Module 2: Mngt Concepts in Sport

What makes a Sport Org Successful

• reliability, dependency, consistency

Not all sport orgs exist for the same reason

• understand the purpose, structure, and stakeholders

If an org is not trying to maximize profit, how do we know whether its successful?

• popular, engagement (attendance), brand recognition/identity, accolades

Types of Sport Orgs

Public

Nonprofit

Commercial

External Environment

•Everything that exists outside the boundary of an organization and has the potential to affect all or part of the organization

•PESTL

•Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal

PESTEL

Factor	Examples in Sport	Why It Matters
Political	• Government funding for Olympic bids • Event boycotts (Cold War Olympics) • COVID-19 shutdowns from health policies	Political decisions can expand or restrict sport opportunities, events, and athlete participation.
Economic	• Ticket sales & sponsorships drop during recessions • Media rights worth billions (NFL TV deals) • Sport tourism creates jobs	Sports thrive or struggle depending on the economy; money drives growth, salaries, and investments.
Social	• USWNT equal pay movement • Fans shifting to short-form highlights (TikTok) • Growing focus on fitness/wellness	Social trends shape what sports are played, watched, and supported, and how society views athletes.
Technological	• Streaming platforms (Amazon, ESPN+) • Wearables & GPS trackers • eSports rise as a new sector • VR/AR fan engagement	Technology changes how sports are played, managed, and consumed by fans.
Legal	• NIL rules in U.S. college athletics • Collective bargaining agreements • Anti-doping regulations (WADA) • Licensing & IP rights	Legal frameworks protect athletes, regulate fairness, and determine who profits from sport.

Efficiency vs Effectiveness

1.Efficiency – Doing things right

• using resources wisly/appropriately

• •Efficiency keeps organizations sustainable

2.Effectiveness – Doing the right things

•Effectiveness keeps organizations relevant

•Goal is to balance both

Evaluating Org Effectiveness

•Goal approach – does the org achieve its goals (i.e. winning, profitability, etc.)

•Resource-based approach – how well an org obtains scarce and high-quality resources and efficiently allocates inputs to prevent waste

•VRIO (value, rarity, inimitability, organization)

Goal vs. Resource Approach

Goal Approach	Resource-Based Approach
Looks at outcomes	Looks at resources/capabilities
"Did we accomplish our goals?"	"Do we have what we need to succeed?"
Focuses on results	Focuses on inputs/capacity
Often short/medium-term	Often more long-term
Winning, attendance, revenue, graduation rates	Money, people, facilities, relationships, brand

Organizational Strategy

•Identify goals, objectives, and mission

•Determine the strategic objectives

•Identify resources required to implement the strategy

•Establish a timeline and identify milestones

A goal isn’t necessarily a good strategic objective.

Increase attendance. Vs. Increase average home attendance by 10% over the next two seasons

SMART Goal: Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, timely

Managers don’t just make decisions…

They make decisions in pursuit of objectives.

•Strategic objectives give direction and something to evaluate performance against.

Capable People:

individuals who can think and act strategically, have knowledge of the sport, and can be inquisitive and impartial.

The environment puts pressure on organizations. Culture determines how they handle it.

The environment puts pressure on organizations. Culture determines how they handle it.

Organizational Culture

•“Pattern of basic assumptions…”

•“Unwritten, feeling part of the organization”

•The way we do things around here

•Shared values, beliefs, expectations, norms, behaviors

•Visible: Dress, language/slogans, traditions

•Invisible: Rewarded behaviors, handling conflict, leaders value

The only thing of real importance that leaders do is to create and manage culture. If you do not manage culture, it manages you.

Culture vs. Rules

Rules tell you what you’re supposed to do.

Culture influences what people actually do.

The culture of any organization is shaped by the worst behavior the leader is willing to tolerate.

When people are financially invested, the want a return. When people are emotionally invested, they want to contribute

Culture Importance

•4.4x higher revenue

•4% lower attrition

•13% more likely employees recommend

Culture: strength/weakness

•Strong culture

•Commitment, org identity, improve teamwork, create consistency

•Resistant to change, discourage new ideas, groupthink, reinforce bad behaviors

Culture explains why people behave a certain way; management explains how leaders structure and guide that behavior

If you get the culture right, most of the other stuff (i.e. strategies, objectives, success, etc.) will just take care of itself.

What Defines an Orgs Culture (from articles)

• stability: solid

• breadth: how wide across the org does it go

• depth: why do we do this

• integration: integration across different areas

What is Management in Sports?

