Recently Premier League clubs have decided to follow the European model and introduce the idea of a Director of Football. This post is responsible for recruitment, an expensive and high risk part of the business. It’s not without its critics. Managers can suggest the type of player they want and what position they want to fill but the decision is nolonger theirs, hence one high profile manager complaining they asked for an armchair and got a lampshade!

Are there parallels with other areas of business does this model exist in other types of organisations? If not now might it in the future?

The board say it’s about lightening the load, taking some of the pressure off.  In reality it’s removing some of my power. They would never dare do this when performance was exceptional, but now things have levelled off they see an opportunity to shift power internally. If things go wrong it will still be my head on the block not the new guy. But if the new guy doesn’t deliver it makes my job a lot harder.

Let’s not get confused by titles we are talking about who holds the power in an organisation and how that might shift, we are recognising people don’t surrender or give away power it has to be taken. Who’s taking it , why, and how.

Is it a good idea to have an all powerful Chief Executive (CE?)  It is certainly attractive if you are the CE,  less so if you are a frustrated senior manager who feels their ideas don’t get a fair hearing and that any dissent is considered personal disloyalty. But as CE you need the authority and power to make things happen, especially if you want them to happen quickly, debate only slows the pace of change and is pointless if you are certain about your strategy and your methods. Dissent diverts management attention and energy.

But what were once innovative methods are now considered outdated ideas. Strategies need to change or at least be undated, methods need to adapt to a new generation of employees  with different priorities and attitudes. Things change quickly. New ideas need to be heard. Some areas of business become more specialist as technology and resarch adds to the knowledge and the possibility of gaining a competitive edge. So it’s understandable the board would see the advantage of creating a ,”Director of Football” a post to complement the skills and knowledge of the manager/CE  but someone independent of the manager answering directly to the board.

Old school football managers have found the idea difficult and resisted but on their departure the new model has been introduced. Is this model the future for other organisations ? If the European model is the future CE’s will need to get used to the idea of sharing power. But who would be the equivalent  of the Director of Football? Why the Director of HR of course!