Browsing by Subject "Sport management"
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Item Change in a public-recreation organization : a multiple-case study(2017-05) Hemme, Florian; Todd, Jan; Bowers, Matthew T.; Hunt, Thomas; Kohl, Harold W; Dixon, Marlene A; Bermiss, Sekou; Washington, MarvinThis research examines the planning and implementation of a far-reaching transformation initiative in a public recreation organization. Utilizing a mixed-methods longitudinal multiple-case study approach, the present study demonstrates differences in individual and group level perceptions of what constitutes ‘major’ changes and challenges, despite organizational leadership’s attempts to advance a uniform and limited change agenda. To further differentiate between change agent and change recipient experiences, I employed a bricolage lens that allowed for repeated analysis of qualitative and quantitative data from various theoretical perspectives. Specifically, I focus on change readiness, paradox management, the attention-based view of the firm, and identity work. In the first results chapter of this study, I describe how employees differ in their readiness for change based on their hierarchical level within the organization. Lack of readiness occurred when participants focused their evaluations of change on readiness dimensions tied to concerns for personal benefits and change processes. These concerns were most prevalent among members at lower levels of the organization. High levels of readiness were driven by a strong belief in the need for change, which in turn was emphasized by change agents and upper management. In the second results chapter, I discuss how the organization’s division manager at times successfully utilized paradox management strategies that emphasized the value of embracing uncertainty to help change recipients work through change-related concerns. The impact of these communication strategies depended on the paradox experienced by employees. In the third results chapter, I use the concept of attention-based sensemaking to show how the search for and acceptance of change-related solutions not only depends on how the change is being communicated but on institutional and structural factors that determine what issues and resolutions are considered as potentially viable. Finally, in the fourth results chapter, I analyze how public service employees react to the imposition of a mandatory dress code as a matter of identity regulation and how these processes affect other change processes.Item Constructing the framework for mentoring African American male student-athletes at predominately white institutions of higher education(2012-08) Kelly, Darren David; Dixon, Marlene A., 1970-; Hunt, Thomas M.; Green, B C.; Moore, Leonard N.; Harrison, LouisThe goal of this study was to develop a detailed understanding of the academic, athletic, and psychosocial needs and issues of African American male student-athletes attending a predominately White public flagship institution of higher education during their transitional first year and determine if, how, and who were meeting these needs. In addition to the well-known lower graduation rates and academic struggles of African American male football players, there are numerous psychosocial and cultural issues and barriers these young men face during their transition such as commitment, discrimination, and isolation (Hyatt, 2003). Mentoring has been used as a tool for developing organizational members in many different contexts and disciplines such as business (Kram, 1985), higher education (Johnson, 2007), and sport management (Jones, Harris, & Miles, 2009). Further, since African American male student-athletes have an array of academic and psychosocial needs, researchers need to look beyond the traditional model of having one primary mentor and explore the potential of a “critical mass” or network of mentors. Twelve first-year African American male student-athletes participated in semi-structured interviews at the conclusion of the first and second semesters of their first year of college. Additional key institutional stakeholders included four upperclassmen African American male student-athletes, three former African American male student-athletes and four faculty and staff members, also participated in interviews with the researcher to add further insights into the first-year experience. Results indicated that African American male student-athletes went through five major transitions: an academic transition, an athletic transition, an athlete status transition, a transition into a less diverse environment, and a transition away from home. Ideal mentors for these individuals were typically African American men who provided role modeling, promoted critical thinking through interactive dialogue, and gave advice on personal and academic issues. Mentoring networks for this population must at least include African American males from the faculty and staff at the university and professionals in the community along with older teammates. Research findings will be of interest to researchers, administrators (academic and athletic), and practitioners who desire to improve the academic, psychosocial, athletic, and overall college experience of African American male student-athletes.Item Context matters : the role of settings in sport development(2011-08) Bowers, Matthew Thomas; Green, B. Christine; Chalip, Laurence; Harrison, Tracie; Hunt, Thomas M.; Todd, JaniceSport participation in the United States is often characterized as a unitary experience that naturally instills a standardized set of values. In this work, however, I challenge the mythology of a unitary conceptualization of sport participation and examine how the experiences and outcomes of playing sports change depending on