Marshall Magnusen

The Roles of Recruiter Political Skill and Performance Resource Leveraging in NCAA Football Recruitment Effectiveness

The recruitment and selection of human resources represent the most important activities in which organizations of all types engage. However, there is much scholars still need to know about the predictors of recruitment effectiveness. Using a sample of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) university football coaches (N = 175) and their recruiting outcomes, the authors hypothesized that recruiting effectiveness is specifically affected by the individual qualities of the recruiters, in addition to the past performance of the team under the current head coach. The results supported the hypothesis, demonstrating that the interaction of recruiter political skill and head coach performance explained significant variance in recruitment effectiveness. Implications of these results and directions for future research are discussed.

A relationship marketing catalyst: the salience of reciprocity to sport organization–sport consumer relationships

Abstract One essential and increasingly emphasized area for sport managers to consider is relationship marketing (RM), with particular reference to relationship quality (RQ). Relationship quality is the overall assessment of relational strength and it is important to the study of RM because it provides a lens to view wide-ranging relational constructs and more precisely distinguish sport RM efforts. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the RQ construct of reciprocity on the outcome of attendance intention through the established relational mediators of trust and commitment. Several hypotheses were generated. Specifically, reciprocity will positively impact trust, commitment, and attendance intentions. Additionally, both trust and commitment were hypothesized to positively impact attendance intentions. Participants were 423 NCAA Division 1 student-subjects. Through CFA and bootstrap confidence interval (CI) the research hypotheses concerning the direct and mediated effects of reciprocity on sport consumer attendance intentions were supported.

Differences in strength and conditioning coach self-perception of leadership style behaviors at the National Basketball Association, Division I-A, and Division II levels.

Magnusen, MJ. Differences in strength and conditioning coach self-perception of leadership style behaviors at the National Basketball Association, division I-A, and division II levels. J Strength Cond Res 24(6): 1440-1450, 2010-Leader behaviors have been found to vary by competitive level (6,9,11,26). Similar differences based on the competitive environment have been reported with strength coaches and their training emphases (15,28) but not their leadership style behaviors. This latter area is important to explore because strength coach leader behaviors may result in enhanced cooperation, improved communication, and improved athlete psychological and emotional well-being (14,23,25,27). Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to examine the differences in self-perceived leadership styles of National Basketball Association, Division I-A (DI-A) mens basketball, and Division II (DII) mens basketball strength and conditioning coaches. The self-perceived leadership styles of 145 mens basketball strength coaches (National Basketball Association [NBA] = 22, DI-A = 92, and DII = 31) were obtained using the Revised Leadership Scale for Sport (26,41). Frequency data about demographics and training methods were also collected. No significant differences were reported for positive feedback. Otherwise, NBA strength coaches reported more democratic leadership style behaviors than DI-A strength coaches. Division I-A strength coaches were found to be more autocratic than NBA or DII strength coaches. Both NBA and DI-A strength coaches indicated a higher level of training and instruction than did DII strength coaches. National Basketball Association strength coaches also reported engaging in more situational and socially supportive leader behaviors than DI-A and DII strength coaches. Leader behaviors can positively and negatively impact an athlete (23); thus, strength coaches need to evaluate their competitive environment and reflect on the impact of their behaviors and how their approach to leading athletes may need to vary based on the situation.

Effect of Various Training Modalities on Vertical Jump

The purpose of the present investigation was to compare the effects of weight training, training with weights and plyometrics, and training with weights and the VertiMax® on vertical jump. Subjects were 37 intercollegiate athletes assigned to one of four training groups: strength (S), strength-plyometric (P), strength-VertiMax® without arms (VNA), and strength-VertiMax® with arms (VA). Each group completed a 6-week training program. There were no statistical increases in pre–post vertical jump within all groups. There were no significant differences for posttest vertical jump between the four training groups. Pre- and posttest effect sizes were minimal across all groups. The findings of this study demonstrate that there is no difference in vertical jump among strength training, plyometric training, and jump training over a 6-week timeframe.

Are transformational leaders a double-edged sword? Impact of transformational leadership on sport employee commitment and job satisfaction

Few areas have received more frequent scholarly attention in the business literature than leadership. However, insufficient attention had been paid to the study of leadership in a sport context. Therefore, this study examined the direct effects of transformational leadership on sport employee job satisfaction and levels of commitment (to the athletic department and athletic director). Also examined were the mediated effects of both commitment foci on the relationship between transformational leadership and job satisfaction. Participants included 325 athletic department employees in a NCAA BCS football conference. Through CFA and SEM, the direct and mediated effects of transformational leadership on sport employee commitment and job satisfaction were explored. Limited support was found for a direct effect of transformational leadership on job satisfaction. However, the results indicated support for transformational leadership directly influencing organizational- and individual-level commitment. Commitment to the athletic department also mediated the transformational leadership-job satisfaction relationship.

