Deakin University
Browse

File(s) under permanent embargo

The role of the board in building strategic capability: towards an integrated model of sport governance research

journal contribution
posted on 2005-11-01, 00:00 authored by Lesley Ferkins, David ShilburyDavid Shilbury, Gael McDonald
Governance is a critical issue confronting sport organisations. Its importance in the management of sport organisations has been heightened due to the transition of many sports from predominantly volunteer administered organisations anchored in an amateur ethos, to professionally managed entities catering to a more sophisticated sport marketplace. This paper identifies four elements from the sport governance literature as the key research foci to date: shared leadership, board motivation, board roles, and board structure. Four generic themes (performance, conformance, policy and operations) are also examined and expressed as governance capabilities. The strategic role and performance of the board, while central to the practice of governance, is shown to be a weakness in many sport organisations. Further, the strategic role of the board is underdeveloped in the sport management and governance research literature. Finally, it is noted that the governance literature is shaped by a normative and prescriptive approach that may not fully encompass the diversity that exists within the sport setting. The paper concludes by identifying and affirming the critical gaps in our knowledge of sport governance. Future work should seek to understand sector-specific considerations, such as non-profit and commercial differences in sport; governance designs in response to changing environmental conditions; the impact of the CEO on the board's strategic contributions; and strategic activity by the board. More use of qualitative research methods to probe such issues is recommended

History

Journal

Sport management review

Volume

8

Issue

3

Pagination

195 - 225

Publisher

Elsevier

Location

Kidlington, England

ISSN

1441-3523

eISSN

1839-2083

Language

eng

Notes

Available online 26 July 2008.

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2005, Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand

Usage metrics

    Research Publications

    Categories

    No categories selected

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC