FCB Four Frames Paper

Figueroa-Serra, Jose A.
1
Four Frames Analysis: Futbol Club Barcelona First Team Football Area
Football has played an important part in my adaptive challenge of moving to and living in
New England an environment very different from where I born and raised, the island of Puerto
Rico. Football helped me find new friends, explore in a deeper way the concept of what a team is
and gave me the opportunity the lead and motivate teammates. I have always liked football
although it was not the most popular sport in Puerto Rico. I used to watch the world cups every
four years with my Father as we both enjoyed what it is essentially a celebration of the worlds
most popular sport. The 2014 world cup united all football fans around the organization where I
work and we decided to create a football team to play in a recreational league on a weekly basis.
By consistently playing in this team we became a family that together continuously developed
and refine our football skills while we have fun and witness our improvements as we climb up
the ranks of the league.
After the 2014 world cup ended, I missed watching the games so much that I decided to
follow Futbol Club Barcelona (FCB) as a result. I chose to be a fan of Futbol Club Barcelona
(FCB) because it strives for executing with excellence and consists of a team of world-class
players that are able to display how magnificent the game of football can be. In addition, I
empathize with FCBs commitment to support the Catalan society in its effort to preserve its
unique language and culture. I identify with the Catalan society because being a product of the
Puerto Rican society I am also part of many Puerto Ricans who aim to preserve our language and
culture while witnessing how it slowly blends with the North-American culture. FCB is a sports
organization recognized worldwide by football fans and other sport enthusiasts. Its rich, and
interesting history and culture makes it a compelling organization to explore through the four
frames.
Figueroa-Serra, Jose A. 2
FCB is a large organization that includes not only football but also a wide variety of other
sports like Roller Hockey, Basketball, Futsal, and Handball. Moreover, it also includes additional
sports in the category of amateur sports like Ice Hockey, Athletics, and Rugby among a few
others (Amateur Sports, n.d.). For this four-frame analysis we will focus on FC Barcelonas first
team of football, which exists within the FCB organization. The first team of football refers to
the professional football team that plays at the advanced football division of the FCB. We will
review the history of the club and then proceed to analyze the club through the Structural,
Human Resource (HR), Political, and Symbolic frame.
Futbol Club Barcelona also known as Bara is a professional football club, based in
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was founded in 1899 by Swiss footballer Hans Kamper. From
FCBs inception, it grew at an incredible pace becoming something much greater than a football
club, turning Baras more than a club slogan into a reality. The following are some highlights
of over 100 years of the clubs existence (History, n.d.).
1899 1922: FCB built their first stadium Les Corts. In these period Bara became the
leading football club in Catalonia and associated itself with the Catalan identity.
1922 1957: Bara went through good and bad phases. On the bright side, its
membership reached 10,000 and football turned professional due to increased popularity. During
this period legendary figures Paulino Alcantara and Josep Samitier played and helped FCB win
titles and trophies. The club also had troubling periods that had to overcome, mainly due to the
political struggles the Spanish Civil War and the assassination of club president Josep Sunyol.
1957 1974: FCB built erected its second and current stadium Camp Nou. The club
achievments during this period were inferior to the previous ones as it slowly recovered from its
misfortunes almost losing its identity. However it was also further strengthened as an entity
with a steadily increasing membership. All these resulted in the slogan more than a club coined
by club President Narcis De Carreras. Johan Cruyff a figure who would change the history of
the club is hired as a player.
1974 1988: club witnesses the conversion of football clubs to democracy. Joep Luis
Nuez becomes the first elected president of FCB and serves for 22 years. Camp Nou is
expanded for the 1982 World Cup celebration.
1988 2000: Johan Cruyff returns to the club as a head coach and assembles the Dream Team
by singing a mix of Spanish and international players of high caliber and conquered the
European Cup at Wembley in 1992. FCB celebrates its centenary and the long presidency of
Nuez comes to an end.
2000 2008: Joan Laporta is elected as the new president. He started a new social
expansion for the club reaching to 172,938 members. Lionel Messi joins the first team and the
club enjoys successful seasons that included four league titles, Champions League Titles in Paris
and Rome, and a FIFA Club World Cup.
2008-2012: Joan Laporta presidency ends and Sandro Rosell steps into the office as new
President. This period is also known as the era of Head Coach Josep Pep Guardiola. He
recorded the most successful season in the entire clubs history winning six titles. In the 4
years of Bara under Guardiolas wing, he was able to win 14 trophies in total.
2012 Present: Tito Vilanova, former assistant manager for Guardiola steps in as Head
Coach and leads the team to hold the top spot of the league table for the entire season, recording
only 2 losses and accumulating an incredible 100 points in the process. Vilanova steps out and
later passes away due to illness. Superstar forwards Neymar and Luis Suarez join the squad.
