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Is a superstar more valuable than 100-non superstars? If you had the choice of either or, which would you go for?

Here is an article on the Harvard Business Review website that’s creating quite a stir on this subject. So much so that the author, Bill Taylor, felt compelled to publish a “part two” here.

With all discussions of talent and superstar behaviour, I feel people tend to miss the importance of context.

In different contexts (i.e. environments/cultures, plus general states of mind) individuals can excel or not. People need a opportunity and the platform / project / problem on which to demonstrate performance; either individually or within a team.

Individuals facing similar opportunities in difference contexts may not perform to the same level as before.

What I find particularly interesting is that someone who doesn’t perform exceptionally well at a lower level, can then surprise everyone by blossoming at a higher, in theory more challenging, level. One example I instantly think of from current Formula 1 motor racing is Kamui Kobayashi.

Environmental conditions are therefore significant in terms of empowering people to perform well; the talent, if there is any, is in recognising that argument and then having the guts to create an organisational structure where people can do what they are best at, appropriate to the task at hand.

This goes for every organisation you’re part of; business and social.

Well, that’s my view based on the research I did studing Talent development in some detail for my MBA dissertation. In the context of developing Formula 1 drivers, I found that there are distinctions to be made between “high-achievers” and others, however, invariably this was down them having massive opportunity to perform / practise their art (i.e. Gladwell’s 10,000 hours) and doing that within a cultural organisational structure that allowed them to fail.

Great topic … comments welcome.

Here is a link to the recent Murray Walker documentary that was on BBC last Sunday night. Not sure how long it will stay live for on youTube but worth watching if you’re into motorsports and ever watched a GrandPrix on TV.

Great stuff.

Group Lotus Renault F1 colours

Group Lotus is now tied up with the team known last year as Renault.

Yet, the team known this year as Team Lotus will next year be using Renault engines.

Confused?

So are the rest of us!

Mark Webber had fractured shoulder in 2010

Mark Webber just doesn’t have the luck.

At the start of 2009 he was knocked off his bike by car while on a downhill section of his own challenge endurance event.

This year it turns out that, unbeknown to his team, he had another mountain bike crash at Suzuka.

This time a friend dropped it in front of him and he had no where to go other than right over the top. He fractured his shoulder and had to have pain killing injections each time he got in the car – for the remaining four races of the season.

The timing does sound a little sour grapes but if its true, you can’t help feeling for the guy as the two years he’s had a competitive car he’s had broken bones.

Read the autosport.com article here.

Its a big news week in the world of Formula 1 motor sport.

First BMW have declared their hand and are folding; 2009 will be their last season.

Felipe Massa is now happily on the road to recovery and the media is reporting that the doctors are very happy with progress.  He suffered a freak accident when a spring fell off a fellow car and hit his helmet.  Only a week after the sad loss of Henry Surtees to a similar freaky style accident, in his case a bouncing rear wheel from a competitor who had just crashed off, motor sports has really had another wake up call; you might say it is similar in stature to the Imola weekend in 1994 where Senna was killed.

Ok that is the doom and gloom.

The big news for sports fans is that, as a consequence of Massa’s situation, Michael Schumacher (aka the Stig!) will be racing for Ferrari in his place at Valencia in Spain in 24 days time.  This will be a fascinating situation.  Assuming it is not a let down because he is not fit, hasn’t driven this car, hasn’t driven an F1 car for well over a year and he hasn’t driven the track, it promises to be a fascinating weekend.  How will he work with Kimi? How will he approach the weekend? and the big question for me, How will he drive along side Hamilton!?

Hamilton joined F1 the year after Shumi retired. They have never been in a race together.  With it looking like Alonso will not be at Valencia because Renault didn’t quite get his wheel on properly at the last race, there should now be plenty of interest in the race for the Spanish organisers!

Lets hope Shumi is fit enough, qualifies in the top 10 and has a titanic battle with Hamilton – even if it is not for the lead!

I can’t wait!

The dissertation continues a pace. I am finding it an excellent experience and a tough slog at the same time.

The topic of my dissertation is looking at determining business feasibility (very interesting) combined with Motor Sport (extremely interesting!)  Through the company I am working with, I have been conducting primary research (i.e. new, not from a book research) with some successful and influential people in the Sport.

For example so far, a multiple Indycar and Indy 500 winner, a former F1 test driver and now successful team owner and an F1 team principal. Furthermore, I have interviewed a former England Rugby star and have other exciting meetings in the diary for the next few weeks.  What a different experience!

It is great to be involved and meeting these people, who have freely given their time (nearly 3 hours in one case) to help me with researching my project.  Having a chance to apply the MBA / business perspective is awesome.

The hard slog is when I am back at the desk, alone and needing to crunch through the information and pull together the report.  Like many, I am a people person so miss the energy of the class.

Through my dissertation research, I have been introduced to Mark Jenkins, Prof of Business Strategy at Cranfield. Follow his blog here.

The scene is now set for the summer months ahead.  The days of sitting in the lecture theatre are now a pleasant memory.  As I near the end of my last assignment, International Business on joint ventures in emerging markets, it is an exciting time ahead again.  Time to put all this theory into action!

My dissertation will be on developing and evaluating the reasonable prospects for a new venture.  The subject: Motorsports.

It was a brave step to take this route as I had a confirmed offer from a successful multinational company in the technology sector.  However, opportunities only come along so often and I decided to take this one.  More details will appear through the summer, as I can tell you about them.

The world of motorsports is in some turmoil. If you have missed it in the news, it is not because of the recession but because of political things.  The fighting is a shame because the F1 season is shaping up to be a classic.  Jenson Button is out in the lead but his rivals have caught up in terms of machinery.  Looks like we will have another good fight until the end; although not to the last corner of the last lap, please Jenson!

Wimbledon also started today.  Murray is through, having dropped one set. He has a very solid game and is more emotionally stable than Henman.  This doesn’t make it so on the edge of your seat, but great to see the Brit’s doing well in sports.

The chilli are looking good and we had our first home grown strawberry today!

The Mclaren F1 was and remains the benchmark for high performance road cars. Designed by Gordon Murray and built in Woking using a small highly trained team of automotive professionals working under the steely gaze of Ron Dennis, it subscribes to the Colin Chapman school of light weight, massive power and razor sharp handling. Not for the faint -hearted, Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson is famously scathing about the F1′s twitchiness, but that might just be sour grapes. His ex – colleague and fellow presenter Tiff Neeedel is a a much bigger fan of the F1, calling it ‘ a triumph of engineering skill that stands up in 2008 as much as it did it 1994.’