Canadian National Sport Organizations Research Articles

Exploring the nexus of digital technology and organizational change in non-profit sport organizations

ABSTRACT The sport industry is not immune to the force digital technology brings in facilitating organizational change in sport organizations. Consequently, the purpose of the study was to explore the nexus of digital technology and organizational change in sport organizations, specifically identifying the presence of smaller digital changes and larger digital transformations. A collective case study of five Canadian national sport organizations undergoing organizational change was conducted; data derived from 49 semi-structured interviews and 151 documents. Results indicated these organizations engaged in a variety of digital changes like incorporating Microsoft 365, Zoom, and Samepage, and developing their own digital tools. Although these technologies fostered some larger digital transformations insofar as they enabled greater stakeholder communication and engagement, in the context of organizational change, digital technology remained predominantly at a small-scale, digital change level. The findings make it imperative for executives to reflect upon whether digital technology is being (un)intentionally disregarded from a strategic standpoint.

Transgender athletes and Canadian sport policy: a story of stigma and precarity

ABSTRACT Policy can serve as a form of institutionalised stigma, working to create and maintain discrimination against groups of people. Some Canadian National Sport Organizations (NSOs) have developed policies that address transgender inclusion within sport. However, where these policies exist, they vary in their approaches to inclusion of transgender persons. This article examines how Canadian sport policies prohibit and/or police transgender persons’ participation in sport. In 2019, the publicly available policies of 53 NSOs were reviewed to determine the presence and content of so-called transgender inclusion policies, as well as policies related to equity, discrimination and harassment. At the time of the study, only 17 of the 53 NSOs had policies specifically related to transgender inclusion. In this study, we review these policies to understand the varying approaches to transgender inclusion in Canadian NSOs. We classified the NSOs into three broad categories: inclusive (n = 11), problematic (n = 1) and prejudicial (n = 5), in relation to naming, disclosure and medical specifications. Using Judith Butler’s concept of precarity, we demonstrate that participation in sport is a precarious choice for transgender athletes, as most NSO policies lacked clear guidance on inclusion and there were next to no policy statements on gender non-conforming people. The development of inclusive policy within sport should be proactive, actionable, consistent with best practices and must include meaningful conversations with transgender and gender non-conforming athletes, coaches and officials.

Decision-Making Processes Used by Canadian National Sport Organization Boards: Differences Between Design Archetypes

This paper examines the decision-making role of Canadian national sport organization boards, identifies the processes used to facilitate decision making by these boards, and explores whether these elements differ between the various design archetypes that exist among these organizations. Forty-five semistructured interviews were conducted with board members and senior staff of 22 Canadian national sport organizations, and data were thematically analyzed. Findings indicate board members and senior staff focused on strategy as their primary role, along with control over other roles (e.g., providing advice and counsel or securing resources). Roles differed according to the organization’s design archetype. Our analysis showed clear differences between design archetypes in terms of how these the organizations used structural artifacts such as subcommittees to facilitate decision making, navigated decision rights between board members and paid staff, and adhered to the Carver policy governance model promoted for national sport organizations by Sport Canada.

Aligning governance, brand governance and social media strategies for improved organizational performance: a qualitative comparative analysis of national sport organizations

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the potential configurations of governance, brand governance and social media strategies leading to effective organizational performance.Design/methodology/approachA fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis including 28 Canadian national sport organizations (NSOs) and six conditions highlighted two sufficient configurations for effective organizational performance, defined as either budget per capita or athlete numbers.FindingsAlthough no single component of governance, brand governance, or social media strategy is necessary to succeed overall, brand reputation and the strategic use of social media to communicate NSO identity were common to both identified configurations. Accountability was important for effective organizational performance in terms of budget per capita, while transparency was more important for higher athlete numbers. Thus, condition specificity is paramount in non-profit organizations that often have multiple objectives.Originality/valueThis study provides substantial theoretical and managerial implications, including the need to integrate brand governance and social media in non-profit organizations' overall governance activities.