Sandro Rosell resigns as President and former Vice-President Josep Maria Bartomeu replaces
him until elections in the summer of 2015.
Currently, Futbol Club Barcelona is the second most valuable football team in the world,
valued at 3.2 Billion (Club Value, n.d.) and is the current seasons top team in La Liga. In
addition, the club is slated to compete the UEFA Champions League Semifinals, and the Copa
del Rey finals during May 2015.
Bolman & Deal (B&D) mention that structural designs in organizations rarely start from
scratch. Managers are prone to look at the past for frameworks that can best fit for a particular
organization. The Mintzberg model is a popular one that can assist managers in assembling a
structure that conforms the circumstances (Mintzberg, 1980). From this model, five structural
configurations are derived. These five structural configurations developed by Mintzberg are
helpful in analyzing an organization through the structural frame. The configurations are: Simple
Structure; Machine Bureaucracy; Professional Bureaucracy; Divisionalized Form; and
Adhocracy. These five configurations differentiate by the size of five components that exist
within all five configurations: strategic apex, middle line, operating core, technostructure, and
support staff. According to Mintzberg, most organizations can be divided into these five basic
components mentioned previously. The strategic apex manages the organization to ensure that it
executes its mission and meet its objectives. The middle line exists when an organization is large
enough to require it, and it transmits the information between the apex and the operating core.
The operating core is at the base of an organization, it delivers a service or produces the products
for the customers. The technostructure is a group of specialists, analysts and technicians that
Image 1: FCBs First Team Apex, Middle-Line and Core members
generate and maintain the standards and procedures throughout an organization. The support
staff provides administrative services such as secretaries, assistants and coordinators (Bolman
and Deal, 2013). In the following paragraphs we will identify which structural configuration best
fits FCB. In addition we aim to identify and define the roles and responsibilities of the strategic
apex, the middle line, operating core, technostructure, and supporting staff.
I believe FCB utilizes a Professional Bureaucracy with the president, technical
commission, and director of professional sports making up the strategic apex, the coaching staff
making up the middle line, and the players making up the operating core (Squad, n.d.). The
previous components are clearly identifiable on Image 1, which displays FCBs first team of
football. The technostructure consists of the International Football Association Board (IFAB),
Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the Union of European Football
Associations (UEFA), National Professional Football League (LFP), the referees, and assistant
referees make up the technostructure. Finally, the support staff consists of positions that provide
aid with team marketing, ticket sales, medical support, team travel, stadium maintenance and
upgrades, equipment management, concessions and community relations (Litwin, 2015, Jobs in
Professional Sports: Pro Sports Jobs Overview, n.d.).
At the strategic apex of FCB we have the board of directors and more importantly, the
current president of Josep Maria Bartomeu (Presidents, n.d.). Bartomeu assumed the
presidency of FCB after former president Sandro Rosell resigned due to an accusation of
misappropriation that ended up in a lawsuit by a member of the club (Resignation, n.d.). The
president has the responsibility for the overall management of the club, formally signing
contracts with staff and players, and setting up main objectives and lead the organization in order
to meet them. During Rosells term he had the following objectives for FCBs whole
organization: maintain the clubs athletic excellence; invest in youth football; implement
austerity measures due to the Clubs delicate economic situation and encourage social
participation. During Rosells presidency the club was successful, though his predecessor Joan
Laporta was more successful (Presidents, n.d.).
In addition to the president, the apex also consists of a technical commission team
composed of 4 experienced businessman and football enthusiasts who are responsible for
planning FCBs future seasons. They meet with the president and the coaching staff to consider
the team needs and to look at the promotion of players with world-class potential from FCBs
lower division teams. The technical commission meetings are coordinated by the Director of
Professional Sports Alberto Soler, who is the last important piece in the strategic apex when
focusing only on the first team of club (Technical Comission, n.d.). Soler also manages and
oversees all sports and its divisions and reports to the president. Below you will see an
organizational chart of FCB, the section highlighted in yellow is our focus for the structural
frame analysis. It represents the link between the first team (operating core), middle managers
(coaching staff), and technical commission, sports area director and president (strategic apex).
FCB Organization Chart (FCB Org Chart, n.d.)
At the middle-line is the coaching staff, which consists of a total of seven men. These
seven are distributed to 6 different roles, one head coach, two assistant coaches, one technical
assistant, one fitness coach, one psychologist, and a goalkeepers coach (Coaching Staff, n.d.).
