Ian O’Boyle

Exploring Issues of Trust in Collaborative Sport Governance

This study explores how trust is manifested and impacts on the levels of collaboration that take place in sport governance networks. A case study approach was used as the guiding method to examine the contributing factors that facilitate or inhibit trusting relationships between boards within sporting networks. Three sports from Australia were employed as the population for the study and 36 in-depth interviews were conducted with participants from national and state organizations operating within those networks, two federated and one partially unified. Interviews were analyzed using an interpretive process and a thematic structure relating to the issues and impact of trust and distrust within the three networks was developed. Extant levels of trust, transparency, the capacity to build trust, and leadership emerged as the key themes in the study. The degree to which each of these dimensions was embedded in the cultures and processes of each network varied significantly. Leadership specifically, as a key finding, was shown to be an important factor in fostering collaborative relations at the governance level of these systems. A number of implications for sport governance practice and possible extensions for sport governance research based on these findings conclude the paper

Stakeholder governance and Irish sport

Abstract Within global sport it appears the effective management of the interdependency of national governing bodies, individual clubs and a network of stakeholder interests has never been more widely discussed. It points to a requirement for all sporting organizations to remain sensitive to what is an ever-growing dichotomy between sporting volunteers and professional salaried staff, their competing interests and objectives. It is by no means a straightforward undertaking and is particularly foregrounded in a sporting environment that attaches significance to the preservation of an amateur ideal. As many sports clubs are now faced with the challenge of offering an adequate forum through which to reflect the views of their grassroots members, whilst simultaneously facilitating greater commercial interest in their affairs, the fundamental changes facing Ireland’s largest sporting body, the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), offers cause for timely reflection. This article argues that only through the introduction of a meaningful stakeholder model can the governance of an organization like the GAA, a social and cultural touchstone unmatched within Irish sporting life, begin to respond to these mounting and competing agendas.

Psychosocial Factors Involved in Transitions from College to Postcollege Careers for Male NCAA Division-1 Basketball Players.

This article investigated the key psychosocial factors that impact upon National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division-1 male basketball players, as they transition from college to postcollege athletic or nonathletic careers. Participants (N = 9) were current/former NCAA Division-1 basketball players. Four participants were selected based on their current transition status and five were selected based on their previous transition success. Qualitative semistructured interviews were used to examine participants’ perceptions of current and postcollege transitions for the relevant groups. Interviews were based on the developmental model of Wylleman and Lavallee and the model of human adaptation to transition. Using grounded theory methodology, five categories were identified that relate to the transitioning process as experienced by the research sample. Research limitations and implications arising from this exploratory examination are discussed.

Sport governance in Australia: questions of board structure and performance

ABSTRACT Governance within sport is receiving increasing attention with the rise of commercialization and professionalism within the industry. The purpose of this research was to examine the current state of sport governance within an Australian context particularly in relation to board structure at the National Sport Organisation (NSO) level. A qualitative method was adopted employing five Australian NSOs as the sample. Interviews were conducted (n = 10) with various board members of these organizations to uncover the major challenges they are facing in relation to their organization’s governance. Results showed that there are significant challenges facing these organizations in relation to board composition, independence, performance, and evaluation. These issues are reflective of pressures arising from government agencies and members of these organizations amongst other stakeholders. A number of theoretical implications arise from the current study including the need for further study examining the delegate versus independent model of board composition and other issues that were salient as part of the reported emergent thematic structure. The results within the current study expand our understanding of what was previously known about the complex issues of board composition and board performance assessment within non-profit sporting organizations. These results may have implications for the selection process of boards within the non-profit sport industry and how these boards are assessed in terms of their performance.

Comparing federal and unitary models of sport governance: a case study investigation

This study explores how the unitary model of sport governance acts as an alternative system to the traditional federal model synonymous within many sport governance networks. A case study investigation was undertaken to identify and examine key issues that contrast federal and unitary models of governance in a non-profit sporting network. The case study involved one sporting network in Australia, touch football, where 21 participants from both national and state level organisations took part in semi-structured interviews. Interviews were analysed using a pattern matching process involving open and axial coding to extract a thematic structure that detailed the issues inherent in federal and unitary sport governance models. Challenges and complexities of the federal model, benefits of the unitary model of governance, role ambiguity of advisory councils, and leadership in the unitary model emerged as the dominant themes in the study. The member-based nature of non-profit sporting networks was implicit in each of these themes and emerged as a significant challenge requiring attention for networks attempting to adopt a unitary governance model. A number of implications for sport governance research and practice based on these findings conclude the paper.