Teamwork F1-STYLE Formula 1 Teams Are Undoubtedly the Masters of Getting Things Done As Fast As Possible

Outlook Teamwork F1-STYLE Formula 1 teams are undoubtedly the masters of getting things done as fast as possible. But what can corporate organizations learn from Formula 1 teamwork? BY MARIE-LOUISE OLSEN PHOTO RED BULL t only took a stunning 2.05 sec- for years and is convinced that all organi- Finding a onds for the pit crew of Infiniti zations can be inspired by the well-struc- scapegoat is Red Bull Racing to change all four tured business behind F1 success stories. too simple, tires of driver Mark Webber’s RB9 “One of the lessons we learned is that he says. cari during this year’s Malaysian Grand all the F1 teams have very clear goals and “You Prix, making it the fastest pit stop ever in give very clear feedback,” Jenkins says. need to have Formula 1. “The team members can see the result of an environ- And it wasn’t a one-hit wonder: Infiniti their activities, positively or negatively, ment where Red Bull Racing says that five times during very quickly. It is always a challenge for a everyone the race it beat the old record of 2.31 sec- larger organization to translate that clear is trying to onds held by competing team McLaren. goal and find ways to give feedback. But find ways You can watch the record-breaking pit any company can do it.” to do things stop on YouTube. The car swiftly enters In 1991 race leader Nigel Mansell and better, the pit lane, coming to a complete stop his team Williams lost the F1 champion- rather than Infiniti Red Bull Racing’s among the strategically deployed crew ship when a wheel fell off just yards after a blaming record-setting pit crew. members. There is a bump in the picture pit stop, leaving Mansell stranded. A tiny each other as the car is lifted. Numerous crew mem- mistake, a wheel nut that had not been put for things gone wrong,” Jenkins says. “The bers begin to move like ants and, just as in place, had cost the team everything it key part of that is recognizing the value of you realize they’ve started, the ants are had worked for the entire season. people admitting mistakes.” off. Another bump indicates the car is back For many the natural response would Mansell’s inglorious loss of the cham- on the ground and be to fire the indi- pionship led to an entirely new routine it starts moving vidual responsible for the pit crew to signal when the car was along the track. “Two powerful tools are for the missing ready to be released. But is the re- simple, clear goals and wheel nut. But no It’s not only when they’re losing that F1 hearsed perfor- one at Williams teams obsessively review their work. Mark mance of a pit stop clear feedback” was sent packing. Jenkins once interviewed Jean Todt, then- a realistic role “One of the rea- CEO of Ferrari. The team had just finished model for a corporate organization? Mark sons Formula 1 reaches their high level of first and second in a race, which is as good Jenkins, a Professor of Business Strategy perfection is a strong no-blame culture,” as it gets in F1. Immediately after the race at Cranfield School of Management and Jenkins says. “They isolate the problem, the team spent two hours going through co-author of the book Performance at the not the person, and use failures to under- all the things they had done wrong during Limit: Business Lessons from Formula 1 stand what went wrong in order to adjust the race. “If we don’t, we won’t be able to Motor Racing, thinks so. He has studied F1 the system so it won’t happen again.” win the next race,” Todt explained. 26 YOURMINE 2-13 SANDVIK MINING FROM SANDVIK’S VIEW – different business, same game plan The reality of modern F1 is that of a complex and intertwined operation. Have a closer look and you’ll find Sandvik Mining is not so different. Tomi Pikala, Marketing Manager of Hard Rock Loading and Hauling at Sandvik Mining, is part of a global “racing team” to market the next genera- tion of trucks, the TH551 and TH663. “Previously we had cooperation between different product areas,” Tomi says. “But more or less everyone tried to win the race by themselves, driving the car as well as managing the pit stop. “Now I have had the privilege to ‘test drive’ the new global marketing team on the current truck launch. We’ve set up a team with different skills, such as project management, product knowledge and local marketing knowledge in the sales areas. We all share the same goal, and every role is equally important. In addition, we share the best external contacts for different tasks to get the best available fuel and parts for the race. “For sure, this is a young team and we are still on a learning curve to success. We need to find “Companies are often poor at reviewing work together,” Jenkins says. the best tasks for each team member in order to and at putting the result of the review into F1 teams have flat organizations, where create the highest possible value for the team. practice,” Jenkins says. “When a company no sub-team is more important than the When we face challenges, then we should over- wins a big order, do they look at what they others. come those together and learn from them so that could have done better? No, they celebrate. “During the 1980s and early 1990s Fer- we are even stronger the next In Formula 1, the winner can be sure that rari endured one of its least successful time.” their competitors are going to improve periods,” Jenkins says. “One of the reasons So remember: as a team before the next race.” was that Ferrari had placed the greatest member, you don’t always The F1 teams reflect the complexity of emphasis on building high-performance get to drive the car, but you the vehicles they produce. On average they engines and then designed the rest of the have a better chance to help have 500 employees. Ferrari, which devel- car around it. The culture made the en- get your team into first place ops its own engine, has a thousand people gines untouchable and created an ‘It’s not on the podium. Tomi Pikala on its employment list for its F1 team. my fault’ attitude. That had to be broken The organizations are divided for Ferrari to start winning again.” into several highly special- Something else that distinguishes F1 is ized sub-teams that all need devotion to communication, often face to more mundane companies don’t always to be as synchronized as the face rather than through email. find themselves in? pit-stop crew in order to “In order for work done by sub-teams “That is a comment I always get,” Jen- have the car ready and to optimize the car as a whole, everyone kins says. “I don’t buy that. I think you can improved in time for the needs to have a clear picture of what see examples where people do bring that next race. Clear priori- everyone else works on,” Jenkins says. He passion and commitment into companies ties from senior man- points to Red Bull Racing, which bought everywhere. Of course you are not going to agement and commit- Jaguar Racing in 2004, as an interesting get everybody in your staff fanatical to the ments to meet dead- example of teamwork. “Jaguar Racing was level of a F1 team, but I think it is a bit of an lines are basic funda- a dysfunctional team,” he says. “But using excuse to say ‘We are not as popular an em- mentals. pretty much the same facilities and em- ployer as a Formula 1 team.’ Organizations “In Formula 1, as ploying a lot of the same people, Red Bull need to find ways to engage people. Two in any organization, has managed to create a cohesive team. powerful tools are simple, clear goals and the real challenge is They have won both the Driver Champion- clear feedback on how people are progress- not so much to make people ship and the Constructors’ Championship ing on achieving those goals. If you can find work well together within for the last three years.” a way to bring that clarity to your organi- one small group, but But surely F1 teams attract people who zation, it will help people’s motivation and to make sub-teams Mark Webber are extremely dedicated, a situation that commitment.”• YOURMINE 2-13 SANDVIK MINING 27.

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