This small team is lead by Head Coach Luis Enrique Martinez. The Head Coach is the most
important middle line public figure for FCB. The responsibilities for Martinez as the Head Coach
are to select the team of player for matches and their formations, planning the strategy and
instructing it on the pitch, motivating players, and facing the media for pre and post-match
interviews (TikiTactic, 2015). Currently, it is Martinezs first time leading the first team of FCB.
During the current season his highlight so far was to match the winning streak of one of the best
head coaches FCB has had, Josep Pep Guardiola. The rest of the coaching staff assist the squad
and is responsible for the training and development of the players.
The operating core are the players, they are the essential pieces of a winning squad. There
are currently 23 players in the squad (Squad, n.d.). All football squads play matches following a
field arrangement of players called formation. The formation is typically divided up in defense
players, midfield players, and forward players. FCBs most popular formation is a 4-3-3. A 4-3-3
formation translates to 4 defenders, 3 midfielders and 3 forwards. The defending players role is
to assist the goalkeeper in avoiding a goal against them. They stall the offensive plays of the
opponents, block and/or deviate their shots away from their goal, as well as tackling to gain back
the possession of the ball. The midfield players role is to maintain possession of the ball, link
passes looking for open spaces, and advance the team towards the opponents goal. The forward
players role is to initiate offensive plays and get goals in order to win the game. The football
squad structure is flat, all players efforts are valued, anyone can handle the ball or attempt to
score if it is possible (B&D, 2013).
At a higher level the technostructure mainly consists of four organizations, IFAB, FIFA,
UEFA, and LFP. Even though there is a relatively high amount of governing organizations when
compared with other sports, FIFA is recognized as the international governing body of football
and its headquarters are based in Zurich, Switzerland (FIFA, n.d.). In general, the organizations
mentioned are responsible for organizing sports competitions, as well as establishing their rules.
The final decision however, belongs to the IFAB, which sets the Laws of the Game
(Technostructure, n.d. & IFAB, n.d.). Further, at a lower level in the technostructure, the referee
is the police of the game having the authority to make decisive winning calls, call fouls,
handballs, goals, control playing time, and directly sanction players and managers alike at the
time of the game.
Last but not least is the support staff component of the Mitnzberg model. As mentioned
earlier, it can include team marketing, ticket sales, medical support, team travel, stadium
maintenance and upgrades, equipment management, concessions and community relations
(Litwin, 2015, Jobs in Professional Sports: Pro Sports Jobs Overview, n.d.). The people
responsible for these tasks facilitate the work of FCB. It maintains happy fans by communicating
all news and providing stadium maintenance, it attends to the players needs, and handles most of
the administrative work.
For the HR frame we will discuss what the organization and the people do for one
another. In essence, the relationships between FCBs players, coaching staff and president. We
will look at how the club empower their employees and promotes diversity. We will explore the
recruitment process of players and how the organization maintains the chemistry and happiness
of the squad. Further, we will explore the salary system of the players and an aspect of the
training and development of players under a strict coach.
When evaluating current relationships between the president and the players, it can be
said that the talent of the player helps define the relationship. In January 2015, there was a power
struggle rumor at the half of the 2014-2015 La Liga season between possibly the best football
players ever Lionel Messi and new Head Coach Luis Enrique, which will be further discussed, in
the political frame. Hearing the news, club president Bartomeu met with Messi to give the
Argentine his unconditional support. According to the sources, Messi told the president he was
not happy with the coach and did not have a good relationship with the coaching staff. The
president in turn, said to Messi that they were looking for a technical secretary who can take over
in case of an emergency (Ahlimanoglu, 2015). This situation shows how management at the apex
trust and value players with seniority and talent and consider new first team head coaches to be
on a temporary status to evaluate how the coach fits the squad.
When looking at the relationships within the squad, during the beginning of the Guardiola
era we can see how success also depends on the atmosphere and spirit within the squad. Messi
stated:
The important fact is that we enjoy a really healthy spirit at the training ground
and in the dressing room. From my point of view there are a few guys around with whom
I have been playing since the youth ranks in Barcelona. Right now Ive got an excellent
relationship with every single guy in our squad and I think that perhaps that helps
explain how easy it is for all of us to get extra from our play when it comes to matches
particularly difficult ones. We get on well, we have fun, we share a work ethic, but a lot
of us have been trained together since we were quite young. If everyone has the same
idea of treating the ball with respect, managing the flow of matches and putting the team
before the individual, then life becomes more simpler (Hunter, loc. 5107-5116).
When managers do fit into the culture and squad, it reflects in the success of the club.
