Examining the Relationships Between Individual Board Member Behaviours and Board Functions.

Abstract

Scandals in sport organisations have drawn increasing attention to the governance processes used in sport. Governance ensures that an organisation is run properly through the joint effort of a collaborative network of stakeholders. One critical stakeholder is the board of directors. A board of directors is a group of individuals that work together to oversee and direct the organisation. The board members of sport organisations tend to be part-time volunteers who rely on their experience within the sport and the organisation to fulfil their board member role. Studies of individual board members have generally focused on attitudinal constructs and personal characteristics with minimal research conducted on board member behaviours. Identity theory was used to develop a model of board member behaviour. Identity theory dictates that individuals take action to meet the role expectations of different social structures. Within governance, the board was identified as a social structure that led individual board members to have individual, board, and organisational roles. These roles carried shared board expectations regarding following institutionalised practices, adapting to an uncertain environment, providing oversight, and providing direction. It was suggested that board members may use proficient, adaptive, and proactive types of behaviour to meet the expectations of being a board member. These three behaviours were combined with the individual, board, and organisational roles to develop a nine-dimension board member behaviour model.