Societally, the underdog is often rooted for in the hope that they’ll overcome their seemingly insurmountable odds to succeed against all expectations. It’s commonly seen in a sporting context, but brands have also capitalized on it to help communicate their journey.
For instance, IBM used it when it attempted to reinvent itself as a digital pioneer, while T-Mobile also attempted to portray itself as a scrappy upstart. Indeed, so-called challenger brands often use this approach to differentiate themselves from the giant incumbent they’re fighting against.
Research from the University of South Florida shows how leaders can also cultivate this underdog spirit within their organizations to help give teams the confidence to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
“Adopting an underdog identity can inspire the motivation and effort necessary to overcome great challenges and achieve success. As such, underdog narratives are routinely used by modern organizations, ranging from firms in the high-technology sector to professional sports teams, to inspire the achievement of organizational performance goals,” the researchers say.
Building an underdog narrative
The researchers analyzed the literature on the topic and discovered that there are three key elements involved in building an underdog narrative:
- Create a sense of disadvantage that is shared among the team – As managers, we often strive to create a culture around positive traits, but it’s also possible to do so around marginalized traits. For instance, by positioning oneself as an underdog, it captures the brave and ethical stereotype we attach to underdogs.
- Developed a shared understanding of the goals of the team – For underdogs to succeed, it’s vital that the whole team are both aware of the goals they have, and are then working together to help achieve them. It’s only through this cohesive collective endeavor that success can be achieved.
- Convey a sense of collective might – The most effective teams typically have high levels of trust between members, with this then supporting engaged and motivated team members to achieve their goals. Managers should strive to highlight the possibilities for the group when this is achieved.
The underdog identity
To create an underdog identity within a team, the authors argue that the credibility of the leader is crucial. If the leader comes with a strong track record of success then that’s generally hugely useful in generating such an identity as the team believes it can thrive despite the odds being stacked against them.
“The more credible that members of the organization perceive a leader to be, the more members defer to and trust in the leader’s ability to guide the collective to achieve its aspirations,” the researchers say.
This belief in being able to overcome the odds means that many teams and organizations with this culture are happier to accept risk taking as part of their DNA. For instance, the authors highlight Netflix as a prime example.
“While Netflix famously overcame its underdog circumstances to put Blockbuster out of business, in 2011 the company lost about 1 million subscribers, and their stock price dropped nearly 80%. CEO Reed Hastings acknowledged that the company had previously been regarded with ‘mystique, envy, and fear,’ but in 2011 it was ‘just pity.’ Yet, Hastings was confident that if Netflix focused on creating quality, original content, it could compete with the major players in the TV industry,” they explain.
Sporting success
Undoubtedly the richest field of examples comes in sport, however, and the researchers cite the 2018 Super Bowl success of the Philadelphia Eagles as a perfect example of underdogs succeeding against much stronger opponents.
“After a series of devastating injuries, the head coach, Doug Pederson, utilized an underdog narrative that acknowledged the players’ injuries, but focused the rest of the team on the goal of winning a championship and the ability of the team to do so if every player lived up to their potential. The entire organization bought into the message, with players going as far as wearing dog masks before and after games on their historic run to victory in the Super Bowl against the perennial powerhouse New England Patriots,” they explain.
When managers look to create an underdog identity, the authors argue that it’s important to focus on the team itself rather than falling into the trap of creating a bogeyman image of a chosen enemy or rival. They suggest that managers can utilize either relative framing, which compares the aspirations of the group with those of the industry, or absolute framing, which is independent of any external entity.
“When aspirations are framed as relative, leaders characterize the pursuit of organizational aspirations as a competition or zero-sum game—that is, for one’s own organization to succeed, other organizations must falter,” as in [CEO John Legere]’s goal of T-Mobile competing with AT&T and Verizon. “In contrast, an absolute framing of aspirations—such as Musk’s goal of putting fully autonomous taxis on the road—directs organizational members’ attention to the objectives themselves,” they explain.
The underdog narrative can undoubtedly be crucial, but there obviously comes a point when it outlives its usefulness. For instance, you might be trying to attract investment or to reach a point where you’re actually the top dog rather than the challenger. Indeed, a failure to make meaningful progress is likely to undermine the confidence of the team that its underdog status will be something they eventually graduate from.
The researchers also highlight that it’s important to frame underdog status in such a way that it doesn’t encourage teams to cut corners or take unethical approaches to success. Nonetheless, if approached in the right way, then acting as an underdog can have clear advantages.