Going back to the 2008-2012. Pep Guardiola was the Head Coach of FC Barcelona. Contrary to
the situation mentioned above, when Guardiola entered FCB as a manager, his methodology of
demanding the utmost of the players everyday, and inspiring them to better what they thought
was their upper limit helped Guardiola win the trust of the players, especially when they started
winning one trophy after another. Previous to Guardiolas management, the players were
dissatisfied with the managerial authority and winning the trust of superstar egos and talents was
considered and incredible achievement. (Hunter, loc. 1347). Guardiola although keeping a tight
leash, also found moments to reward the team. A week before his first European Cup final,
Guardiola reserved a restaurant for a squads night out to party. Once objectives were achieved
Guardiola would reward his players by giving them time blow off steam as a team to
strengthened their bonds and gain a sense of hard work and reward. Nevertheless, after four
years of high standards and demanding perfectionism, the players felt they deserved a break
since they were the football elite, the best team ever. Guardiolas players started playing their
best only at the important games. When there was bad or cold weather, some players would come
up with excuses to avoid these uninspiring matches (Perarnao, 2015). These outcomes also show
the other side of being managed by a very competitive and demanding head coach. Players get
worn out and become content with their past achievements.
On another turn of historic events, now we will look at an example of the relationship
between a successful head coach (i.e., Guardiola) and two different successive club presidents.
Guardiola decided to part ways with the FCB at 2012 after 4 years of successfully managing it.
His public reasons were being drained after four years of maximum intensity and had no more to
give. This were not the only reasons, Joan Laporta, the first president during Guardiolas first
years was described as a dynamic but pushy man, with high energy and contradictory, supporting
Guardiola at moments and undermining him on other moments. The successor of Laporta,
Sandro Rosell was described by Guardiola as a cold and two-faced person with the heart of a
bureaucrat. Over Guardiolas four year tenure, he was expected to act as club coach,
spokesperson, virtual president and even travel coordinator. In other words, relations with both
presidents were a struggle and not simple. (Perarnao, 2015)
As the hiring and selling process goes, a new head coach with the trust of the managerial
apex and with a team lacking the success it once had is empowered modify the squad to his style.
During the Guardiola era, one of the first actions he took was to sell some of FCBs most
talented players Ronaldinho, Samuel Etoo and Deco. Guardiolas view was all about
performance and what players can give to the squad. These three players could not guarantee this
as they had tough dominant attitudes with bad habits that poisoned the new objectives of the new
head coach. These actions show how powerful a head coach can be when its given the freedom
to do as it pleases as long as it can fix a damaged squad.
Training and Development for the players was very strict under Guardiolas management.
A players weight was meticulously measured and restricted. Punctuality was of utmost
importance because it represented mental preparation. The simple rules were to arrive in time to
so the whole team has breakfast together. Training required players to be punctual at 11 am, and
ready mentally and physically to give their very best at each session, or they were fined. Fines
started at 500 euros per five minutes and up to 6,000. Tying up your laces on the training pitch,
arriving at 10 seconds past 11, any breach no matter how small was forbidden. Latecomers were
greeted with ironic applause from everyone else involved in the training session (Hunter, 1106).
In short, players were under very strict rules by a very strict manager.
The assessment for recruiting players can start at the age of seven. From there on,
recruitment falls into three categories. One way to recruit is when the club constantly looks for
talented players from clubs outside of the organization. Luis Suarez and David Villa were
recruited this way. A second way is to recruit young footballers (16-19 years old) that have left a
short or medium amount of time (2-4 years) to get ready for the first team. These players can
come from a youth club, a local amateur club, a school team, or from the junior ranks of another
professional football club within or outside of Spain. Puyol is an ideal example of this being
recruited at 17 years old. The final category for recruitment is considered the most important:
scouts identify 7 year old and upward kids that have an innate talent that can be polished and
nurtured by FCB. This was done with Lionel Messi. So what do scouts look for when trying to
identify talent? One example is to look for kids who love and are addicted to playing or
practicing football at all times. (Hunter, loc. 3635-3653) In addition, scouts look for a young
players ability to adapt and integrate to the Barcelona system and skills that reflect what is
required to play on a first team like Guardiolas. How is the first touch? Can he retain
possession? How quickly can he read situations and make decisions under pressure? (Hunter,
loc. 3672)
In the aspect of diversification, there is priority on identifying Catalan players. FCB
strives to find the cream of Spanish talent but is also driven to find the best young players around
the world. Under FIFA eligibility rules, Spanish teams are limited to three players without
European citizenship. Players are allowed to have dual citizenship an EU country. Moreover,
players from countries like Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific are not counted against the nonEU requirement. (Duthel, 2015). The current squad consists of 10 Spaniards, 2 Germans, 1
Croatian, 1 French, and 9 South Americans.
