Rugby: communicating team spirit to businesses

A rugby pass On the occasion of the France-Wales match last March, the Société Générale group staged a theatrical handover between Frédéric Oudéa and Slawomir Krupa, the new head of the Paris-based bank. It was a publicity stunt that drew on the strong links between the oval ball and the French bank, a major sponsor of both the Top 14 and the World Cup in France, which kicks off in the next few days. But this anecdote also illustrates the relationship between the corporate world and this "rough sport played by gentlemen", to borrow a cliché from this long amateur sport where, under the scrum, a doctor, a lawyer, a farmer as well as promising students and piano movers could clash.

Without going back to the inter-war years and Quillan, a small town in the Aude department whose owner Jean Bourrel, who had made his fortune in hats, made the club a French champion in 1929, the history of rugby is marked by the support for entrepreneurs and recognised companieseven today. Vincent Merling, a former player at La Rochelle, has turned his coffee business into a success story and his club into two-time European champions. Pierre Fabre Laboratories have also played a part in the success of Castres Olympique. Not to mention ASM Clermont Auvergne, which has been closely associated with Michelin since the club's inception in 1911.

As for the passionate followers, there were many among the great French bosses of the 2000s, including Claude Bébéar, Jean-René Fourtou and Henri Lachmann. And even more so Serge Kampf, the patron of the French team and long-time shareholder in Biarritz Olympique. Some even say that it was on the plane taking them to see the Wales-France match in Cardiff in 2002 that the decision to replace Jean-Marie Messier at the head of Vivendi was taken...

No doubt the values The affinity between the two worlds is no coincidence. In rugby more than anywhere else, the notion of team spirit is exacerbated. A solidarity that is easily exploited in a manager's discourse, along with a taste for effort, tactical intelligence, conviviality and, to a certain extent, 'French flair'. Many rugby players have gone on to become lecturers, regularly speaking at major companies to inspire their teams. Daniel Herrero, Fabien Pelous, Marc Lièvremont, Serge Betsen, Frédérick Michalak, Guy Novès: the list is long and their achievements prestigious.

If rugby players are so popular in the business world, it is of course for the wealth of juicy anecdotes that abound in every international career. It's also, quite often, for the flowery language combined with a certain art of the formula. Finally - and the list goes on - it's for the experience of playing and living together. The words of a coach or captain can inspire teams to transcend themselves and rise to collective challenges. "I've always believed in the power of wordssays Serge Betsen, a World Cup semi-finalist in 2003. The moving pre-match speeches, the sometimes abrupt comments exchanged on the pitch, the soothing discussions with the coaches after the battle. Words trigger very specific reactions in us. And that's what my conferences are all about: turning words into action. Twenty years' experience at the highest level has taught me many lessons: the difficulties we encounter and the solutions we find, the inspiration we chase and the performances we build step by step..."The 63-cap international explains.

Eric Champ, the former captain of Rugby Club Toulonnais, told Sport & Citizenshipa think tank dedicated to the study of sport: "Companies today are faced with a constant battle to get order books, build up their teams, get them moving, etc. I don't dare to be pretentious, but part of my success comes from the fact that it's very similar to everything I did during my sporting career. I don't dare be pretentious, but part of my success comes from the fact that it's very similar to everything I did in my sporting career. Managing teams, setting objectives, motivating managers, coping with pressure... all this requires real expertise.". And the former third row, a finalist in the inaugural World Cup in 1987, sums up: "Business is a collective combat sport, in the best sense of the word".

However, the introduction of rugby into the corporate arena is not confined to grand speeches, however flowery they may be when they come from such figures. Management and organisational methods have also emerged, inspired more or less directly by rugby. One example is the 'SCRUM' approach - meaning 'scrum' in Pierre Albaladejo's language - which is openly inspired by rugby. It's an agile method which, based around a small closed team in which each person has a well-defined role that is accepted by the others, enables projects to be completed efficiently.

But let's face it, if companies are so fond of the world of rugby, it's also, and above all, because of the fun, even festive, aspect of it. Inviting your teams to a stadium means sharing a moment of play with your colleagues, just as you would on the pitch with ball in hand. Kicking and tackling, but in a constructive way. Compete against each other to win a "piece of wood". And finally, to win the match again in a well-deserved third half. Or when rugby becomes the story of a ball with colleagues around it. And, as we all know, "when there's no ball, there are still mates"...