Managing a Football League by Using a Transactional Network Structure

This paper presents how, during a period of four years, the management a football league changed its organization structure from vertical to more horizontal, by redesigning it towards a Transactional Network Structure. The transactional network structure allowed more knowledge to be exchanged in the organization and, thus, innovative marketing and management ideas emerged, helping the football league create extra value for its stakeholders, mainly players and fans. The use of a network structure also permitted volunteers to come with interdepartamental ideas as the management units interacted with eachother, being bound by the purpose of fulfilling the mission of the league. The mission, which is placed in the center of the transactional network design, guides each volunteer in doing his job.