the setting in which the participation occurs. Specifically, I undertake an investigation into the differences between playing sports in an organized setting and playing them in an informal, unstructured setting. Drawing from the findings of three distinct studies, I first demonstrate through a mixed-method historical study how the field of sport management has narrowed its focus over time to exclude the more playful forms of sport and physical activity. In the second and third studies, I show the experiential and developmental outcomes that are potentially overlooked by maintaining a narrow definition of sport that excludes sport played in unstructured settings. In the second study, a phenomenological examination of pre-teen youth sport participants reveals that the meaning of the experience of playing youth sports derives not from playing in one setting alone, but emerges through the synthesis of experiences accrued in both organized and unstructured settings. In the third study, the relative influences of time spent participating in organized sports and informal sports during childhood are assessed with respect to the development of participant creativity. Like the phenomenological study, the results of this quantitative analysis again point to the importance of balancing participation in both organized and unstructured settings. The most creative individuals are those who split their sport participation time across both settings, as opposed to individuals with below-average creativity, who spent the majority of their sport participation time in organized settings. Combined, the results of these three studies demonstrate the historical shift (in both research and practice) away from unstructured sport settings, and highlight the potentially transformative sport development implications of reincorporating unstructured sport settings on the overall experiences and outcomes of sport participation.Item Globalization within sport discourse : a mixed method critical discourse analysis of the 1984, 2000, and 2008 Olympic Games’ newspaper coverage(2015-12) Kessler, Seth Adam; Hunt, Thomas M.; Todd, Jan; Bowers, Matt; Sparevo, Emily; Dixon, Marlene; Witherspoon, KevinThe goal of this study was to analyze nine different newspapers’ coverage of three separate Olympic Games (i.e., 1984, 2000, and 2008) in order to determine how the globalization of sport was discussed, how this discourse reflected the power relations within international sport, and what sport management implications could be extracted. Globalization is an axial theme of the current era and is applicable to discussions of international sport. Sport has been characterized as a highly profitable, largely popular, and globally networked cultural form (Smart, 2007) that serves both as a source and a product of globalization (Eitzen, 2012), and, on a more practical level, as a global product and service (Ratten & Ratten, 2011). Houlihan (2007) reiterates the importance of globalization, stating that it has become one of the most prominent research concepts in the social sciences, including sport studies. An additional goal of this study was to critically evaluate sport journalism, as an often-overlooked aspect of journalism, and demonstrate linkages between media coverage and sport management practices. Sport— especially international, professional, and collegiate sport—and sporting ideals are intimately intertwined and attached to the sport media, and the sport media has both beneficial and detrimental influence over sporting and social norms. Sport management scholars should continue to critically examine and further understand the interplay between sport management, the sport media, and the power of discourse. Results indicate that treatment of globalization within the sport discourse evolved over time, and the understandings and presentations of globalization and its relationship to sport became more nuanced and sophisticated. Findings provide additional support for the dynamic nature of discourse, suggest the importance of conscientious and critical monitoring, and indicate the need to adapt best practices to reflect the changes in discourse, particularly in regards to influential phenomenon such as globalization. The research findings of this study will be of interest to sport management and globalization studies scholars and sport practitioners who are interested in understanding how discourse influences concept proliferation, power relations, policy creation, organizational and economic forecasting, strategic management, and other management practices.Item In search of understanding : examining the life role management approach of fathers who are coaches(2015-05) Graham, Jeffrey Alexander; Dixon, Marlene A., 1970-; Bartholomew, John; Rochlen, Aaron; Hunt, Thomas; Bowers, MatthewThe role of the father is changing in United States society (Bianchi, Robinson, & Milkie, 2006). Trend analysis indicates that men are beginning to be more involved in the family role, especially in regards to housework, cooking, cleaning, and childcare duties (Galinsky, Aumann, & Bond, 2011; Harrington, Van Deusen, & Humberd, 2011). Further research suggests that the basic definition of what makes a good father are also expanding (Bianchi et al., 2006). A good father is now defined as a co- financial provider, a disciplinarian, as well as a co-caretaker of the home and children (Rohner & Veneziano, 2001). In conjunction with these cultural changes, the research outside the realm of sport indicates that men are experiencing higher levels of work- family conflict than they did even ten years ago (Galinsky et al., 2011; Harrington et al., 2011; Parker & Wang, 2013). However, in the sport industry, orthodox masculine pressures celebrating competition, aggression, sacrifice, and commitment