Examining Board and Executive Staff Perceptions of Social Media in National Sport Organizations

The purpose of this paper was to highlight (1) how (if at all) social media is governed as a marketing communication channel and (2) whether there is conceptual congruence between board and executive staff with regards to social media in their organizations. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with one board member and one executive staff member from 22 Canadian national sport organizations. Results suggest nil governance and strategic oversight of social media; however, board and executive staff are seemingly aligned in this position. While having conceptual congruence is important for the organization’s collective achievement, it is inherently problematic that neither side sees value in moving the discussion of social media to a governing level given its implications on marketing communication efforts. At the board level, NSOs should proactively establish a digital strategy considering the importance of the social (and digital) media function in the 21st century sport business landscape.

Canadian National Sport Organizations’ Responses to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission: Calls to Action and Settler Silence

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 2015 Calls to Action identified societal measures necessary for a successful reconciliation process between Indigenous peoples and settlers in Canada, five of which were specific to sport. Half a decade after the Calls to Action were published, the response by national sport organizations in Canada has escaped scholarly attention. Through a lens informed by settler colonial studies, the authors employed summative content analysis to examine the ways, if any, in which national sport organizations in Canada have implemented relevant Calls to Action. The results indicate a lack of response by most national sport organizations which, we argue, represents settler silence.

National sport organization governance design archetypes for the twenty-first century

ABSTRACT Research question This paper revisits our knowledge of sport organization governance design archetypes. To do so, we focus on Canadian national sport organizations (NSOs) and pose three research questions: (1) what governance design archetypes exist based on the use of more contemporary criteria; (2) how easily can an NSO’s archetype be determined; and (3) what are the implications of these new archetypes for researchers and practitioners? Research methods We undertook a landscape study of 32 Canadian NSOs with data from an online survey, publicly-available information, and clarification calls. Archetypes were derived from 47 organizational and governance characteristics using a k-means cluster analysis. Results and Findings Our empirically-derived archetype design taxonomy showed the best fit to be four clusters (Board-led, Executive-led, Professional, and Corporate) based on key organizational values, complexity, capacity, revenue sources, and governance variables. Implications Besides knowing NSOs are more heterogenous than in the past, researchers and practitioners can use capacity, efficiency, horizontal differentiation, broadcast revenue, political accountability, and social media information to derive an NSO’s governance archetype. These findings imply researchers can (1) examine non-profit sport organizations’ changes over time based on a set of archetypes reflecting contemporary realities, and (2) compare and contrast NSOs’ governance more holistically. In turn, managers can better compare their NSO with other NSOs to optimize their organization’s performance. Finally, national sport agencies/funders should support NSOs’ governance improvement efforts through flexible guidelines and resources because of NSOs’ governance heterogeneity.

An Analysis of Training-Related Outcomes Within Canadian National Sport Organizations

Past research has demonstrated that human resource training often results in improved individual and organizational performances. Yet, the focus has been on whether or not training has an impact on performance, rather than the nature of that impact. The purpose of this study is to investigate the nature of training-related outcomes in the context of one training program within the Canadian national sport sector. Interviews were conducted with key representatives from 12 Canadian national sport organizations. Findings showed the manifestations of performance change that occur as a result of training, revealing a new way of thinking at the individual level, a new way of doing within group and organizational processes, and a new way of being across organizations. Three theoretical perspectives—interpretation, learning, and institutional—are used to frame the discussion of the findings. Implications for practice and future research are presented.

