Abstract
Diversity have become a desired value in sport organizations. However, regardless of the aspiration towards more gender diverse leadership, women leaders remain a minority. Diversity and its impact on group performance has also increased interest among scholars. Building on information/decision-making theory and the concept of the right fit, this paper introduces a new theoretical model that sheds light on the contradiction of gender-biased recruitment/selection processes in sports organization boards and the impact of diversity on organizational outcomes. The model is partly tested with survey data from the Finnish National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs). This paper shows that, because of the gender-biased recruitment/selection process, the benefits of gender-diverse organization boards may not be fully actualized, which not only affects the functioning of sports organizations, but may also limit women’s inclusion on sports organization boards.
Highlights
Discussions and debates on gender equality and under-representation of women in sport leadership have increasingly included the diversity perspective
The theoretical model built in this paper suggests that the gender-biased selection processes of members on sports organization boards may limit the variance of perspectives on board governance between men and women board members, and the organizational outcomes of Finnish National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs)
The model presented in this paper argues that this similarity in perspectives caused by gender-biased recruitment/selection processes may have a negative impact on board governance and the board’s success
Summary
Discussions and debates on gender equality and under-representation of women in sport leadership have increasingly included the diversity perspective. Experience in leadership positions is often one important factor that committees assess when selecting new board members or chairs, especially in high-level and powerful organizations. It seems that women may have more opportunities in larger NGBs compared with smaller ones. Women on boards are not seen as adding value to board work, while increasing the number of women as participants in sports is considered a valid means of increasing economic and human capital It remains to be seen if this shift in the strategic attention of some NGBs affects the inclusion of women in sports leadership
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