Organizational Psychologist Offers Tips for Avoiding A Chill In Employee/Fan Relations Following NHL Strike

Southfield, Michigan — July 14, 2005 — The long and contentious NHL strike is ending. What are the next suggested steps for mending fences (or nets) and putting the NHL on a success path among players, owners, coaches, and a weary fan base?

Organizational psychologist Steve Gravenkemper, Ph.D. who leads Midwest-based Plante & Moran’s Assessment and Organizational Development Practice (www.plantemoran.com) and is President of the Society of Consulting Psychology, a professional association of 1000 psychologists nationwide who specialize in consulting to businesses and organizations, offers several suggestions.

“It is critical to identify mutual goals that each side can work together to achieve,” stresses Gravenkemper. “In the NHL’s case, it is in the best interest of both parties to reach out to fans and seek ways to reignite their passion for hockey. This works best if representatives of the players and owners work together to plan and stage community outreach efforts like fan fests, hockey clinics, and meet the players events, which all serve to welcome embracing fans back to the hockey family.”

Gravenkemper urges continual efforts to work toward re-establishing dialogue at the team level between both sides.

“This is a time to model positive dialogue,” asserts Gravenkemper. “Formal leaders (owners, team captains, players representatives, general managers) and informal leaders (universally respected players and organization members) need to make a conscious effort to talk with each other. Such conversations are generally most beneficial if focused on future problem solving around mutual goals.

Gravenkemper adds that symbolic gestures should not be overlooked.

“Symbolic gestures need to be employed to extend the olive branch and bury the hatchet,” offers Gravenkemper. “Owners might literally roll out the red carpet in the locker rooms as a welcome home, with individually designed gift baskets in the lockers. Players can extend an offer to owners to visit the locker room on the first day of training camp to offer a warm rather than “icy” reception.

Although the NHL is not a traditional workplace, Gravenkemper offers a post-strike warning not just to the hockey world but corporate leaders and business owners, too.

“Bitterness is a culture killer. Frustration, disappointment and anger are normal psychological reactions to strikes, but holding onto bitterness is poison that prevents healing and moving forward,” affirms Gravenkemper. “It creates a chilling effect leading to behaviors such as avoidance, rumor spreading and discrediting progress toward positive goal setting.”