european college of sport science

10:15 - 11:45
Oral presentations
OP-SP01 Sport Management
MOVING BEYOND A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: A NETWORK OF STAKEHOLDER INFLUENCES
SKIRSTAD, B.
NORWEGIAN SCHOOL OF SPORT SCIENCES
OP-SP01 Sport Management
Introduction: The purpose of this paper is to explain the presidential election process of the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee
and Confederation of Sports (NOC) in 2007. Stakeholder and network theory is used as the theoretical framework in order to understand
the election process and explore the power play between the different stakeholders in sport in relation to have their candidate
elected as president. The stakeholder picture is multifaceted and consists of several formal and informal stakeholders, of whom some
are internal and some are external.The most influential stakeholders are the sport federations (55) and the regional sport associations
(19), and each group has 75 votes. In addition comes the executive board of the NOC. Stakeholder theory is one important example of a
theory that develops tools to assess the relative importance of different constituents and to find rational strategies for balancing the
attention given to their demands (Mitchell, Agle, & Wood, 1997). Power as conceptualized by Mitchell et al. (1997) refers to abilities to
influence the outcome according to the stakeholders’ desires. Even within a stakeholder group not all members are homogeneous.
Stakeholders lacking sufficient power to influence the organization demonstrated that it may still be able to influence through forming an
alliance with another powerful stakeholder (Frooman, 1999).
Method: Qualitative case-study of observations at the GA for three days and field notes, analysis of news paper clippings, and seven
semi-structured retrospective interviews with the key-actors (spokesperson for the districts, the sport federations, the leader of the nomination
committee, two vice-presidents, the elected president, and the major opponent). The interviews were tape-recorded and written
down and analysed according to power, urgency and salience.
Results: The Nomination Committee planted a seed for a female president. This started the chase by the big federations to find a “heavy”
candidate to substitute her. They did not succeed because the downfall of the big federations’ power was caused by not playing by the
democratic rules, too many dirty stories about opponents, arrogance, and failure of organizing fraction meetings. A troika (president and
two vice-presidents) united just before the finish line by negotiations on divisions of power and work areas as well as salary. The theoretical
framework gave more in-depth knowledge of the election process and how the different stakeholders operated.
Frooman, J. (1999): Stakeholder influence strategies Academy of Management Review.24 (2): 191-205
Mitchell, R. K., Agle, B. R. & Wood, D. J. (1997). Toward a theory of stakeholder identification and salience: Defining the principle of who
and what really counts. Academy of Management. The Academy of Management Review, 22, 853-886.
SCIENTIFIC SUPPORT FOR THE ”COACH CAMPAIGN“ IN GERMAN TOP LEVEL SPORTS
POHLMANN, A.
FEDERAL INSTITUTE OF SPORT SCIENCE
INTRODUCTION: Despite their exceptional importance for the athletic and personal development of their athletes, systematic research on
analysing the professional profile and working conditions of coaches working in German top level sport has not been done yet. In order
to address the important role of top level coaches and to improve their working conditions, in 2006 the German Olympic Sport Federation
has started a so-called “Coach Campaign”. The Federal Institute of Sport Science supports this campaign by the initiation and funding of
two research projects: (a) “coach profession profile” and (b) “coach information supply“.
The project ”coach profession profile“ deals with the structural conditions of the coaches’ profession and explores the following issues:
What are the structural and working conditions of coaches in top level sports? What are the conditions for being employed as a coach?
Which measures have to be taken to establish the coach profession as a durable, well honoured and dominant profession, which is
characterized by well defined and structured job qualification levels and job profiles?
In order to reach top level performances, coaches depend upon a permanent information supply about the latest training and coaching
methods as well as for being up to date for the high demands put upon them in their job as coaches. In the research project ”coach
information supply“, the common information supplies used and asked for by coaches are investigated. The main purpose of this study is
to identify information deficits and information needs in order to optimize the information supply for top level coaches.
METHODOLOGY: Both studies were realized by the Institute of Sport Science and the Institute of Media Science at the University of Tübingen,
Germany. For both research projects, more than 1.500 top level coaches were asked to fill out extensive questionnaires. Moreover,
an analysis of literature and documents related to the topics of the surveys took place, including the use of coach related internet sites, as
well as additional half-standardized interviews with experts were carried out.
RESULTS/DISCUSSION: Both research projects were finished in autumn 2008. The overall response rate was rather high (study a: 47,1 %;
study b: 27 %), especially in consideration of questionnaire size in both studies.
Selected findings of both studies are
- a high need and interest of coaches for improving professional and structural working conditions;
- high academic and coaching qualification levels of top level coaches, including many years of coaching experiences in top level sports
and a former successful individual sport career;
- a preference for non-formal methods of information supply (particularly the interchange of information with other coaches, own observation,
analysis and evaluation) and the use of coach training programs.
Additional studies are intended to carry on the improvement of professional profile and working conditions of coaches working in German
top level sport.
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ANNUAL CONGRESS OF THE EUROPEAN COLLEGE OF SPORT SCIENCE