SLuxy

Stage yellow thinking: An in-depth, brilliant, yet relatable example.

1 post in this topic

 

Stage yellow example: Playing out from the back in football

Traditionally, and intuitively, whenever a goalkeeper/ defender, when near their own goal, in football is under any pressure they were instructed to, or decided kick the ball long.

See the video below, if unfamiliar. (Its timestamped purposefully, btw)

Nowadays, however, many of the top sides instruct their keepers/ defenders to play out from the back. To the untrained eye it looks silly, and it looks as though the team is taking unnecessary risks.

As it is now popular, I would not recognise stage-yellow integration in all managers who adopt this tactic. 

Instead, I would recognise stage yellow integration/ thinking in/ coming-from (1) Juanma Lillo, and (2) Pep Guardiola. (The former being Guardiola's mentor)

Here is my breakdown. (Numbered concept, below, are copied from Leo's pinned post on the stage-yellow example mega-thread)

1. Nuance & complexity

In the video below look a how the success of playing out of the back relies on each player fulfilling their individual responsibilities. And how their ability to fulfil their responsibilities relies upon other players fulfilling theirs.

Also, notice how, at first, you don't see much complexity. You see what you think are just quick-thinking players. However, when the analysis is shown you see that everything is choreographed, expected, and pre-determined.

 

2. Open-mindedness

On first reflection, it seems unnecessarily risky, and something that would derail the teams chances of attaining their purpose: Winning championships.

In traditional times, it would appear ludicrous. Think how open-minded the manager must have been who first adopted this.

3. Novel concepts & POVs

Traditionally, and intuitively, whenever a goalkeeper/ defender, when near their own goal, in football is under any pressure they were instructed to kick the ball.

Therefore, its contemporary use is the result of novel thought.

4. Generating fresh insights

Same as above.

5. Understanding

Notice how in the video analysis, the approach would only work if the manager could accurately predict how the other team would react to their style of play.

This requires a contextual understanding of the individual, and group tendencies of human beings.

6. Systems thinking

Notice how everything is linked together. Each player is like a cog in the machine. If one cog fails then the machine breaks.

7. Sustainability, long time frames + Big picture vs technical analysis

The manager sees their main objective as winning championships. The big picture is therefore winning championships.

In the context of football, planning to win a championship is a long-time frame. The manager elects to play out from the back as they understand that doing so will increase the probability that their team will win the championship.

However, non-stage yellow thinkers fail to understand this. Instead, they focus on technical analysis. They focus on individual incidents.

^ Here is an example of such a mistake occurring. All teams who play out the back, in the way I described, have moments like this. It is an inevitable part of the system. However, one deemed acceptable in light of how the style aid the achievement of the big picture goal.

Here is an example of vilification of the style of play from a non-stage yellow perspective. I'd say a stage blue, here. (Strong attachment to tradition).

Note how the non-stage yellow perspective fails to see the bigger picture. Particularly, see around 00:57, where the other presenter implicitly promotes the importance of improving probabilities, and this is ignored.

8. Creativity, outside-the-box solutions

Prior to adoption by contemporary managers, playing out of the box, in said manner, was an unknown and laughably-perceived tactic. 

9. Expertise, competence, experience

The implementing manager must understand how the system works proficiently. Also, very stage-yellow, they must understand how to actually get the players to play effectively in this system. I.e. psychology of the goalkeepers, players etc. Providing morale when their are individual incident that threaten the individual, and collective egos of the team.

10. Context, learning from history

The implementing manager learn from history so far as they identify that the traditional approach provides one output.

For example, the main issue with the traditional approach was that, if the keeper/ defender did a long kick, possession would be lost quite a lot of the time. Less possession means more chance of conceding. Therefore, the implementing manager identifies that the traditional method of play implemented has a specific flaw. Then they work to rectify that.

11. Independent thinking

An incredibly high percentage of Football/ soccer fans have not significantly integrated stage yellow.

When the method is first implemented, the lack of understanding of systems thinking from the majority of fans will lead to vilification from many fans. Therefore, the implementing manager cannot rely on much external validation for their method. And, must maintain belief in their perspective, while their ego is threatened.

13. Neutrality: Being objective/impartial

Similar to independent thinking. The implementing manager must remain focused on their ultimate goal of winning championships.

Egoic ideals must be put to the side.

14. Designing solutions for the entire Spiral

The implementing manager must implement an efficient system. In this context, an efficient system is one which maximises the probability of the club winning championships.

The non-stage yellow implementing manager who masquerades as stage yellow will not achieve this.

They will think they can 'maximise the probability of their club winning a championship' in the following manner:

(1) If this system is implemented by the team, then the probability of this club winning championships will be maximised.

(2) I have instructed the team to follow the system. I have done so to such a degree that they all perfectly understand their role, and their responsibilities, as well as the likely effects of the system.

(3) Therefore, the probability of this club winning championships will be maximised.

Even if (1), and (2) are true, (3) would not follow.

The reason being is that the implementing manager has 'failed to provide solutions for the entire spiral'. That is because members of the team will be more integrated at some stages, and less at others.

- (A) Example

- The scenario

For example, take a hypothetical goalkeeper. They are a mix of various stages. However, they are mainly stage orange.  Their manager instructs them of their exact role, and they understand perfectly. They even understand how the whole system works, and endorse it. (Integrating a small amount of stage yellow in the process).

