Culture and Conflict in the Era of the NIL and the Transfer Portal: Three Things You Must Do

I’m watching ESPN’s First Take the other day with the subject being all of the big name head coach firings in college football.  Brian Kelly had just been fired from LSU, joining 6 other Power-4 Head Football Coaches on the unemployment line in the past few weeks, and it’s not even November yet. Those firings alone would be a sports conflict blog, but today I am more interested in another aspect of this subject.

At this point of the show Mike Greenberg is asking his panel of sports experts if the new rules have changed the game so much that the era of dynasties, like Alabama and a few others have had, is over. Has NIL and the Transfer Portal changed the game so much, that old style coaches and perennially dominant programs are extinct now.

It’s a reasonable question, especially given the simultaneous rise of historic bottom dwellers such as Indiana and Vanderbilt. However, within the question I heard a suggestion that culture might not be as important as it once was.

How can a culture like Saban’s “Trust the Process” work at Alabama, when money rules. NIL places money above commitment, and the Transfer Portal means team rosters are changing dramatically every season. How can culture rule when the motivations are often beyond the program and loyalty is often non-existent?

While I agree the game has definitely changed, I believe culture is actually more important than ever. Coaches and Administrators that bail on culture will fail. Period.

While NIL and the Transfer Portal have played a factor in the rapid success of programs like Indiana and Vanderbilt, it is actually the cultures that the coaches of these two programs have instilled, that has been the secret sauce. Not that their stated cultures are extraordinary; high standards, process-driven, high character, accountability, and mindset are generally at the heart of both stated cultures, as they are for most stated cultures.

The key then is that the NIL and Transfer Portal have given these programs a fair chance to compete against the traditional big dogs, but the actual application of excellent culture is the engine that takes advantage of the new opportunities.

Clearly defined culture is the vital factor then that takes advantage of a more even playing field. Previously there were a handful of dominant programs, with funding and history that created the few opportunities to be most noticed. The consistent top few of those programs were committed to great culture, but in reality they didn’t have much competition. So even slips in culture weren’t necessarily devastating. Other programs outside of those top programs could have just as great of culture, but the talent and depth was just not available to them. Culture was important, but the lacking in other areas still closed the door.

Now any program can take advantage of NIL and the Transfer Portal and vault themselves into the upper tier. However, they must combine those tools with establishing and reinforcing excellent culture.

Reinforcing means that even though a program may have NIL money to spend and players to pluck from the Portal, those players must have high character and fit with the specific culture of the schools and programs that are courting them. Then those schools and programs absolutely must maintain their cultures. Meaning, they cannot allow the big money player to damage or change the culture they believe is critical to team success. No player is bigger than the team, therefore no player is bigger than the culture.

This makes culture more important than ever before, since players will come and go at a higher rate than ever, but to be at the top, the culture must remain consistent. So coaches and administrators must be attentive caretakers of culture, clear of what it is, and quick to enforce it.

Which leads us to the subject of conflict. Chapter 5 of my book (Managing Sports Conflict) is titled “Conflict Defines Culture”.

Every relationship and every team will have conflict. Conflict is the ultimate test of culture. Resolving conflict successfully actually improves and strengthens culture. It clarifies what is important, shows resolve and accountability to live it, and unifies those in the culture to live up to and defend it.

Mismanaged conflict or conflict with a negative result, destroys culture. It undermines the stated culture, or worse, creates a new alternate culture within and in opposition of the stated culture.

Further, in a sport like football that has a season with 12 regular season games, with the possibility of missing the playoffs with anywhere from just 1 to 3 losses, what coach, team and school can afford to have a single big mismanaged conflict?

One single big conflict can easily cost a program a game, two games, five games, a season, careers? Can anyone afford losing even one game just because the culture was not enforced or because a serious conflict erupted and was not managed successfully?

Betray your culture and you lose everything. Manage conflict poorly, and you lose everything. As we’ve seen these past few weeks, the window is small and the consequences are gigantic.

Here are three critical things every program and organization should do:

1)        Carefully craft your culture. Determine what the key aspects of success and enjoyment are, then clearly define and then explain them to everyone in your relationship, team or organization.

2)        Prepare for conflict. Conflict will happen. You cannot stop it and you cannot ignore it. When it happens, what will you do to ensure it reinforces your culture and improves, rather than damages or destroys? The best way to prepare is to read my book, which gives the quickest and most effective ways to manage conflict and/or bring Sports Conflict Lab in to teach conflict to your team or organization and to help you build an essential conflict policy and a conflict roadmap.

3)        Reinforce your culture constantly. This means being aware and consistent. Nobody is above the culture. Bring people in who understand and fit your culture, make sure the main tenets of the culture are spotlighted all the time, then hold everyone from top to bottom to the exact same standards of that culture.

Culture is more important than ever before. Establish and enforse it wisely. Then prepare for the inevitable conflict that will test everything. We are here to help when you need it.