Paul Hemp

Várias semanas antes do torneio de futebol DHL EuroCup de 2003, Peter Kruse, co-CEO da empresa, emitiu um aviso bem-humorado à seleção portuguesa: depois de várias exibições fortes no torneio da empresa nos últimos anos, Portugal deveria cair um pouco, disse ele rindo. Mas seu humor malicioso ficou sério quando ele ficou à margem certa tarde — braços cruzados, olhar severo — vendo Portugal derrotar profundamente uma equipe de seu próprio país, a Alemanha.

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Reprint: R0311B 

Deutsche Post World Net, the German postal monopoly, faced significant challenges as it began the process of integrating three businesses: Deutsche Post Euro Express, its own ground-based parcel delivery service, and two companies it had acquired&#8212;DHL, the worldwide express delivery service, and Danzas, a worldwide air and ocean freight company. The cultural differences alone were imposing. For example, DHL was a privately held, entrepreneurial company in which most managers had international experience; Deutsche Post was until recently a state-owned monopoly in which few managers had worked outside their home country.
Enter EuroCup. For 20 years, DHL employees had held a soccer tournament to strengthen company culture across national boundaries. Canceled the previous year due to budget constraints, the EuroCup tournament was revived in 2003&#8212;in part to help with the postmerger integration. 
But did the event really help? HBR senior editor Paul Hemp attended EuroCup 2003, joining nearly 2,500 DHL employees&#8212;about 600 of them players, the rest cheerleaders and other supporters&#8212;in the small Belgian town of Lommel. He set out to answer a number of questions relevant to any company staging an ambitious off-site intended to encourage teamwork and boost morale. 
How does a company determine whether such a large-scale event, even one that generates goodwill, is worth the investment? Does the team building extend to those back home who don&#8217;t get to attend? Can intense competition between teams begin to overshadow the spirit of cooperation that such an event is meant to engender? In short, can a soccer tournament help a company achieve its corporate goal of creating a strong common culture?

The DHL EuroCup: Shots on Goal

Reimpressão: R0311B A Deutsche Post World Net, o monopólio postal alemão, enfrentou desafios significativos ao iniciar o processo de integração de três empresas: a Deutsche Post Euro Express, seu próprio serviço terrestre de entrega de encomendas, e duas empresas adquiridas — a DHL, o serviço mundial de entrega expressa, e a Danzas, uma empresa mundial de frete aéreo e marítimo. As diferenças culturais por si só eram imponentes. Por exemplo, a DHL era uma empresa privada e empreendedora na qual a maioria dos gerentes tinha experiência internacional; a Deutsche Post era até recentemente um monopólio estatal no qual poucos gerentes haviam trabalhado fora de seu país de origem. Entre na EuroCup. Por 20 anos, os funcionários da DHL realizaram um torneio de futebol para fortalecer a cultura da empresa além das fronteiras nacionais. Cancelado no ano anterior devido a restrições orçamentárias, o torneio EuroCup foi revivido em 2003, em parte para ajudar na integração pós-fusão. Mas o evento realmente ajudou? Paul Hemp, editor sênior da HBR, participou da EuroCup 2003, juntando-se a quase 2.500 funcionários da DHL — cerca de 600 deles jogadores, o resto líderes de torcida e outros apoiadores — na pequena cidade belga de Lommel. Ele se propôs a responder a uma série de perguntas relevantes para qualquer empresa que organizasse um ambicioso projeto externo com o objetivo de incentivar o trabalho em equipe e aumentar o moral. Como uma empresa determina se um evento de grande escala, mesmo que gere boa vontade, vale o investimento? A formação da equipe se estende às pessoas em casa que não comparecem? A intensa competição entre equipes pode começar a ofuscar o espírito de cooperação que esse evento pretende gerar? Em resumo, um torneio de futebol pode ajudar uma empresa a atingir seu objetivo corporativo de criar uma forte cultura comum?

A DHL EuroCup: Chutes a gol

Reprint: R0311B Deutsche Post World Net, the German postal monopoly, faced significant challenges as it began the process of integrating three businesses: Deutsche Post Euro Express, its own ground-based parcel delivery service, and two companies it had acquired—DHL, the worldwide express delivery service, and Danzas, a worldwide air and ocean freight company. The cultural differences alone were imposing. For example, DHL was a privately held, entrepreneurial company in which most managers had international experience; Deutsche Post was until recently a state-owned monopoly in which few managers had worked outside their home country. Enter EuroCup. For 20 years, DHL employees had held a soccer tournament to strengthen company culture across national boundaries. Canceled the previous year due to budget constraints, the EuroCup tournament was revived in 2003—in part to help with the postmerger integration. But did the event really help? HBR senior editor Paul Hemp attended EuroCup 2003, joining nearly 2,500 DHL employees—about 600 of them players, the rest cheerleaders and other supporters—in the small Belgian town of Lommel. He set out to answer a number of questions relevant to any company staging an ambitious off-site intended to encourage teamwork and boost morale. How does a company determine whether such a large-scale event, even one that generates goodwill, is worth the investment? Does the team building extend to those back home who don’t get to attend? Can intense competition between teams begin to overshadow the spirit of cooperation that such an event is meant to engender? In short, can a soccer tournament help a company achieve its corporate goal of creating a strong common culture?

A DHL EuroCup: Chutes a gol

Resumo.

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