FCB has a pyramid salary structure. The majority of the squad is at the base of the
pyramid. The rising talents are above the base, the established talents are above the rising talents,
and at the apex of the pyramid are the one or two superstars of the squad. In football it is very
common for the forwards or goal scorers to earn the highest salary since ultimately what makes a
team win is scoring goals. While other positions at the team are indispensable, a team without a
goal scorer will never win. According to Forbes, Lionel Messis current annual salary is
approximately $41.7 M, adding endorsements he tops at 65 M, and is the 2nd highest paid soccer
player after Cristiano Ronaldo who plays for Real Madrid (Messi Salary,n.d.). Neymar trails
behind at the 4th place earning 28 M (salary:12 M, endorsements: 16 M) (Neymar Salary,
n.d.)and Luis Suarez at the 20th place earning $15 M (salary: 11 M , endorsements: 4 M), about a
fourth of what Messi earns (Salary, 2015). In addition to the salary there are steep incentives for
all players around goals scored, league position and trophies (Hunter, Loc. 4867). The Spanish
League aka La Liga does have a salary cap previously confidential but now available for the
public. Barcelona has the highest salary cap with $446 M followed by Real Madrid with $421 M
(Vila, 2014). As a result, FCB has the biggest budget that can attract the best players in the
world.
FCBs political frame is interesting and unique for a football club. In contrast to most
sport teams who are owned by the president, the FCB organization is a democracy. The club is
governed by its members called socios or associates. To become a member, it is required that
you have a family relationship with another current member, membership can also be obtained
through an exception application where you need to be approved by a board of directors
(Membership, n.d.). Members over 18 years old and with at least a one year old membership can
exercise the right to vote on FCBs elections for a president every 6 years (Voting, n.d.) There are
currently more than 160,000 members of whom are residents of Catalonia (91%), the rest of
Spain (6%) and other parts of the world (Democracy, 2015).
Politics, Catalan Identity and FCB are strongly intertwined. The early years of the clubs
existence were accompanied by the Great Leap Forward of political Catalanism . The club
being projected as Catalan in nature, was linked with the movement of liberal nationalists within
the region at the time (Chris, 2011). By this linkage, we are able to understand how politics have
always played an important part in FC Barcelonas evolution to the club it is today.
The most significant moment in Baras history politically wise occurred when Josep
Sunyol joined the club as the new president. He was a political figure of the left wing party in
favor of Catalan independence who considered that being the president of FCB would
complement his public career On his way to a political meeting he drove through a region
controlled by Francoist forces who favored the right wing party, these forces identified, captured
and executed Sunyol (Sunyol, n.d.). As the martyr president for the club, he is seen as the
primary victim of the clubs politics and as result was a key factor in strengthening the
connections between politics and sports for the Catalans.
Due to FCBs democratic model for electing those to be in power, it is very common for
conflicts and coalitions to arise in a similar manner than those running for the United States
presidency. When former president Joan Laporta initiated his movement against former Josep
Lluis Nuez with an unsuccessful vote of no confidence against Nuez, Laporta later wins the
presidency of the club and Sandro Rosell (part of Laportas team at the time) was a key strategist
in Laportas victory (Hunter, loc. 1462). Laporta was able to form a coalition with the support of
talented businessmen, members of the club, and fans by to winning them through his charisma
and promises like signing David Beckham if he won the presidency elections, which never
happened and instead he signed Ronaldinho. In a turn of events, after a few years of Laportas
successfully leading the club, Sandro Rosell turned against some of the executives on the board
and accused Laporta for lack of transparency and tried an unsuccessful vote of no confidence
against Laporta in the same way Laporta did against Nuez (Hunter, loc. 2929). Surprisingly
enough, Laporta was losing the man (i.e., Rosell) who would succeed him as president and
move from being Laportas influential ally to a sworn enemy (Hunter, loc. 2938). The previous
is an example of the political frame assumption that organizations are coalitions of different
individuals and interest groups mentioned in Bolman and Deal.
Members and fans of FCB hold an incredible amount of power that can cause a president
to resign. When Sandro Rosell assumed the presidency, one of his goals was to bring Neymar to
FCB. After battling against Real Madrid football club for Neymar, Rosell was able to win and
sign Neymar. After the transfer was done, one Barcelona club member inquired about the amount
of money utilized to sign Neymar. When Rosell provided no proper response, the member filed a
complaint, accusing Bara president of misappropriation of funds, which later was taken to court
by the member himself. Rosells downfall didnt end there. Rosell also orchestrated an attack
against former president Laporta for a 23 Million club debt, a case Rosell later dropped.
