Examining the factors influencing organizational creativity in professional sport organizations

Increasingly, globalization and the adoption of a market economy have made innovation fundamental for the success of professional sport organizations. Yet oligarchical league structures, isomorphic and hyper-traditional cultures, and hierarchical organizational structures can enhance or hinder organizational creativity, the beginning stage of the innovation process. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to determine the antecedents of organizational creativity in professional sport organizations. Perception of organizational creativity is theorized to be influenced by employee creativity, work environment, and the social interactions of employees. The results, based on a survey of three professional sport organizations’ front offices, indicated perceptions of a work environment with a clear vision and better work processes were associated with greater perceptions of organizational creativity. The lack of relationships between many of the factors theorized to influence organizational creativity, such as an employee’s advice network, could indicate the sport industry is unique in creativity management. This study is the beginning in understanding the first step of innovation, and the processes that influence employees’ perceptions regarding the ways in which their work environment relate to organizational creativity.     

In support of sport: Examining the relationship between community sport organizations and sponsors

Sponsorships are a critical resource for nonprofit community sport organizations (CSOs) that are increasingly experiencing pressure to generate funding beyond their traditional source of membership revenues. In order to optimize this alternative source, it is important to understand the nature of the relationship between CSOs and sponsors and its impact on those clubs. Scales were developed, and presidents of CSOs (N = 189) completed a corresponding survey that measures the extent to which clubs’ relationship with their key sponsor was characterized by various elements of the relationship process and relationship outcomes. Operational competence was a consistent predictor of the impact of the sponsor relationship on club program/operations and community presence, and further enhanced the impact of long-standing sponsorships. Notably, operational competence was perceived to be required to a lesser extent in CSO–sponsor relationships than in the other process elements. Implications for effective CSO–sponsor relationships and directions for future research are presented.     

Examining the antecedents of sport team brand equity: A dual-identification perspective

Although the practice of building brand equity in the context of professional sport teams is popular, the formation of sport team brand equity in the sport marketing literature is still relatively unknown and incompletely understood. In this study, the authors propose a dual-identification model to examine the formation of sport team brand equity in an Asia-based professional team sport setting. Baseball fans (N = 548) of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) in Taiwan participated in the self-administered survey. A Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Model analysis revealed that marketplace characteristics (including group experience, salient experience, team history, and fan rituals) and brand-identified-related factors (including self-congruity and team brand prestige) were significantly related to identification with sport team and identification with sport team brand, respectively. In turn, both identification with sport team and identification with sport team brand were significant predictors of sport team brand equity. These findings highlight the importance of studying a dual-identification model in order to understand how sport team brand equity forms and suggest implications for sport team managers.     

Analyzing the impact of sport infrastructure on sport participation using geo-coded data: Evidence from multi-level models

Sport policies aiming at increasing mass participation and club participation have stressed the importance of sport infrastructure. Previous research has mainly analyzed the influence of individual factors (age, income, etc.) on sport participation. Although a few studies have dealt with the impact of sport facilities on sport participation, some methodological shortcomings can be observed regarding the integration of sport infrastructure into the research design. Oftentimes, subjective measures of infrastructure are employed, leading to biased results, for example inactive people have a worse perception of the actual supply of facilities. In fact it is important to measure the available sport infrastructure objectively using a quantitative approach and integrate it into statistical models. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of individual and infrastructure variables on sport participation in general and in sport clubs using geo-coded data following a multi-level design. For this purpose, both primary data (individual level) and secondary data (infrastructure level) were collected in the city of Munich, Germany. A telephone survey of the resident population was carried out (n = 11,175) and secondary data on the available sport infrastructure in Munich were collected. Both datasets were geo-coded using Gauss–Krueger coordinates and integrated into multi-level analyses. The multi-level models show that swimming pools are of particular importance for sport participation in general and sport fields for participation in sport clubs. Challenges and implications for a more holistic modeling of sport participation including infrastructure variables are discussed.     

拓展民族传统体育赖以生存的理论空间

从人类学的角度、理性思维的高度阐释了整体观与化相对论是认识不同体育形态、进行跨化研究的重要方法，有助于正确认识民族体育在全球多元化中的价值，指出了中华民族传统体育能否化解奥林匹克化全球性问题所带来的生存和发展困境的关键是理论创新。     

运动训练控制研究的现状分析与展望

运动训练控制的最终目的是实现运动训练的科学化.对运动训练控制的相关研究文献进行分析表明:运动训练控制的研究对象不清,运动训练控制过程中相关人员角色定位不准,研究领域、研究深度有待于加强.运动训练控制研究的未来发展应加强各运动项目的控制理论研究;注意借鉴其它学科的研究成果,构建与不断完善各项目运动训练科学化的内容体系;不断拓展运动训练控制的研究领域与研究深度.     

Striving and thriving: Women in Chinese national sport organizations

This paper examines women's position in the Chinese sports administration by studying three national sport organizations (NSOs). It is argued that the so-called gender-neutral promotion process is biased against female candidates and in the end serves the purpose of reinforcing a male-dominated upper management. Several key qualifications in evaluating candidates for promotion, such as a strategic vision, higher education and English ability, were deconstructed to unveil their embedded gender prejudice against women. It is argued that these factors play a role in explaining women's absence from senior leadership positions and their powerlessness in the national management hierarchy of Chinese sport.     

