness: A multilevel review. Journal of Management, 39(1), 110-135.

Schein, E. H. (2015). Dialogic organization development: The theory and practice of transformational change. Oakland, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

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