Moreover, Rosell provoked anger and discontent among fans by refusing to renew the contract of
beloved player Abidal. In addition, Rosell added caused discontent among leaders within FCB
with he controversial deal that switched UNICEF for Qatar Airways (associated with financing
Islamic terrorism) as the main jersey sponsor. Moreover, Rosell dismissed Johan Cruyff as
honorary president the former manager and player famous for implementing the style of
playing and recruiting system at FCB that holds to this day. All the factors mentioned tested the
patience of the fans and members who at the end pushed Rosell to resign as president (Evelyn,
2014).
Power struggles between players and managers are common to occur in the club. Player
Lionel Messi is considered to be one of the most talented players in the world. As a result, Messi
holds a substantial amount of power within the club. As mentioned previously, current Head
Coach Luis Enrique was rumored to have disagreements with the superstar, who ended up in
leaving Messi on the bench for the first half of the first game of 2015, resulting in a loss for the
team. Coach Luis Enrique told the board that Messi and him can no longer work together. In
addition, it was rumored that the Messi was considering his future at the club. This caused the
club to call for an early presidential election for the end of the current season the elections were
originally scheduled for 2016. Which would potentially cause a restructuring of leadership after a
resignation of Sandro Rosell which caused former board member Josep Bartomeu to step in as
acting president (Hayward, 2015).
Considering the five assumptions of the symbolic frame expressed in Bolman and Deal,
the one that stands out at FCB is that Events and processes are often more important for what is
expressed that for what is produced. Their emblematic form weaves a tapestry of secular myths,
heroes and heroines, rituals, ceremonies, and stories to help people find purpose and passion.
Matches are events where no matter if they are won or lost, it is an opportunity for players to
display skills and integration using the unique playing system implemented early by former
manager Cruyff the tiki-taka or ball possession tactic. Each FCB home game not only
represents a day of great football, but an expression of identity, a celebration of the Catalan
culture and language. FCB is filled with many stories of heroes that impacted and helped
strengthen the culture and the meaning within the club, some of them mentioned previously. The
stories that formed the club help players understand and appreciate the honor of playing for the
club and motivate them to give their best to contribute in a widely recognized club.
We will explore FCB in the symbolic frame through a multilevel analysis that Schein
proposes can help us reach to the underlying shared basic assumptions. Schein emphasizes that
to decipher the real meaning of the artifacts of an organization, it is important to understand and
analyze what is going on at a deeper level the underlying assumptions. If we do not do this, we
run the risk of misinterpreting the details that can be seen on the surface by applying our
subjective experiences and biases onto what it is observed.
The Artifacts
Many years ago, when I was getting the football fever, I remember watching the first
team of Futbol Club Barcelona playing a home game on the television for the first time. I first
noted its home uniforms with its red and blue stripes, a UNICEF logo printed on the front the
jersey, and the name and number of each player on the back. It helped the players easily
recognizable on the field. In particular, it was easy to recognize Ronaldinho because he was the
#10, while Messi wore the #19. I immediately assumed the number was picked by him for some
personal reason, similar to how basketball players like Michael Jordan wore the #23. I heard a
particular anthem before the start of the game, which I assumed was Spains anthem since the
game was in Barcelona. The stadium was huge, every seat filled by fans wearing the teams
jersey, chanting, and holding up yellow and red striped flags. The stadium name Camp Nou
sounded like a fancy name derived from Latin, I figured Nou must be the last name of some
historical figure. I also noticed the symbol on the jerseys of the players, it had red and blue colors
like the jersey, as well as yellow and red stripes, like the flags of the fans, a red cross with a
white background that reminded me of the England flag where football was born, and the
letters FCB. Also, I saw a difference in the attitude between the superstars of FCB and Real
Madrid. Messi was not a player that enjoyed the spotlight - showcasing fancy cars, dating
supermodels or partying, in contrast, Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid was the total opposite.
Espoused Beliefs and Values
I began to dig deep into the organization to understand the meaning of my observations I
researched their website to learn more about the uniform colors and logos. The red and blue color
combination on the jerseys is known as blaugrana in reference to the color translation in
Catalan language. These colors have been used in the team for more than a hundred years. There
has been much debate about the origin of the colors but there are only theories about a possible
relation to the founders team colors previous to founding FCB (Colours, n.d.). The previous
UNICEF logo on the jersey had a direct relation with the clubs slogan mes que un club. The
managers of the club wanted to show that the FCB was more than a club, they wanted to to
communicate to the world the ms Que un Club message in a way the world could understand.
