CASST - Separation

The Problem
All NHL Discipline and Refereeing decisions are run by the same person - the NHL's Director of Hockey Operations.  The Director of Hockey Operations reports to, um, I don't know.  Either to Gary Bettman or Bill Daly (who reports to Gary Bettman).

The Business of the NHL is also run by both Gary and Bill.  So, the people who run the business of hockey also run the rules of the NHL games.  Do you see a conflict here?  If you don't, you can stop reading now.  You probably aren't smart or cynical enough to read anything I write.

The Rant
I swear that the NHL is the world's biggest small business. Too much power in too few hands.

The Business of the NHL is run by business people.  The hockey of the NHL is run by business people and (IMHO incompetent) hockey people.  The wrong people are making the wrong decisions.  Or more accurately, they are too close to the decision.  The Commissioner, his VPs, and their Directors are too close to the hockey decisions.  Its like an Electrical Engineer making financial decisions instead of a MBA. This is a symptom of a business that has grown in size without maturing. The NHL's Hockey Operations is the business equivalent of a 16-year old teenage boy with a mustache and a mullet.  How annoying is that?

How to Implement
The Hockey decision-making process of the NHL has to change from an Entrepreneurial mindset to a Professional one. This is one of the most difficult processes for a business to engage in.  It will not be easy and it will mean that heads will roll.  It always does.

Structure has to be put in place, which is basically what the entire CASST system is about.  The NHL is focusing (correctly, they aren't a charity) on making profits.  What they aren't doing is providing governance to their Hockey Operations department.  The current head of that group is Colin Campbell, and the decisions that he makes, which are based on fluctuating and inconsistent criteria, faulty logic, and bad judgment are consistent with the lack of structure in place at the executive level.  Campbell, or his replacement, needs to bring structure to the decision making process and live within that structure. 

The structure should look like this:

1. The Hockey Operations department is a separate organization from the NHL's business organization.
   
2. The Competition Committee reports directly into the Director of Hockey Operations.
3. Change Management is to be completed via processes.
1. All hockey-related requests made to the Director of Hockey Operations by the Commissioner is to be done in writing, and acknowledged in writing.
2. The Director of Hockey Operations has the option to refuse the change
3. If the change is warranted, the Director of Hockey Operations engages the Competition Committee to study the requested change.
4. The Competition Committee then provides a recommendation to the Director of Hockey Operations as to the feasibility of the requested Change.
5. Et cetera.
6. The process works in reverse if the Competition Committee comes up with a Change.
   
4. Of course, the Rulebook has been updated, the Discipline book created and the Quality system is in place, as well.

It is starting to look a little bit like your workplace, isn't it?  It's because you work in a Professional environment.