## Against Sports Analogies at Work Source URL:: <https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/06/sport-metaphors/487433/> Athletic metaphors may seem motivational and accessible, but they can promote some counterproductive messages about success. ### Highlights > [!quote]+ %%Updated on Fri Feb 16 2024 10:58:31 GMT-0500%% > > “But if you really look at companies that are sustained, successful over time, their focus is really different. Their focus is building a good organization and making the pieces fit together, making sure everybody is aligned and motivated, and these type of things. A singular focus on beating the competition often does more harm than good.” > [!quote]+ %%Updated on Fri Feb 16 2024 10:58:31 GMT-0500%% > > A large statistical study Vermeulen conducted found that firms that approached their growth as a race against other companies had smaller profits than those that expanded more smoothly and steadily. Winning the race to expansion led some of the companies Vermeulen studied to destruction. > [!quote]+ %%Updated on Fri Feb 16 2024 10:58:31 GMT-0500%% > > An international study of the use of metaphors in offices around the world showed that countries with more individualistic attitudes favor sports metaphors. On the flip side, companies whose managers are more prone to supervision are more likely to use military or family metaphors. Both sets of phrases carry with them cues indicating how managers expect their employees to act.