UNICEF was perfect for this, not only was UNICEF going to be recognized globally thanks to
the club of Barcelona, but Bara was also going to pay 1.5M for the privilege, money that would
go to fighting AIDS in Africa. The sponsor however, was changed in a controversial way when
Sandro Rosell became president of the club by replacing it for Qatar Airways - angering some
fans and members of the club. The change occurred to gain more money that would help Rosell
reach is objectives as new president. (Hunter, loc. 3036).
The number on the players jerseys are essentially used to help the referee identify
players on the field. Bara uses a squad number system used by most teams however, this means
that players choose their number based on what numbers they are offered. However, one player
number is particularly famous, the number 10 is used in in FCB to identify the star forward of
the team, which is currently used by Messi., however Ronaldinho was the #10 when he was
playing along Messis side (Squad Numbers, n.d.). The anthem that I initially heard at the game
was not Spains anthem, but the anthem of FCB called Cant del Bara . It is a ritual played
before every game played at the Camp Nou and helps in building up the excitement and energy
of the fans and players. It is sang and clapped in unison by fans and it represents the values of its
supporters and welcomes outsiders to the Catalan society (Anthem, n.d.). The Camp Nou which
means new grounds in Catalan, was a replacement to the first FCB stadium Les Corts has a
capacity of 99, 354 people making it the biggest stadium in Europe. (Camp Nou, n.d.) This
reflects how popular is the club around the world and how this can impact the players popularity.
The red and yellow colors on the flags held by the fans, and on the crest of the team are
the colors of the Senyera - the Catalonia flag. These colors as well as the mes que un club
slogan reinforce the Catalan identity of the club and its commitment to preserve the culture and
language of the Catalans (identity, n.d.). The senyera and red cross with white background on
the teams crest are the most representative symbols of Barcelona and Catalonia.
The popular Barcelona club represents Catalonia and its slogan mes que un club and the
values it promotes are supportive of the slogan and its identity. One trait value I was able to see
in Messi and most players of the club was humility - one of Barcelonas espoused values.
Estiarte former Head of External Relations under the management of Guardiola states:
Messi has humility you can see it when he plays. He accepts that the core
group is the life and soul of the club. Meanwhile, his teammates are happy to recognize
him as the best player in the world. There is no jealousy thats very difficult to achieve
(Hunter, loc. 500).
The club also promotes respect. It has been mentioned by player Iniesta that friendship is
very common among players, however the key word in the dressing room is respect. Iniesta
states:
You can have or two close friends, but you must have respect for every one of
your team-mates. Thats the only way the team can function, the only way we can win. Let
me give you an example. There have been times when I didnt play as much as I do now. I
wasnt starting games and although I considered myself to be in better shape than some
of the guys who were making the starting line-up, out of respect I said nothing. Out of
respect for the dressing room, as a good teammate, as a decent person. Those are the
kind of values I was taught and theyve served me well (Hunter, loc. 5041).
The other three additional values promoted by the club are teamwork, ambition, and effort.
Manager Pep Guardiola recognized Andres Iniesta as a great player stating:
Iniesta stands alone beyond the fact that hes a terrific player, its him that I always
use as an example to the youth team players. He doesnt wear earrings; he doesnt tattoo
his skin he just looks like your average guy. He always, always trains at full effort and
concentration. Play him for 20 minutes and he doesnt moan, play him out of position
and he just gets on with it. That this club has a like player like Iniesta is beyond price
(Hunter, loc. 4156).
Underlying Assumptions
According to Schein, to understand what stands behind the values and beliefs mentioned
previously, we must look for the underlying assumptions on which the organization was based.
The players desire to win is something taken for granted. This desire to win drives them
to behave in an ambitious manner. Players in the FCB squad are self-motivated and energized
individuals that enjoy the feeling of being the best. The competition keeps the excitement and
adrenaline pumping, it helps them be their best.
A club like FCB has very talented players that could easily score without having to
maintain possession of the ball for a long time, or passing the ball three times more than what the
average team pass in a game. Players recognize that every teammate has a role in the squad and
that by following the Barcelona playing system and trusting the team-mates will play their
positions according, the output of the team as one will be greater than the sum of the individuals.
Another assumption players hold in the background is that they will not win every game
(Hunter, loc. 166). Its a shared assumption generated as they developed as football players
playing for different clubs at different levels of skills. They learned to accept that losing is part of
the game and they need to move on, learn from their mistakes and improve. This is why the
effort you put into the training, practices, and the actual match needs to be palpable by the
players and the coach.