Brand governance practices in Canadian national sport organizations: an exploratory study

ABSTRACTResearch Questions: We explored if and how decision-makers of different types of national sport organizations (NSOs) govern their brand, considering the changing landscape and the role of stakeholders and social media. The three research questions were: (RQ1) Do leaders of NSOs include brand governance in their overall governance?; (RQ2) How important is the relationship between the NSOs and their stakeholders for NSOs’ brand governance?; (RQ3) How does social media contribute to NSOs’ brand governance?Research methods: Thirty-two chief executive officers (CEOs) and/or board members of 58 Canadian NSOs (RR = 55%) participated in an online survey. Data were collected about brand governance in the organization (8 questions), the interrelationship with stakeholders (4 questions), and the role of social media in brand governance (4 questions).Results and findings: Brand governance is absent in small NSOs, and in early stages of application by larger NSOs. NSOs deal with their brand primarily internally, with no operational involvement of stakeholders, missing opportunities for possible knowledge transfer and co-creation to help NSOs govern their brand. Social media is a cost-efficient way to brand the organization, but a lack of control and consistency indicates a need for brand governance related to social media.Implications: NSOs would benefit from actively involving stakeholders to co-create and strengthen their brand. Social media offers opportunities for branding, but governance regulations should help overcome major challenges. Future research should include interviews with NSOs’ decision-makers to further understand how NSOs can engage more meaningfully with stakeholders and social media to strengthen their brand governance.

A New Era for Governance Structures and Processes in Canadian National Sport Organizations

With the numerous changes to the sport system landscape since Slack and his colleagues examined national sport organizations’ governance in the 1990s, the purpose of this paper was to begin exploring the impact of these environmental changes on Canadian national sport organizations. To do so, we focused on five Canadian national sport organizations, from large Olympic sport organizations to small non-Olympic sport organizations. The two-pronged content and network analyses point to a convergence of governance structures and stakeholder interactions between the five organizations due in no small part to the new Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act. We found organizations coordinating with both traditional (e.g., athletes) and nontraditional (e.g., social media public) stakeholder groups as well as renewing their focus on accountability and transparency. These findings imply a need to revisit the kitchen table–boardroom–executive office archetype continuum and demonstrate the extent of influence environmental changes (e.g., technological advancement and new laws) can have on sport organizations.

Anti-Bullying Policies in Canadian Sport: An Absent Presence

In Canada, it is estimated that one-third of bullying occurs outside of educational settings, including sport and recreation spaces (Shannon, 2013). Beyond important academic literature on abuse in athlete-coach relationships, however, there is little research on peer-to-peer bullying in sport. This is a noticeable absence considering assertions that there is a high potential for bullying to occur (Kerr, Jewett, MacPherson, & Stirling, 2016; Shannon, 2013). Moreover, bullying has been connected to children and youth drop-out rates (Fraser, 2015).Our interest in this project was to determine how Canadian national sport organizations (NSOs) address peer-to-peer bullying through policy. Although antibullying strategies that rely solely on policy are ineffective (Short, 2013), clearly communicated and implemented policies remain important (Mountjoy et al., 2016; Olweus & Limber, 2010; Walton, 2004). Thus, we focused our analysis on policy documents available to the public on NSO websites.A total of 118 documents were retrieved, consisting of various codes of conduct and harassment policies. Of these 118 policy documents, only three had been produced that addressed peer-to-peer bullying specifically. In the remaining 115 documents, bullying was mentioned just 19 times and only defined in five documents. The absence of specific policy and policy statement addressing peer-to-peer bullying is important to highlight. Well-written and implemented policies are needed in order to help create safer spaces in sport for children and youth. More specifically, it is imperative for sport and recreation organizations to have clearly defined policies on peer-to-peer bullying, which are openly communicated to members of the organization. It is also important for organizations to make it clear how members should report incidents of bullying.Finally, policies that adequately define bullying and that address its root causes such as sexism, racism, ableism, and LGBTQphobia are considered best practice as they are determined to be more complete. Policies that highlight the root or ideological causes of bullying may have more long-term impact on reducing bullying behaviours and incidents, as children and youth are encouraged to embrace difference and demonstrate empathy, respect, and compassion (Short, 2013). These policies should co-exist with educational programs on bullying, such as those offered by Respect in Sport and the Canadian Red Cross.Subscribe to JPRA

Examining social media adoption and change to the stakeholder communication paradigm in not-for-profit sport organizations