The Reputation Playbook: Exploring How Reputation Can Be Leveraged to Improve Recruiting Effectiveness in NCAA Men’s Basketball

Reputation is a critical factor in the recruiting process. Organizational reputation also is a complex variable. Different dimensions of reputation may play very different roles in attracting recruits. In this study, a multidimensional (i.e., performance, character/integrity, support) reputation model is used to predict male basketball recruits’ university choice. Data were collected on the ESPN Top 100 male high school athletes recruited to NCAA Division I basketball programs for each year from 2010–2014 (n = 500). Probit regression analyses using maximum likelihood estimation predicted to what extent each reputation-based dimension affected the likelihood of an athlete selecting a university. Subscribe to JASM

The Role of Social Effectiveness in Leadership: A Critical Review and Lessons for Sport Management

The concept of social effectiveness tends to be explained in terms of individual’s ability to identify, comprehend, and attain effective social networks that can produce advantageous career and life outcomes. Researchers have repeatedly demonstrated that a strong connection between social effectiveness and leadership effectiveness exists. However, while most undergraduate and graduate sport management skills textbooks include a chapter or several chapters about leadership, few devote more than several pages to social effectiveness constructs. Contemporary sport pedagogy articles about teaching leadership also do not explore the important connection between social effectiveness and leadership adequately. Therefore, given the salience of social effectiveness to leadership as well as the need for more complete investigations of the manner by which leaders engage in effective leadership behaviors, the present review critically examines social effectiveness as a means to successful sport leadership and propose...

Social effectiveness and sport personnel: the impact of athlete political skill and influence tactics on sport organisation CSR reputation and consumer advocacy intentions

Despite CSR research receiving increased attention and academic acceptance in the sport management literature, minimal attention has been paid to the characteristics and behaviours of sport personnel who are actively engaged in CSR activities. Therefore, this study sought to examine how professional athlete political skill and proactive influence tactics impact sport organisation CSR reputation and sport consumer advocacy intentions. Guiding the development of the research model and hypotheses was political skill theory. Sport consumers attending an NBA competition were surveyed and 207 usable samples were included for data analysis. This included confirmatory factor analysis of the first order factors and a test of the structural model (along with the second order model) using SEM. Results indicated the proposed model was psychometrically sound and the proposed associations in the model were largely supported. The only exception came from the multiple-sample SEM analysis; this found the moderating effect of political skill was insignificant.

She got game: Investigating how reputation can be leveraged to improve recruiting effectiveness in National Collegiate Athletic Association women’s basketball:

Although recruiting processes and outcomes in National Collegiate Athletic Association sports is an incredibly important facet of collegiate athletics, it is underdeveloped in several areas. Gaps in knowledge exist when it comes to better understanding actual recruits obtained, the role of reputation, and what factors may influence the school-choice decision of elite, female student-athletes. Probit analyses examining data from 500 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I female basketball players, approximately 100 universities, and 20 National Collegiate Athletic Association conferences yield that recruits’ decisions are primarily influenced by the total number of Elite 8 teams and national championships from a team’s affiliated conference, geographic distance between recruits’ hometowns and the university, average arena attendance, and the percentage comparing the basketball arena capacity and game attendance. The results make both theoretical and practical contributions by demonstrating the predictive power of reputation, while also offering recruiters actionable information that potential recruits likely are considering each recruiting cycle.

Divided we fall: Examining the relationship between horizontal communication and team commitment via team cohesion

The present study examined the relationship between horizontal communication (intra-team) and team commitment via team cohesion. Horizontal communication included positive conflict, distinctiveness, negative conflict, and acceptance dimensions. Team cohesion included group integration-task and group integration-social dimensions. A total of 340 intercollegiate student–athletes from several different institutions in Hong Kong, China, participated in the study. Data analysis included a confirmatory factor analysis and structural equational modeling. Several interesting results were found. The acceptance dimension of horizontal communication had a significant positive association with both group integration-task and group integration-social. The negative conflict dimension of horizontal communication also had a significant negative association with both group integration-task and group integration-social. No direct effects of horizontal communication on team commitment were found. However, the data showed that horizontal communication had indirect effects on team commitment via both team cohesion dimensions. The links between acceptance and commitment via group integration-task and group integration-social, for example, were both significant.