Development of a Conceptual Model of Occupational Stress for Athletic Directors in Sport Contexts

Previous studies have reported that occupational stress is a determinant risk factor for both chronic diseases and job performance among organizational leaders. Every occupation has its own culture and occupational climate influencing organizations within the industries. Thus, due to the idiosyncratic features inherent in sports, athletic directors may experience different occupational stressors. To date, there has been no comprehensive review of the occupational stress in athletic director contexts. Thus, based on the literature on both occupational stress and sport leadership, this study proposes a conceptual framework of occupational stress in sport leadership. The model identifies the five higher-order themes of occupational stressors and their associations with the first-level outcomes of individuals and the second-level outcomes of organizations. It also includes the two higher-order moderators of personal and organizational factors. It is hoped that this initiative can invoke interest in this topic to provide health-enhancing environments for athletic directors and quality sport services to society.

Against the odds of tradition: nudging the glass ceiling of sport leadership

Purpose The purpose of this study is to capture the journey of the first female leader in sports management in her country in the south-east Asian region for their National Sport and the values and behaviors enabling her to achieve it. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a mixed-methods case study design, quantitative and qualitative outcome measures, to assess the career progression of the first female executive director of a national sporting organization in her country, namely, BWN and her involvement in a two-week intensive sports management, leadership and development program. Findings A professional and courageous approach to identify and implement honest and evidence-based solutions were key for BWN’s success. BWN complemented professionalism with soft skills, clear communication and an outcome-based approach to challenging situations, successfully influencing change within her national sporting organization. This female leader is an inspiring role model for other women and her professionalism her most influential value driving innovation in sports management and organizational change. The positive impact she had in her community highlights the significant contributions female leaders can have within the sports leadership context, given the opportunity and scope to do so. Originality/value For the first time in her country, the unsolicited and unprecedented evidence-based approach, professionalism and proactivity assisted BWN with her colleagues accepting her as the first woman on the executive board of her national sporting body of one of the most celebrated national sports. Breaking the mold with unexpected (positive) behavior might be the secret to further breakthroughs for women in sports management.

The Status and Challenges of Women’s Sport Leadership In Ethiopia National Sport Organizations

Leadership is the process of influencing an organized group toward accomplishing common set of goals, and it can also be defined as the ability of an individual to establish direction for a working group of individuals who gain commitment from this group of members to this direction and who then motivate these members to achieve the direction’s outcomes. The purpose of the Current study was to investigate the status and challenges of women leaders in national sport organizations. Data were collected through questionnaires, in-depth, face to face semi structured interviews, observations and document analysis from 216 men and women leaders and experts in organizations. Qualitative and quantitative data was used to determine the challenges of Women’s leadership s in Ethiopia national sport organization.data analysis focused on the groups that emerged from the collected data. Therefore, thematic analysis was used to accomplish main goals. And descriptive statistics was used in data analysis. This entails the use of frequency distribution tables and percentages to summarize data on the closed ended items in the questionnaire. Analysis of data employed Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) version 20 softwarewere used to describe the results. The findings showed that the status of women’s in the organization is very low. Challenges that hinder women’s participation in national sport organization includepersonal limitations; lack of professional networks, lack of budget,family responsibilities, socio-cultural factors consisting of traditional practices and society’s perceptions on women’s..

Exploring a Women-Only Training Program for Coach Developers

The following practice paper introduces an innovative women-only training program for coach developers in a Canadian provincial sport organization. The dearth of women in coaching and sport leadership positions informs the program as a whole and the participant perspectives on what is working, in practice, for them specifically in a way that could support future sport leaders interested in increasing gender equity in their sport organizations and leadership skills in their female leaders. The aims of the coach developer program are two-fold: to promote women in leadership and to create a social learning space for women to connect and support each other in their leadership development. The purpose of this practice paper is to discuss the supports that have enabled the facilitation of this program and to explore the value of a women-only training program. Two women (out of a total of 10) participating in the program and two leads facilitating the program were interviewed for their perspectives. The lessons learned touch on the types of value that were created (immediate, potential, and applied) and the specific supports (micro, meso, and macro) that enabled the facilitation of the program. Finally, the authors discuss additional considerations (e.g., consistent buy-in from the organization is needed) with practical insights in the hopes of inspiring other sport organizations to implement similar initiatives for promoting women in leadership and coaching in sport.