The creation of championship teams in the workplace involves cultivating a unified spirit, honing strategic acumen, and ensuring that each team member executes their role with precision. These principles are embodied in esports, particularly in ‘League of Legends’ (LoL), where success hinges on exceptional team coordination and role specialization. The 2023 League of Legends Worlds Championship in Seoul, Korea, highlighted the significance of these elements in a professional and intense environment.
GAM Esports, Vietnam’s underdog team, demonstrated the importance of defining roles, adopting adaptive strategies, and exercising decisive leadership – core components for success in both esports and business environments. The resemblance between a LoL team and a corporate team is striking, with specialized roles such as top laner, jungler, mid laner, ADC, and support in LoL mirroring the specific expertise required in business positions like project manager, creative director, financial analyst, sales lead, and customer service representative.
At the Worlds Championship, GAM’s ability to overcome adversity through adept communication and team synergy was a testament to their strategic, role-focused, and adaptable approach. This approach is akin to that of startups and small businesses that outflank larger corporations through agility and well-defined team roles.
Effective team performance is anchored in communication. During the Worlds Championship, the importance of clear communication was evident not only in the execution phase but also during post-match analyses. Top-performing teams methodically review their gameplay, guided by three critical variables: Plan, People, and Execution. They assess the efficacy of their strategies, determine the strengths and weaknesses of individual performances, and evaluate the timeliness and efficiency of their execution.
In the corporate world, these gaming lessons are directly applicable. Following each project or ‘period of play,’ successful business teams conduct debriefs, reflecting on their Plan (strategy and objectives), People (team member contributions and collaboration), and Execution (efficiency and timing). This reflective practice promotes ongoing improvement and learning, ensuring that teams not only perform their roles effectively in the present but also refine their strategies over time.
Research endorses the utilization of gaming as an educational tool that can be extended to professional development. Studies have shown that playing strategic games like LoL can sharpen leadership, communication, and strategic planning skills—attributes essential for workplace efficiency and cultivated through in-game experience and post-game review. These skills are in line with findings from Harvard, which emphasize the importance of clear communication, trust, and shared vision for high-functioning teams.
The cognitive benefits of gaming – improved problem-solving skills and quick decision-making – were evident throughout the 2023 Worlds Championship. Teams had to make split-second decisions that determined their success, illustrating how these skills transfer to business environments where prompt and effective decision-making is equally critical.
Serious games designed for training replicate the demands and pressures of a professional setting, fostering skill development in a measurable way. This has proven effective in industries that have incorporated gaming principles into their training frameworks.
The 2023 LoL Worlds Championship underscored the vital roles of teamwork, strategic planning, and role-centered execution, with effective communication serving as the connective tissue among these elements. GAM’s method of conducting comprehensive post-match reviews – centered on Plan, People, and Execution – provides a blueprint for businesses aiming to develop a championship team culture. By integrating strategies from esports and capitalizing on the pedagogical potential of gaming, businesses can establish a foundation where teamwork, strategy, and communication are not just esteemed but are fundamental to organizational triumph. As the intersection of competitive gaming and business continues to converge, the business sector may reap the benefits of cutting-edge approaches to team development and performance optimization.
Read more: Regional Viewership of Worlds 2023: GAM Esports’ Match Hits One Million Views in the Play-In Stage
