Monday, August 18, 2008

How dorms may help players "build relationships"

With NBA training camps set to open in 40 days or so, this article from the Wall Street Journal a few days ago got me thinking about ways to bring a team together.

According to the story, some major Japanese corporations are housing their young, unmarried employees in company dormitories as a way to "build relationships with colleagues who we don't have access to otherwise."

"Dorm life was one factor that helped build a corporate culture based on loyalty, dedication to hard work and identifying the company as family. Dorms provide a venue for workers to learn about each other, and to learn about the company's culture outside the office."

And it's not just dorms. Other companies are "reopening in-house cafeterias to better integrate employees and promote communication."

I've posted before about the decision teams face regarding where to have their training camps. Some choose to go far away to camp. Others stay within a few hours of their home arena. And many have camp right in their own practice facility.

But this article helps make a strong case for having camp in a place where the players have to live together -- if only for a week or two -- in order to build relationships.