With offices located in the Haas
Pavilion, the on court demeanor of the athlete bears seeps into the offices of
the 140 member staffed University of California at Berkeley job Athletic Department
department. Walking into the blue and gold office, the spirit and demeanor of
the organization pervades in all corners of the office. National championship
banners, accolades for outstanding athletes, and multitudes of team portraits
decorate the office highlighting the organization's overriding goal: Winning
National championships.
In our interviews with Dave Ortega
(head of the Compliance department) and Athletic Director Sandy Barbour, both
stressed a mantra of getting the job done no matter the cost. These types of
values often are typecast with characteristics of a hardworking group of
employees and a very competitive environment. In fact, Sandy Barbour takes it a
step further by fostering an environment of "its us against them."
(them implying other collegiate athletic programs). The severely understaffed
organization often has to work very long hours and many of the staff comes in
on weekends.
However, the question remains as to
why would people go to these lengths, often sacrificing their own free time for
no external benefits (both Barbour and Ortega said that monetary benefits were
not given out)? The answer is as Dave Ortega bluntly summarizes is
"because we care about our student athletes." With nearly half of the
workers at the department playing high school sports and almost a third of them
playing college sports, many of them sympathize and relate to the rigorous
schedule that student athletes have to bear through.
Thus, Ortega and Barbour
both agree that the work itself is most fulfilling when they get to see that
the kids, that they take care of and nurture succeed on the playing field as
well as in the classroom. In their mind (as well as the mind of others who have
contact with the student athletes), enjoyment isn't measured by the monetary
compensation they receive (for many of them would leave this job otherwise),
rather knowing that their work benefits someone else and helps achieve a
greater cause is the main motivator for many people at their job. While it remains
a problem that many of the workers in the organization do not have contact with
the student athlete, the motivation that this provides to those that are given
this privilege cannot be understated.
Knowing that the stake of others
that they care about rides on their capabilities, the workplace environment is
infused with a feeling of getting the job done no matter the cost and time.
Employees cooperate through teams and coordinate projects so that when one
platform is completed, it can be sent off swiftly and carefully to those next
in charge. Ortega further states that "we do more with so little,"
clarifying later that the organization has half the employees that it needs.
While such a tension filled and deadline driven may imply that there is no time
for fun and games, Barbour emphasized that keeping employees driven and happy
is a key goal of hers and something she tries to stress.
No comments:
Post a Comment