Professional cycling teams share many of the characteristics of today’s business organisations, according to MercerHR consultant Michael Thompson.
There have been innumerable parallels drawn between business and sport. But while many of the similarities are obvious - leadership, clear goals, teamwork, role clarity - one less obvious lesson to be drawn from the peleton is the importance of ethical behaviour:
"This year when Lance Armstrong was knocked to the ground after coming into contact with a spectator, the leaders in the race slowed to wait for him to get back to the group...Competition among businesses is not always as fair but we have all learned in the last year that there are limits to acceptable behavior. The peleton understands those limits, and so should business."
