Management
Principles
Applied
to Sport
Management
Chapter 2
Definition and History
• Goal of sport managers?
– To get workers to do what the manager wants in
an efficient and cost-effective manner
• Management theory evolved through two phases
– Scientific management
– Human relations movement
• Today: Use of organizational behavior
– Study and application of the human side of
management and organizations
Scientific Management
• “Taylorism”
• Workers should not be doing
the same job different ways,
but instead in the “one best
way” (most efficient way).
• Manager can get workers to
perform job the “best way” by
enticing them with economic
rewards.
Human Relations Movement
• Hawthorne Studies: Social factors in the workplace
were important, and job satisfaction and output
depended more on cooperation and a feeling of
worth than on physical working conditions
• Mary Parker Follett: Believed that effective,
motivational management existed in partnership and
cooperation
Organizational Behavior
• Study and application of human side of management
• Includes dealing with modern changes:
– Downsizing
– Globalization
– Information Technology
– Diversity
• Better human resources = “competitive advantage”
Functional Areas of Management
• Sport managers must perform in a number of
functional areas and execute various activities in
fulfilling the demands of their jobs.
• Key areas = planning, organizing, leading, and
evaluating
• This list is not comprehensive because organizations
are constantly evolving.
Functional Areas: Planning
• Planning: Defining organizational goals and
determining the appropriate means by which to
achieve these desired goals
• Setting “course of action” for the sport organization
• Organizational plans change and evolve.
– Should not be viewed as “set in stone”; adjustable
• Managers must participate in both short-term and
long-term planning.
Functional Areas: Organizing
• Organizing: Putting plans into action; manager
determines what types of jobs are needed and who
will perform them
• Develop an organizational chart
• Develop position descriptions
• Develop position qualifications
• Staffing
– Selection, orientation, training, and development
of staff members
Functional Areas: Leading
• Leading: “Action” part of the management process
• Delegation:
– Involves assigning responsibility and
accountability for results to employees
• Managers must manage any differences or changes
that may take place in organization.
• Managers handle conflicts, work problems, or
communication difficulties; stimulate creativity; and
motivate employees.
Functional Areas: Evaluating
• Evaluating: Measuring and ensuring progress toward
organizational objectives
• Progress is accomplished by the employees
effectively carrying out their duties.
• Establish reporting systems, develop performance
standards, compare employee performance to set
standards, and design reward systems.
Key Skills: People Skills
• Sport management industry
is a “people-intensive”
industry.
• Interaction with unique
clientele
• Must be able to treat all
people fairly, ethically, and
with respect
Key Skills: Communication
• Knowing how to say something to another person is
equally as important as knowing what to say to
another person.
• Answering each question professionally and
courteously wins a lifelong fan.
• Sport managers must be able to treat all people
fairly, ethically, and with respect.
• Sport managers often asked to give speeches.
• Sport managers must be able to write in many
different styles.
Key Skills: Managing Diversity
• Diversity: Differences between individuals, such as
age, race, gender, sexual orientation, disability,
education, and social background
• Women and minorities still underrepresented in
managerial positions in the sport industry.
– More women, people of color, and people with
disabilities needed as managers in sport industry.
• Employment process:
– Recruitment, screening, selection, retention,
promotion, and ending employment
Key Skills: Managing Technology
• Usage of technology in the sport industry
– For example: Customer data collection and
advanced ticket systems
• Usage of technology in the workplace
– For example: Videoconferencing and multimedia
presentations
• Computerized ticketing systems such as Mticketing, PACIOLAN, and PROLOGUE
• Online surveys used for data collection
• MLB Media Tracker and Fan Tracker
Key Skills: Decision Making
• Gathering and analyzing information
• Classic Model of Decision Making:
– Need to define problem
– Generate alternatives
– Evaluate alternatives
– Select best alternative
Key Skills: Decision Making (cont.)
• Participative decision making
– Employees or members of the organization
participate in the actual decision-making process.
• Group decision making should be used when:
– More ideas need to be generated
– There is a great deal of information to share.
– Alternative perspectives are needed.
– The fairness of the decision is highly valued.
Key Skills: Organizational Politics
• Use of power or some other resource outside of the
formal definition of a person’s job to get a preferred
outcome
• Four types of political tactics used:
– Coalitions
– Outside experts
– Links/networks
– Controlling information
Key Skills: Organizational Politics (cont.)
• Sport organizations have formal (e.g., athletic
director) and informal (e.g., coach) leaders.
• Learning who the informal leaders are in an
organization can help new sport managers
understand politics of a sport organization.
Key Skills: Managing Change
• Managers should appreciate employees’ resistance
to change.
– Plan for resistance, involve employees, and
provide additional training and communications
• Managers should select priorities for change.
• Managers should deliver early tangible results.
• Managers should publicize successes to build
momentum and support.
• Managers must make sure top management sponsors
are fully committed to implementation.
Key Skills: Motivation
• Critical for everyone to be on same page when it
comes to working to accomplish organizational
goals and objectives
• Many theories:
– Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Herzberg’s two
factor ideas, Vroom’s expectancy theory, and
Adam’s equity theory
• Katzell and Thompson:
– Appropriate motives and values; attractive and
consistent jobs; defined work goals; appropriate
resources and supportive environments;
performance reinforced; harmony
Key Skills: Taking Initiative
• Initiative enables you to learn about a different
aspect of sport organization you are working with.
• Allows you to meet and interact with people outside
of office you work in, thus increasing your network
• Shows your employer your commitment to working
in sport industry
Current Issues
• Diversity
– Perform self-study to evaluate effectiveness of
recruitment and employment of diverse
individuals
• Managing technology
– Understand how expanding technology will
improve customer relations and service
– Examples = Social Media & M-Ticketing
Current Issues (cont.)
• International sport management
– Domestic models of sport governance cannot be
unilaterally imposed on other cultures.
– Sport leagues exporting product overseas via
events, broadcasting, offices, and merchandise
• New management theories
– “Empowerment” and “Emotional Intelligence”
Summary
• Sport managers face rapidly changing environments.
• Successful managers must be able to skilled at
planning, organizing, leading, and evaluating.
• Managers must be able to successfully manage the
most valuable organizational resource: people.