The team begins the season by going on a three game winning streak. The team came under some fire at first from the majority of fans. However, it appears to be working, and some pressure has been taken off.

In the fourth game, the goalkeeper has possession in the 60th minute. An opponent players rushes them excitedly. However, the goalkeeper, confident in their abilities and previous success looks to play the ball to the defender. As they do so, they slightly miskick the ball. An onrushing opponent takes the ball, and slots in an easy goal.

The goalkeeper is distraught. They look at their home fans, and they look absolutely bewildered at him. They have a look of complete misunderstand! He hears shouts like 'We knew this would happen!'.

However, the keeper regrounds himself. He remembers what his manager said. 'Mistakes are inevitable in this system'.

The game goes on. However, as much as he tries the keeper can't stop thinking about the incident. 'Oh man... What have I done'. He resists the thought. However, it keeps going on and on. His ego has been gravely threatened. Shattered in places.

The previous confidence of the keeper was very egoically based. It was derived of the obvious external sources. They lack internal-validation.

Next, unknowingly, the keeper experiences an ego-backlash. The keeper begins to get angry at their manager. The game finishes the same score, but the anger turns into (what the keeper perceives to be) a deeper resentment towards the style of play and the manager.

For the rest of the season, the team goes through various ups and downs. The keeper makes numerous mistakes, and so do the defenders. Many mistakes. These mistakes, as well as a diminished general performance of the team cause poor results.

The fans are in uproar. They demand change. 'The style of play is stupid. Just look at the results'. The manager is fired, and the manager swears to never adopt such a style of play again.

(B) What went wrong? How does this relate to 'Designing solutions for the entire Spiral', and responsibility?

(i) What went wrong?

The manager failed to adequately understanding of the outputs of the designed system.

The reasoning is as follows:

The manager failed to accommodate for the inevitable stage orange keeper's ego-backlash against the system.

An output of the designed system was that, during the season, it was highly likely that the [highly stage-orange] goalkeeper would have an ego-backlash.

The manager understood this output. To counter this backlash, the manager input into the system a response of (1) Logical reassurance, and (2) informing the keeper that mistakes would be inevitable.

However, the effect of these two inputs was to make it highly probable that the keeper would experience an ego-backlash. Therefore, the designed system made it highly probable that the keeper would make more mistakes. Hence, the probability of the team winning championships would not be maximised by the manager's designed system.

(ii) How does this relate to 'Designing solutions for the entire Spiral'?

Only if the manager designed a system that provided effective solutions for the keeper's ego backlash would the manager have designed a system that provided effective solutions for stage orange.

As seen, the manager did not do so. Therefore, the designed system did not effectively design solutions for stage orange.

There was one main reason that the designed system failed to maximise the team's probability of winning the championship. That was that the designed system did not effectively design solutions for stage orange .

Therefore, the main reason that designed system failed to maximise the team's probability of winning the championship was the manager's failure to design solutions for the entire spiral.

(iii) Effect of not 'Designing solutions for the entire Spiral'

In my view, such a failure would represent that the manager was not actually stage yellow. 

(C) An example of how a stage yellow thinker/ manager could have handled the situation

Note: I'll refer to them as manager-Y

Manager-Y identifies the likelihood of the style of play threatening player's egos.

Secondly, Manager-Y implements a sub-system to identify the psychology of individual players.

Finally, regarding preventing/ managing the keeper's ego backlash, they implement a technique for solving it that, in fact, has a reasonable chance of success. For example, outsourcing the task to connecting agent at the club.

Therefore, there is, for our purposes, a major important difference between the two managers. Manager-Y has a significantly higher degree of understanding, regarding the complex systems, and this provides manager-Y with a much larger awareness of their system-designing responsibility. 

15. Meeting people where they are at

See designing solutions for entire spiral

16. Building bridges

-

17. Social engineering

See designing solutions for entire spiral

18. Ecological designs

-

19. Reducing the suffering of living systems

-

20. Pulling ideas from many sources

-

21. Combining different ideas, models, theories

Combines traditional general approach of football with this approach of playing from the back.

Also, combines many different theories relating to the movement of opposition players.

22. Left-brained

Clearly, so.

23. Vision & purpose, being a visionary

Vision of winning championships. Being able to see something that has never been implemented before.

24. Requisite variety, mental flexibility

-

25. Self-actualization

-

26. Paradox

-

27. Uncertainty

There is a deal of uncertainty as to when the inevitable mistakes will occur.

28. Responsibility, independence, autonomy

Responsibility and Independence (in context of independent thinking) mentioned above.

Autonomy? Don't understand the specific spiral-dynamics meaning of the 'autonomy' concept sufficiently.

29. Being a lone-wolf

Not met.

Apart from in the aspect that manager works as an individual. Does have a team but they do not receive the criticism. The implementing manager must stand alone.

Final Notes

- Although, I copied this checklist from Leo's mega-thread on yellow examples, you'll see a few aren't included. I deleted some at some point, and bit to exhausted to keep curating this post lol.

- Feel free to discuss points of disagreements

- Nice one if you read this far xD.

- Too tired to check for SPaG, either lol. Hope its okay.

- Dashes mean that I do not think that that concept is satisfied

Edited by SLuxy

"I wanted only to try to live in accord with my true Self. Why was that so very difficult?" - Herse

"As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.” - Goethe

"There are no bad parts" - Schwartz

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!


Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.


Sign In Now