Grit through the grind: exploring sport employee work grit

Abstract

ABSTRACT Research question Sport management scholars have recently taken a greater interest in the psychological processes of sport employees in order to generate well-being among them. One source of well-being for sport employees could be work grit, which is an internal resource that can be utilized by the employee and, by extension, the organization for goal achievement. This study was designed to explore how work grit is experienced by sport employees through the lens of the positive organizational behavior paradigm. Research methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 full-time American sport employees to gain insight into strategies for goal attainment as well as their purpose for working in sport. Utilizing both inductive and deductive processes as part of a thematic analysis process, a conceptualization of sport employee grit was developed. Results and findings The analysis of the data helped to develop a model of sport employee work grit. The model contains two integrated elements of sport employee work grit (goal achievement and fulfillment through sport) and proposed outcomes (perseverance, performance, and psychological well-being). Implications This study introduces work grit theory and its application within the sport management discipline. The findings of this study also suggest that work grit has the potential to advance sport employee well-being and positive organizational behavior theory within sport management literature. It is further suggested that grit can assist sport practitioners in designing effective human resource management strategies to simultaneously help sport employees and the sport organizations for which they work.