The purpose of this study was to examine social media adoption within not-for-profit sport organizations to illuminate the impetus for change, the type of change undertaken, and change resistance. Using a contextualist approach depicting the external and internal forces as well as the change process, semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten Canadian national sport organizations (NSO) representing varying degrees of social media presence. The findings suggest that, although social media is espoused as a radical, transformational vehicle, NSOs have only made incremental adjustments to their stakeholder communication and have situated social media within their extant organizational condition due to capacity constraints and resistance from staff and reticent stakeholders. Adopting social media in light of limited organizational capacity thus diminishes the utility of the communications tool. Theoretical and practical implications include how to improve social media-related capacity and the importance of continuing the social media and sport domain’s organizational theory agenda.

“Birds of a Feather”: An Institutional Approach to Canadian National Sport Organizations’ Social-Media Use

The purpose of this study was to examine sport organizations’ social-media activity using an institutional approach, specifically, to investigate the main themes emanating from Canadian national sport organizations’ (CNSOs) social-media communication and the similarities and differences in social-media use between the CNSOs. An exploratory qualitative thematic analysis was conducted on 8 CNSOs’ Twitter accounts ranging from 346 to 23,925 followers, with the number of tweets varying from 219 to 17,186. Thematic analysis indicated that CNSOs generally used tweeting for promoting, reporting, and informing purposes. Despite the organizations’ differing characteristics regarding seasonality of the sport, Twitter-follower count, total number of tweets, and whether the content was original or retweeted, themes were generally consistent across the various organizations. Coercive, mimetic, and normative isomorphic pressures help explain these similarities and offer reasons for a lack of followership growth by the less salient CNSOs. Implications for research and practice are provided.

Leader Perceptions of Management by Values Within Canadian National Sport Organizations

This study examined sport leaders’ perceptions of the use of stated values in the management and performance of their organization. Qualitative data were collected from nine Canadian national sport organizations (NSOs) in a multiple-case studies design, involving analysis of interview transcripts. Results indicated that while many of the NSOs operated from a traditional management by objectives approach, they perceived management by values (MBV) as being important and contributing to enhanced organizational performance. Leaders indicated that more efforts to engage staff members in developing core organizational values and to strategically use values in day-to-day management practice were required. A 4-I Framework describing how an NSO can progress through different stages of strategically using values in management practice was developed. NSO leaders also voiced an interest in embedding organizational values into NSO strategic and other planning processes.

Management training and national sport organization managers: Examining the impact of training on individual and organizational performances

Within sport, a tremendous amount of effort is committed to the on-the-field performance of athletes and coaches, neglecting the off-the-field performance and development of sport managers. This study examines the impact of human resource training on the performance of five Canadian national sport organizations (NSO) and their managers (N=22). Data were collected on three outcome variables (learning, individual performance, organizational performance) and three mediating variables (motivation to transfer, training design, organizational climate) at three time measures (pretraining, post-training1, post-training2). Results indicate that training improves the learning and individual performance of sport managers, as well as the organizational performance of NSOs. Varying relationships were found at each of the three time measures, demonstrating that a progression to training-related performance change exists. Implications and future research directions are discussed and highlighted the need for on-going training opportunities for Canadian sport managers.

Canadian National Sport Organizations’ Use of the Web for Relationship Marketing in Promoting Sport Participation

Sport-participation development requires a systematic process involving knowledge creation and dissemination and interactions between national sport organizations (NSOs), participants, clubs, and associations, as well as other agencies. Using a relationship-marketing approach (Grönroos, 1997, Gummesson, 2002, Olkkonen, 1999), this article addresses the question, How do Canadian NSOs use the Web, in terms of functionality and services offered, to create and maintain relationships with sport participants and their sport-delivery partners? Ten Canadian NSOs’ Web sites were examined. Functionality was analyzed using Burgess and Cooper’s (2000) eMICA model, and NSOs’ use of the Internet to establish and maintain relationships with sport participants was analyzed using Wang, Head, and Archer’s (2000) relationshipbuilding process model for the Web. It was found that Canadian NSOs were receptive to the use of the Web, but their information-gathering and -dissemination activities, which make up the relationship-building process, appear sparse and in some cases are lagging behind the voluntary sector in the country.