Exploring the organizational capacity and organizational problems of disability sport clubs in Germany using matched pairs analysis

Previous research examining people with disabilities has mainly looked at participation barriers and has formulated implications for sport providers; however, the supply side has been largely neglected. The purpose of this study was to explore the organizational capacity and organizational problems of clubs that provide sport for people with disabilities (referred to as ‘disability sport clubs’). The conceptual model of organizational capacity was used as a theoretical framework. Within a German sport club sample (n = 19,345), a sub-sample of disability sport clubs (n = 521) was identified. The idea was to compare disability sport clubs with other sport clubs; however, comparing a small sub-sample with a large rest-sample may inevitably lead to statistical significance. Therefore, a matched pairs analysis was applied. Since disability sport clubs were significantly larger in terms of members and sports and were located in bigger communities, statistical twins were identified in the dataset that were similar in size and location. The results showed that clubs providing sport for people with disabilities are not specific disability sport clubs. Evidently, these are large multi-sports clubs that have greater capacity for catering for older adults and low-income people, for strategic planning, and for establishing relationships with other institutions in the community than their statistical twins. The regression results indicated that strategic planning significantly contributed to the reduction of several organizational problems of disability sport clubs. The findings have implications for policy makers, club management, and sport management scholars.     

我国运动智力研究的现状与发展趋向

80年代以来 ,智力心理学的研究从注重智力结果的分析转向了对智力活动内部过程的探索 ,这一转变使我们对运动员的智力问题有了更清晰的认识。本文总结了运动员智力测验理论的不足 ,介绍了以自信加工理论为代表的运动智力研究特点 ,并展望了我国运动智力研究的未来趋向     

科学精神与中华民族传统体育现代化

科学精神在现代化建设中起到了极为重要的作用,而中华民族传统体育文化中恰恰缺乏科学精神,大大迟滞了中华民族传统体育的现代化进程。导致中华民族传统体育文化科学精神缺失的主要因素有:经典理论中科学成分的先天不足,重直觉轻实证的思维模式对科学的疏远,重人伦轻科技的价值观对科学的压抑。在中华民族传统体育的现代化进程中,应当在创新中求发展,确立科学精神的主导地位,构建科学精神和人文精神相统一的现代中华民族传统体育。     

我国社区体育的组织与管理问题研究

目前，我国社区体育的发展迫切要求解决各种深层次的理论问题和实践问题，深入研究社区体育的组织与管理问题，对进一步贯彻落实《全民健身计划纲要》，推进社区体育，增强国民体质具有重要意义。本文就我国社区体育的发展，尤其是对社区体育的组织与管理问题提出若干理论思考和对策建议。一、对社区体育组织管理问题的若干思考1.大力推进社区体育是当今中国群众体育的必然选择随着生产力的发展和生产方式的改变，人们的经济收入不断增加，闲暇时间不断增多。与此同时，人们必然要追求生活质量的不断提高。参与体育活动是提高生活质量的重要…     

Why we follow: Examining motivational differences in following sport organizations on Twitter and Weibo

Social media platforms provide a space where sport fans can interact directly with sport organizations; however, researchers have not empirically examined users’ motivation and usage. Guided by uses and gratifications theory, the authors explored whether social media users’ motivations differed when following a sport organization on two similar microblogging services: Twitter and Weibo. Data gathered from an online survey of users who followed the Los Angeles Lakers on both Twitter (n = 299) and Weibo (n = 796) were analyzed using the Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes model. Findings showed that Weibo users had higher motives for obtaining information, entertainment, technical knowledge, passing time, and escaping from their life than Twitter users, while Twitter followers had higher motivations to express team support than their Weibo counterparts. Results of hierarchical multiple regression analysis suggested that Weibo users had high motives in information gathering and expressing team support, and they also tended to be more interactive. Twitter users were more interested in interacting with a sport organization if their motives for obtaining entertainment information and technical information were met. Results of this study will assist sport organizations to learn to understand users’ motives for following a sports team in both China and America and then develop more effective strategies to engage these users in these two main markets.     

运动训练信息隐性损失的探析

运动训练的过程中,教练员与运动员之间的沟通可以看作是一种信息的传递过程。由于这种互通信息的不对称性和涉及传导因素的多样性,可能使信息在沟通过程中遭受损失,而这种损失通常不会以明显的方式表现出来,常常被人们所忽视,成为制约训练效率提高的因素之一。     

Developing a winning sport team culture: organizational culture in theory and practice

Abstract

This case study reviews strategies for identifying, establishing and influencing sport team culture and leadership, based on Edgar Schein’s three-level theoretical model of organizational culture integrating artefacts, values and beliefs and core assumptions. Specifically, we examine the success of a professional rugby team in New Zealand, the 2014 ITM Cup champions, the Manawatu Turbos. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with past and present coaches (N = 3) and captains (N = 3). Key findings include the need to formally recognize culture, including establishing and reinforcing values, as a tangible element of sport team management practice. A flat organization structure has helped facilitate a suitable environment for collective leadership to flourish. Implications for sport and business teams are the need to acknowledge culture as a core component, and conduct a culture audit to establish the current and desired culture through an aligned combination of informal and formal transformational leadership.     

