The document discusses how the NBA exhibits characteristics of a strong organizational culture as described by Deal and Kennedy. It has well-defined values such as integrity and fair play that are enforced through fines. Heroes who exemplify these values include Adam Silver for removing Donald Sterling from the league for racist comments. Rituals like the All-Star game and games on holidays celebrate top performers and important events. Players further strengthen culture through off-court bonding.

1. The NBA Industry as a
“Strong Culture”

2. About the Industry
 The NBA Industry is made up of 30 franchises total. All but
one is in the United States (Toronto Raptors)
 In today’s age, the NBA creates more than 4 billion dollars in
revenue each season. Averaging out to about 150 million
dollars per team.
 The average regular season home attendance for NBA
games is around 17,000 and total attendance comes out to
about 21 million.

3. What consists of a “Strong Culture”
 Deal and Kennedy made a strong point that businesses and
industries can grow by developing a “strong” culture.
 They stated that if an organization, business, or industry has
the components of a “strong” culture, it will become a better
place for employees to work and it will improve performance
of the workers and the industry itself.
 There are four components that make up a “strong” culture

4. Components
 The first component says that values are the beliefs and
visions that members hold for an organization.
 The second component says that heroes are the individuals
who come to exemplify and organization’s values.
 The third component says that rites and rituals are the
ceremonies through which an organization celebrates it’s
values
 The fourth component says that the cultural network is the
communication system through which cultural values are
instituted and reinforced

5. How the NBA Industry is a Strong
Culture
 The NBA has many values, and if these values are broken,
consequences are handed out.
 The NBA makes a lot of money off players who break a rule
or value and are fined for it
 Not only players are held accountable, everybody in the
industry is held accountable (coaches, owners, referees, etc.)

6. Not All About Money
 The NBA must always do what is in the best interest of the
league. In certain situations, players, owners, and coaches
come together to make certain decisions
 Former Clippers owner Donald Sterling was removed from
his position after making racist comments toward Magic
Johnson which resulted in an outrage from not only the NBA
but mostly everybody in the US, especially the black
community.
 The owners came together and voted him out, but current
NBA commissioner Adam Silver came out and unanimously
said that Donald Sterling was not welcome back in the
league

7. People Over Money
 The industry is not always focused on how much money they
can make, their main focus is to do what is in the best
interest of the people
 Not only the NBA, but most of America was extremely happy
with how Adam Silver handled it. He held a strong presence
in his statement and did what was right for the league
 He showed us the importance of the values of the league and
how strong they are

8. Heroes in the NBA
 The “Heroes” in the Donald Sterling case consists of Adam
Silver, but more so the players and how they stood up to this
case
 The whole Clippers basketball team wore their practice
jerseys inside out in protest to Sterling’s comments. They
exemplified the values of the industry in this manner
 Clippers coach Doc Rivers also spoke out to the media and
said that Sterling should be removed from the league
immediately

9. Rituals for the NBA
 There is a variety of rituals that the NBA has to recognize the
work of players coaches, owners, and people not even
connected to the league
 The NBA holds specific games to recognize players,
influential figures, holidays, etc.
 The NBA is a very rewarding industry with a lot of insentive. If
you improve, you will get paid more. If you get worse, you get
paid less or even possibly sent down to the NBA
Developmental League

10. Ritual Games and Ceremonies
 Every year, the NBA holds an All-Star game to recognize the
players who performed at a superior level for the first half of
the season.
 They also hold a slate of games on Christmas day with
premier match ups of elite teams, along with a couple games
played on Martin Luther King day to recognize what Martin
Luther King did for our country
 The NBA has a “hall of fame” to recognize those who had a
tremendous impact on the league. This class consists of
players, coaches, owners, and some who weren’t necessarily
connected with the league but still had a significant impact on
it

11. Keeping a Strong Culture at all
Times
Most players in the NBA are very friendly and make friends
with not only their teammates, but other players in the league
Depending on where the player is from, most players
participate in offseason workouts with either their teammates
or other guys in the league
A lot of players like to go out and have fun with one another
when they have an off day or they are all done with basketball
for the day in order to reinforce their cultural values when not
at work

12. Questions For Concern
 Whose opinion matters most when it comes to setting values
for the industry? The players or the front office?
 If the players favor a certain rule or value and the front office
opposes it, what kind of action will they take?
 How much of an impact do people outside of the inddustry
have on the NBA? (Fans, journalists, etc)

13. The Attributes of a Hero
 What makes up a “hero” in the NBA? What all do you have to
accomplish in order to be considered one?
 Can you be a hero to the industry without being an actual
part of it?
 When looking at the potential of a member to become a hero
to the industry, what matters more? Actions on the court or off
the court?

14. Deciding Rites and Rituals
 If a player comes up with a new idea for the industry, does
the league actually consider changing it? Or do you have to
be a front office employee in order to have your idea
accepted?
 If a player did come up with a new and innovative idea for the
league and the league wanted to enforce it, how would they
reward the player?
 If the league were to give out rewards for players coming up
with new ideas and them being enforced, would this
encourage other players to think of new ideas for the league?

15. Boundaries of Interaction
 Is there a fine line between interacting with other players and
doing it to where you’re not spending enough time with your
own team?
 What do players use as their formal organizational channel?
Sportscenter or finding out information from their team’s front
office?
 How do players distinguish the reports from credentialed
journalists and their own management?

16. Visions for the NBA
 Does league management actually take into consideration
the different visions of the players?
 How much of an impact do the players have on a front office
decision?
 How does the league classify the difference between a value
and a vision?

17. Necessities of a “Strong” Culture
 If the NBA has the components of a strong culture, does this
necessarily mean it will improve individual performance?
 Are players still in this discussion even though they may not
improve their performance just because their league has the
components of a strong culture?
 Can any member still improve the industry even though it
doesn’t have all the components of a strong culture?

18. Celebrating the NBA’s Values
 What all does a member have to do in order to qualify for an
award?
 Do off the court issues play a role in deciding whether a
member is eligible for an award?
 Does the league have a system for deciding whether a
member is eligible for an award?

19. The NBA’s vision
 Is the league looking to improve certain values and rituals?
 How does the league go about changing a rule or value?
 What has to happen in order for a rite, value, or ritual, to be
chnaged?

20. Works Cited
 Fenno, Nathan. “Former Clippers owner Donald Sterling files
for divorce”. Los Angeles Times. Web. 5 Feb. 2016