Networking key to Olympic success

Networking and cooperation in elite high-performance sports sector holds the key to New Zealand athletes winning more Olympic medals, says marketing researcher Simon Martin.

Mr Martin has just completed his PhD thesis, entitled Networking for Gold, at the University's College of Business at Albany campus. He looked at how elite high performance sports organisations work with each other.

“Athletes are the ones who stand on the podium, but they are supported by all these structures and everybody needs to be performing – not just the people but the organisation and the structures that link these," he says. “Do elite sports systems win Olympic medals – yes they do."

Elite sports in New Zealand are managed by the National Sports Organisations and supported by New Zealand Academy of Sport under the umbrella of Sport and Recreation New Zealand. The academy has created a system of networks that provide leadership, resources and support to enable athletes and teams to win on the world stage.

Mr Martin says his research shows groups linking into the networks – such as community trusts, funding groups, nutritionists, researchers, conditioners, equipment designers and suppliers – must be engaged in the cause from chief executive level down to the individuals.

“New Zealand has to be very strategic in the way it manages its resources as it is limited by a small economy. There is a small gene pool to get athletes from and a small economy to fund all these sports. We have to be very careful about what we choose to invest in – other countries have more money, more athletes and can afford to build bigger facilities.

“It is a difficult call but it is impossible to be all things to all people and you have to draw a line in the sand and identify the sports you are gong to focus on because they have the best chance. You have to have the right people in the right system and focus on where the biggest gain is going to be – that is economic reality.”

His research was used by the academy to help shape decisions on structure. He is also working with Enterprise North Shore, which is setting up a Business of Sport cluster.

He says the academy is sharing good practice between sports and business and bringing in specialists from overseas. “We need to have people that are respected in their sport because they have been there and done that but these people also need to have a good business background or it doesn’t work.”

Mr Martin’s findings are relevant to business as they show how networks enable smaller firms to compete successfully in a global market.