How Abu Dhabi’s Volvo Ocean Racing team teaches secrets of success

A recent study of the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team by Ashridge Business School highlights the lessons leaders can learn from the endurance sports such as the Volvo Ocean Race.

Ian Walker leads the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team, during the Volvo Ocean Race from the capital to Sanya in China. Getty Images

Next time you’re watching sport on TV, pay close attention — because it may hold the secret to being a winnerin business. Several studies have attempted to draw parallels between business and sport, with academics looking at how successful strategies on the pitch could be used in the corporate field. But there can be few more intensive sporting arenas to look at than the ongoing Volvo Ocean Race — the gruelling, nine-month sailing competition that visits 11 ports across the world. The UK-headquartered Ashridge Business School, which also has a campus in the UAE, joined forces with the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team to carry out such a study. Rory Hendrikz, Ashridge’s director in the Middle East, explains how lessons from sailing’s toughest race can be transferred from the boat to the boardroom:

What can businesses learn from the Abu Dhabi race team’s strategy?

The Abu Dhabi team does lots of analysis on historical weather patterns, and how the ocean currents behave in different parts of the world. They broke down the legs of the race and looked at different scenarios. So they were very clear about what they were going to be doing in each little part, should different scenarios arise. That level of rigour and analysis was quite impressive and is relevant for organisations as well. Because many of the most successful organisations are also exceptionally good at strategic thinking and planning.

Micromanagement versus empowerment is a key issue in business management. Does the team offer any lessons about that?

What we’ve seen in the case of Ian Walker – skipper of the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team – is that he wants to know what’s going on all the time. That’s not because he is necessarily a control freak; I think he genuinely cares. Does he actually make all the decisions? No. He will often consult with the rest of the sailors to help him make some of the big calls or to make some of the borderline decisions. But also to give them a sense that he values them. It’s a long race, and so they feel more engaged and motivated. In business there are a number of these leadership questions. One of them is how much you let go, and how much you keep control. And actually the answer is both — it’s a constant dance.

People on the race team spend long periods of time away from home. What did you learn about their work-life balance?

One of the things these guys have done is to try to recognise the family dimension. For example, they tried to give the crew a lot of time off before the race actually started. On certain legs the crew fly home; they brought their families to Abu Dhabi and all had Christmas together. They recognised very clearly that the family dimension was critical to these guys’ ability to perform over a long period of time.

Why did you choose the Ocean Race to study in this way?

The whole area of elite sport and business has been of considerable interest in the past. But one of the problems is that many of the sporting formats don’t necessarily replicate the duration of a business or organisation. If it’s rugby you’re on for 80 minutes, if it’s Formula One, a few hours. What’s different and interesting with this particular event is its duration. The Ocean Race itself is over nine months, so it gets closer to the reality of organisational leaders having to perform at a peak level over an extended period of time.

Are there business lessons to be learnt from other sports?

In rowing, there’s a phrase that “the eight best don’t make the best eight”. Even if you have technically the eight best people, it doesn’t necessarily mean that that boat wins. So there’s something else other than pure technical ability or strength.

And how does that apply to the business world?

When leaders are making decisions about who to bring in to the team, they will often look at people’s experience and education – a lot of the technical aspects. And I think they spend less time on really understanding the personality, their social ability to be part of a cohesive team, their interpersonal skills – a lot of these much more subjective, intangible aspects of an individual. And that is sometimes to the detriment of the business.

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