论水族传统体育的文化特征

在现代社会中水族传统体育文化作为历史的积淀仍在水族社会中顽强地保留着,出于文化主体对全球化的回应,其文化特征有了新的变化,表现为农耕民族性、传承统一性、参与全民性、宗教信仰性、民族融合性、文化调适性等文化特征。     

Community-oriented practice: Examining corporate social responsibility and development activities in professional sport

Professional sport teams are increasingly engaging in activities that target community development agendas. Previous researchers have examined why teams engage in such activities and the value they derive from a corporate social responsibility (CSR) perspective; however, an understanding of the nature and focus of such activities is only beginning to emerge and further research attention is necessary. To address this gap, the authors draw on both CSR and sport-for-development (SFD) literature to examine community activities undertaken by professional sport teams. An exploratory case study methodology was employed, using a multi-case design to examine the activities of 70 professional sport teams across the commercially dominant league in each of three regions (Australia, the UK, and the US). A total of 1243 initiatives were recorded and analysed to build a profile of the nature and focus of the community activities undertaken. These were classified into 14 specific categories and analysis identified three core groups of activities: giving, activating and capacity building. Teams primarily targeted health and education agendas; however, differences were observed across regions. Teams in the US engaged more heavily in giving activities, whereas teams in the UK more commonly engaged in capacity-building activities. Variations were also observed with respect to target agenda, demonstrating differences within practices across regions. The authors propose community-oriented practices as a concept to describe the community-focused activities undertaken by professional sport teams at the intersection of CSR and SFD, and a working definition of this concept is offered.     

Stress in elite sport performers: a comparative study of competitive and organizational stressors

The purpose of this study was to compare the content and quantity of competitive and organizational stressors in elite athletes. Ten international performers were interviewed about sources of stress. Content analysis of the data involved categorizing the demands associated primarily and directly with competitive performance (#CS = 21) under the post hoc dimension "performance issues", and the demands associated primarily and directly with the sport organization (#OS = 72) under one of the following four post hoc dimensions: "environmental issues", "personal issues", "leadership issues" and "team issues". Frequency analysis revealed that the participants mentioned the competitive stressors (sigma = 95) less than the organizational stressors (sigma = 215). Further analysis within these categories showed that the mean number of participants citing individual competitive stressors (M = 4.52) was greater than the mean number of participants citing individual organizational stressors (M = 2.99). The findings indicate that elite athletes experience and recall more demands associated primarily and directly with the sport organization than with competitive performance. Furthermore, this population appears more likely to mention similar competitive stressors but varied organizational stressors, probably because the former are inherent and endemic to elite sport, whereas the latter are essentially extraneous and widely distributed.     

Stress in elite sport performers: A comparative study of competitive and organizational stressors

The purpose of this study was to compare the content and quantity of competitive and organizational stressors in elite athletes. Ten international performers were interviewed about sources of stress. Content analysis of the data involved categorizing the demands associated primarily and directly with competitive performance (#CS = 21) under the post hoc dimension “performance issues”, and the demands associated primarily and directly with the sport organization (#OS = 72) under one of the following four post hoc dimensions: “environmental issues”, “personal issues”, “leadership issues” and “team issues”. Frequency analysis revealed that the participants mentioned the competitive stressors (Σ = 95) less than the organizational stressors (Σ = 215). Further analysis within these categories showed that the mean number of participants citing individual competitive stressors (M = 4.52) was greater than the mean number of participants citing individual organizational stressors (M = 2.99). The findings indicate that elite athletes experience and recall more demands associated primarily and directly with the sport organization than with competitive performance. Furthermore, this population appears more likely to mention similar competitive stressors but varied organizational stressors, probably because the former are inherent and endemic to elite sport, whereas the latter are essentially extraneous and widely distributed.     

社会体育与身体性——柏拉图哲学中国家社会与体育的理念

从历史研究的角度看，近代日本的体育是由于学校制度中相关内容的出现，才得以不断发展的。只不过，体育（身体教育）的概念被理解为培养人类存在的身体性活动时，其范围应考虑到复杂的社会现实与国民的需要而不仅仅限定在学校。笔者尤其关注的是日本社会体育的现状及其课题。佐藤曾对“社会体育”的概念进行过整理，即“所谓社会体育，是指学校时空维度以外被开展的体育的总称，其对象是被划分后的行政区域里面的居民”。令人遗憾的是，佐藤提出的“社会体育”的内涵，在现实社会中并不明确，之所以这样说是因为没有统一的理念，依靠行政干预或民间自发性行为提供服务，才是现代日本社会体育的现实j换句话说，我们在追求与国家政治体制一致的身体培养样式时，如果没有寻古问今、借鉴东西，很难说是人类存在一般意义上的课题。