Integration and Differentiation in Institutional Values: An Empirical Investigation in the Field of Canadian National Sport Organizations

Integrating institutional theory's institutional isomorphism with integration and differentiation cultural views, the study examines the sources of variation in institutionally prescribed values in the field of Canadian National Sport Organizations. The results indicate support for the adaptation of institutional based values and norms among individual actors from both integration and differentiation perspectives. Specifically, results demonstrate institutionally prescribed values to be mostly monolithically adapted at the organizational level. However, in spite of uniformity in most organizations as well as institution-wide strength, these values are also prone to be manifested distinctively around functional subgroups across the field. Implications of results for research on both institutional theory and culture are discussed. Resume La presente etude examine, grâce a une synthese harmonieuse entre la theorie institutionnelle de l'isomorphisme et les vues culturelles sur la differenciation et l'integration, les sources de variation dans les valeurs prescrites par les institutions dans le domaine du Canadian National Sport Organizations. Les resultats indiquent la necessite d'adapter les normes et les valeurs institutionnelles aux acteurs individuels. Plus specifique, les resultats montrent que les valeurs prescrites par les institutions sont, pour la plupart, adaptees de facon monolithique au niveau organisationnel. Mais en depit de cette uniformite dans la plupart des organisations, ces valeurs ont tendance a se manifester differemment dans tous les sous-groupes fonctionnels du domaine etudie. L'etude s'acheve par un examen des implications des resultats pour la recherche sur la theorie et la culture institutionnelles.

The Canadian Hockey Association Merger and the Emergence of the Amateur Sport Enterprise

The purpose of this article is to understand the nature of large-scale organizational change within amateur sport through the analysis of a merger between two hockey organizations. This study expands upon the research on Canadian national sport organizations established by Kikulis, Slack, and Hinings (1992) by identifying a new archetype—the Amateur Sport Enterprise. In particular, the study presents a case analysis of the 1994 merger between the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association and Hockey Canada to form the Canadian Hockey Association . The results of the qualitative case study revealed that, contrary to previous notions of archetype coherence, aspects of competing archetypes might coexist within an organizational form or, more specifically, within particular elements of an organizational form. The characteristics of the Amateur Sport Enterprise archetype are discussed and implications for future sport management research are addressed.

Influence in Canadian National Sport Organizations: Perceptions of Professionals and Volunteers

The literature suggests that the professionalization of sport has resulted in erosion of the decision-making power of volunteer administrators. However, little research has examined the extent to which volunteer and paid administrators may differ in their perceptions of influence in decision making. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of influence in organizational decisions and to determine if they were related to decision areas at the board level in Canadian National Sporting Organizations. Results indicated that influence in decision making was not perceived as reciprocal; some areas of decision making were perceived to be the domain of either the professionals or volunteers; and professionals wanted the relationship to be more equal. Implications include the consequences for volunteers as the more dependent partner in the relationship, the potential for improved organizational decision making, and the recognition that the policy development/implementation split between volunteers and professionals may be too simplistic.

Does Decision Making Make a Difference? Patterns of Change Within Canadian National Sport Organizations

The theoretical rationale underpinning this study was that decision making structures are tightly coupled to the core values of organizations and thus have a high impact on organizational design change. Taking a fine-grained approach to the analysis of decision making, the purpose of this study was to determine whether amateur sport organizations have shifted away from the dominant paradigm of volunteer-led decision making in favor of professional staff authority and autonomy over strategic decisions. Data from a population of 36 Canadian national sport organizations were used to show that changes in decision making have occurred. However, the shift in control from volunteers to professionals has not been established. In addition, change in decision making varied according to the direction of change, the decision making dimension, and the decision topic.