Bas van Oosterhout’s Business Innovation Blog

Before each rugby match the New Zealand team performs a traditional Maori dance: the Haka. Of course this underlines their identity. The dance basically fits two main purposes; first build up the tension for the team, and second intimidate the other team. I think it is a great, inspiring example of how a team breaths as one, one critical factors in executing any strategy, and a Blue Ocean Strategy in particular. Creating one clear picture helps so that both customers as well as employees do not get lost in the woods.

In a Blue Ocean strategy the execution has to be build into the strategy itself. The Haka, seen as an expression of the team’s strategy, is an example of how the execution of their strategy of build into it by the New Zealand rugby team.

It is that impressive that Adidas used it in their commercials around the Rugby World Cup recently held in France.