•Process of achieving organizational goals through people

•Uses planning, organizing, leading, and controlling

•Applies to teams, leagues, events, athletic departments

•Behind every win, loss, or controversy → management decisions

Management functions

1.Planning – Deciding what to do

2.Organizing – Making the plan work

3.Directing/Leading – Working through people

4.Controlling & Evaluating – Making sure it’s working

Management vs. Leadership

Management – process of working with and through individuals and groups to accomplish organizational goals

Leadership – process of influencing individual and group behavior for some desired result

Managerial Skills

Skill Type	Definition	Basic Examples
Technical Skills	The ability to understand and use the specific knowledge, methods, tools, and procedures associated with a particular job or area of work.	• Using marketing analytics software • Developing a budget • Creating a social media campaign • Understanding ticketing systems • Using Excel or data-analysis tools • Understanding facility operations • Conducting market research
Human Skills	The ability to work effectively with other people, including communicating, building relationships, motivating, resolving conflict, and working as part of a team.	• Communicating clearly • Listening • Giving feedback • Motivating employees • Resolving conflict • Building relationships • Working with diverse groups • Delegating effectively
Conceptual Skills	The ability to see the organization as a whole, understand how different parts of the organization are connected, recognize larger patterns, and think strategically about complex problems.	• Strategic planning • Identifying organizational opportunities/threats • Understanding how marketing affects ticket sales and revenue • Connecting organizational goals to departmental objectives • Analyzing the external environment • Solving complex organizational problems • Thinking about the long-term consequences of decisions

Mngt Level

Management Level	Most Important Skill	Why?
Lower-level / First-line Managers	Technical	They are often closely involved with day-to-day operations and need to understand the specific work being performed by employees.
Middle Managers	Human	They spend considerable time coordinating people and departments, communicating upward and downward, and translating organizational goals into action.
Top Managers	Conceptual	They must see the organization broadly, understand the external environment, establish direction, and make decisions that affect the organization as a whole.

Implicit Leadership Theory

•People hold mental models of what a leader “should” be or looks like

•Compare those to actual leaders to determine whether they accept someone as a leader

•Prototypes vary across contexts

Other Theories

• Social Identity Theory

• More likely to follow leaders who embody the group’s identity and values

• Leader-Member Exchange Theory

• Leadership quality built through relationships

• Leader form strong connections with some not all

Leadership styles

1.Autocratic: centralized management style where a single leader holds total authority and makes all decisions with little to no input from team members

2.Democratic leaders invite team members to share ideas and help make decisions, while still keeping the final authority and responsibility

3.Laissez-Faire: a hands-off management style where leaders give employees total autonomy to make decisions and manage their own work

4.Transformational: inspires and motivates employees to exceed expectations by connecting daily work to a larger, shared vision

5.Transactional: task-oriented management style that uses a system of clear rewards and penalties to motivate employees and achieve short-term goals

6.Servant: prioritizes the growth, well-being, and empowerment of team members above the leader's own personal interests or status

Two Classic Leadership Styles

Transformational Leadership: Inspiring and developing people; vision, purpose, and culture drive motivation; longer-term orientation; emotionally engaging

Transactional Leadership: Structure, performance and rewards; rewards and consequences drive motivation, shorter-term/task orientation; performance based

Leadership and Power

Type of Power	Definition	Where the Power Comes From
Legitimate Power	Power that comes from holding a formal position or role within an organization.	Position/role
Reward Power	The ability to provide desirable rewards or benefits to others.	Control over rewards
Coercive Power	The ability to punish, discipline, or impose undesirable consequences.	Control over punishments
Expert Power	Power derived from possessing valuable knowledge, skills, or expertise.	Competence/knowledge
Referent Power	Power that comes from being respected, admired, trusted, or personally identified with by others.	Relationships/admiration
Informational Power	Power that comes from possessing or controlling valuable information.	Access to information

Leadership resides not in the person but……

in the eye of the beholder

Power is the capacity to influence behavior; leadership is about how that influence is exercised

Leadership in sport is…

•Not just about authority

•Not just personality

•Not just strategy

•

•It is perception + relationships + identity

Thoughts to take away

•Can you think of a coach or executive who didn’t ”look the part” but has proven to be successful?

•Which leadership style would you want in your future workplace? Why?

•You won’t just inherit culture; you’ll help create it.

•Culture is your legacy