Q: Which sporting event challenges the individual capability of four bodies, and ability of each body to connect superbly with the next?

If you answered ‘operating in a federated governance model’, you win!

The federated model seen across most of the Australian sport sector requires that a minimum four key stakeholders - national sporting organisations (NSOs), state sporting associations (SSOs), clubs and/or associations, and the eventual experience deliverer - work in an aligned manner to maximise an initiative’s impact.

This ‘stakeholder chain’ - the supply chain for most sporting experiences in Australia - is akin to the 4x100 metre relay. Successful implementation of a national strategy relies on:

-        High capability across the (minimum) 4 stakeholders; and

-        Trusting relationships and quality communication at the three key 'changeovers'.

When these elements are in place, (and all the runners stay in their lane), the group’s output can be greater than the sum of its parts.