For the team to be successful, every player needs the support of the teammates. It is a
common assumption among all sports athletes that the opposing team plays to win. For this
reason, as a teammate you must be aware of the needs of your squad, if a teammate is caught off
position, it is assumed you will communicate with them, if a team-mate leaves their position to
defend an opponent, you are expected to act on their behalf and cover their position until the
team-mate can claim the position again. Teammates provide good feedback so the team can learn
to work as one.
Last but not least, the club is aware that without the fans the club would not exist. It is
clear for a team the caliber of Futbol Club Barcelona that the fans support and energy is an
important component in the success of a team. The club being aware of this also has the intent to
give the fans exciting games that display how the beautiful game of football should be played.
Guardiola says it best by stating the following:
We live in a world where everything is spiraling in cost and many people need to
make a big sacrifice in order to go and watch a game of football. So, for me, it all makes
sense, the effort, the work, the planning, the concentration and the discipline if you do it
for the people. The manner in which we have played this season is a demonstration of the
respect we have for the people who pay for a ticket or pay money to watch matches on
television (Hunter, loc. 1535).
After examining Futbol Club Barcelona through the four frames, we can now analyze
what makes FCB such a successful team in the Spain League. The presidents play an important
part in the clubs success. At the moment Joan Laporta became president in 2003, he brought a
group of smart businessman supporters and created a business model to improve FCBs
economic situation with the end objective of turning FCB into the biggest and best football club
ever. Laporta and his team managed to help the club by selecting the right coaches, and signing
the best players available. All this was done under the tutoring of a successful former manager
and senior Cruyff who advocated and implemented the current playing style of FCB and
improved its scouting system by opening communication between scouts of the three different
recruiting categories mentioned in the Human Resources frame. Laporta appointed Guardiola the most successful as Head Coach for the first team. Guardiola was a previous FCB player and
also successfully managed a team in a lower division in the club. He knew how the system
worked and how to successfully implement the tiki taka playing style that Barca is so famous for.
The players Messi, Xavi, and Iniesta were also an important part in Guardiola and Laportas
success with the club. They were all gifted players recruited at an early age and developed under
the Barcelona system. By the time Guardiola was in power they were all ready to perform at the
first team level. In summary, the right team was a critical component in growing the club to the
successful and recognized organization it is today. The political aspect also played an important
part in defining the identity of the club. The democratic system not common in sports provided
the public members the opportunity to elect the top management. This permitted a dynamic
climate where different personalities arose to power and tried different methods to improve the
state of the club, in moments at the clubs expense in others to the clubs best interest. It can be
argued that this political aspect also held the club back because by giving ownership power to the
public through the democratic system, it allowed them to elect people based on their instincts,
biases, and promises candidates made. The general public may have a good idea of what good
football is but may not have any idea on how to run a football club.
In Conclusion, FCB benefits from managing the four frames in a successful manner
illustrating the importance of applying the four frames to an organization. When comparing the
strength of the frames, I believe the symbolic frame is the strongest, followed by the political,
HR and structural frame respectively. In the following paragraphs we conclude with a review of
each frame.
The club has a structured hierarchy necessary to manage the different aspects of a sports
team the business, the players, and the games. Also, through the structural frame we matched
the components of Mintzbergs model to the different parts of the football club organization and
the defined it as a professional bureaucracy due to the size of the operating core and the freedom
that is given to the players at the time of the match.
Through the Human Resource frame we discovered how FCB empowers its most talented
coaches, and players, however the less talented players although getting the benefits of being
recognized as a player in one of the best teams of the world, have less benefits and substantially
less salary due to the pyramid salary system. Its recruiting system improves constantly and is
arguably the most crucial factor for the success of the team. By identifying, recruiting and
developing young talent inside the club under the Barca playing system and values, they grow a
crop of players with a strong bond that are able to anticipate each others actions and have a
trusting relationship. A result from this system was Guardiola (the best club manager), Messi,
Iniesta, Xavi, and Busquets among other very talented players.
Through the political frame we analyzed how heavy are politics are involved in the club
and how it can damage it, enhance it and define its identity. We discovered that the club is ruled
by a democracy heavily linked with Catalan political movement where members own it and elect
a president every 6 years. Further, we reviewed how conflicts of interests create power struggles
that drive coalitions between members, fans, and other executives to topple the existing president
of the club. We also examined how power can flow from president, to coach and player
depending on the current situation of the club, seniority, and talents.
Finally, through the symbolic frame we analyzed the culture using a multilevel analysis
by observing the artifacts and uncovering their true meaning through the research of the clubs
espoused beliefs and values. Then we proceeded to expose the underlying assumptions within the
squad of players that were taken for granted.
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Image 1: FCBs First Team Apex, Middle-Line and Core members

FCB Organization Chart (FCB Org Chart, n.d.)

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