largely remain prominent (Dixon & Bruening, 2005; Wilson, 2002). Therefore, individuals working in sport are faced with shifting societal pressures and inflexible industry cultural norms (Graham & Dixon, 2014). Research on mothers in the sport industry suggests that work-family conflict is a significant source of tension for women working in sport (Bruening & Dixon, 2007; Dixon & Bruening, 2007). Furthermore, there is some evidence that men are experiencing levels of work-family conflict that is parallel with their female counterparts (Schenewark & Dixon, 2012). However, less is understood about the experiences of fathers who are coaches from an in-depth standpoint. Fundamental questions about how men experience, interpret, and cope with the competing pressures to be a good father and a good employee have largely gone unexplored (Graham & Dixon, 2014). As a result, the purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of fathers in sport. To that end, 24 fathers who were also high school head coaches from Texas volunteered for a study investigating their work-life balance experiences. The findings indicate that indeed fathers in sport are faced with tension and strain stemming from both the coaching role and the family role. The findings also suggest that men cope with these tensions by carefully managing the resources of time, energy, and attention. In addition, the fathers reported depending heavily on their wives for support in the coaching role. Furthermore, the data indicate that organizational support mechanisms were simply an unused and distrusted source of support that only became an option in extreme cases or health crises. These findings have important implications for theory as well as management. More specifically, the findings of this study had direct implications in regards to theories on role conflict, role engulfment, coping strategies, and masculinity. From a practical stance, this study also has important implications for sport managers in the areas of motivation, citizenship behavior, voicing behavior, and insights on how to support men in athletics.Item "Sport as a resource caravan" : examining the role and efficacy of sport as a resource provider for adults in transition(2014-08) Walsh, David William; Green, B. Christine; Holahan, Carole K.Sport development is an emerging discipline in sport management due in part to the popular, normative associations between sport and its beneficial outcomes. However, concerns on how sport is used and designed as well as the miscomprehension of the word development cloud sport's utilitarian prospectus. Although research has started to address these concerns in youth and adolescent forums, research on adults using sport for developmental purposes is widely ignored. With life expectancy growing, the pressure to sustain living quality in late adulthood has become almost unmanageable. Maintaining quality of life in late adulthood is difficult. Drawing from human development and aging literature, quality of life is still possible in light of the challenges presented by multiple developmental forces. Developmental trajectories are the products of net gains and losses over the life course and are influenced by transitional events and the ability in people to adapt to them. In addition, development is both cumulative and innovative, which affirms that people in later stages of life can still develop. In order to do this, gerontological and psychological research argue that resources are key in the achievement of positive outcomes. However, research understanding mechanisms that affect resources that produce positive gains is still in its infancy. Hence, I constructed a dissertation with two studies using a multi-method approach to ascertain the role and efficacy of sport participation on the transitional process that undergirds the developmental trajectory. The impetus for this approach was to examine the utility of sport as a developmental force adults could consider in improving their overall quality of life. Study 1 used a life-history, qualitative method that reveals sports' role as an influential resource provider during life event transitions across a person's life. Data show that sport was believed to aid in the adaptation process that provided distinct benefits that other activities or support structures could not match or replicate easily. Study 2 used structural equation modeling to specify the magnitude of sport's role on resources during a specific transitional event that most adults will experience: retirement from the workforce. Quantitative evidence from this study yields support that sport participation can positively impact resources and retirement well-being directly. Both studies supply substantiation for the argument that sport participation can act as a positive developmental force for adults by assisting with the recruitment of resources and acting as a resource provider which affords adaptation assistance in transitions. The combined results demonstrate how sport may be viewed as a developmental tool which has practical implications for sport development and managers wishing to design sport for this purpose. In addition, the common assumption that sport development programming should be geared exclusively toward youth and adolescents is dismissed. This dissertation provides theoretical and empirical justification for creating positive adult developmental programming in sport.Item Varsity esports in U.S. colleges(2021-08-02) Munoz Zorzano, Sebastian Xavier; Mills, Brian M.The objective of this study is to investigate the current administration of esport teams by U.S. colleges and universities. This research will address the advantages and disadvantages of managing a collegiate esports team, ultimately guiding managers in the decision-making process