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Hibbert et al.'s relationally reflexive practice framework guided the authors to develop a new sport leadership generative partnership model emphasizing privileging practice and the sport sector as it relates to researching, teaching, and practicing sport leadership. The 2019 North American Society for Sport Management symposium on sport leadership, titled "The Changing Face of Leadership Within Sport: What Does the Future Hold?" acted as a springboard for deep, reflexive conversations among the authors. Through the development of our model, we purposely highlight the process of a relationally reflexive journey making sense of our lived experiences, engaging with learnings from the symposium, and arguing that sport leadership and followership research and teaching ultimately should be about improving the sport sector within specific cultural contexts. We offer critically conscious considerations for privileging and embedding practice as part of sport management teaching, research, and service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The director selection processes of nonprofit national sport organizations underpin board composition and hence board and organizational performance. In the New Zealand context, this study verifies the emergence of nomination committees (NCs) and critically examines, from a democratic theory perspective, the extent to which democratic legitimacy is promoted within the NC structures of national sport organizations' director selection processes. An analysis of national sport organization (NSO) constitutions affirms the NC emergence as a governance phenomenon and results in the development of an NC (constitutional powers-based) classification system. This NC classification contributes to a largely unexamined area of nonprofit sport governance by providing a foundational description of NC structural design features then used to reflect on the extent to which the identified design features may serve to protect member voice (community logic) in the face of increasing pressures on NSOs to adopt professionalized governance structures (corporate logic). A holistic system objectives approach to democratic theory is used to better understand how NC structural design may support such member voice. In this way, the article offers both scholars and practitioners an insight into a range of NC strategic design choices and potential implications for democratic legitimacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this paper is to share thinking about networks in action research (AR) and to consider their role, purpose, and how networks' outcomes and impacts might be evaluated. Networks are often a by-product of AR projects, yet research focused on the network itself as part of a project is rare. The paper is one of several associated with the Evaluative Study of Action Research (ESAR) in which we wish to understand how projected outcomes and impacts are realised and why certain approaches are chosen and seen to be effective. Description is provided of the development and function of networks and their connection to, and within, AR. We then explore the first of a series of networks in the ESAR, the core team network, and undertake a formative evaluation of the functioning of this network. The paper concludes with a look ahead to the evaluation of each of the various levels of networks anticipated within the ESAR.

The focus of this paper is to share thinking about meta-level evaluation of action research (AR), and to introduce indicator domains for assessing and measuring inputs, outputs and outcomes. Meta-level and multi-site evaluation has been rare in AR beyond project implementation and participant satisfaction. The paper is the first of several associated with the Evaluative Study of Action Research (ESAR) in which we wish to establish the ways that espoused intents articulated in projects are realized and why certain approaches are adopted and seen to be effective. We seek to increase understanding of outcomes and impact of AR. Description is provided of multiple issues of complexity associated with establishing evaluative criteria and indicators categorized according to inputs, process, outputs, outcomes and impact. We explore theory associated with definition and practice of evaluation prior to presentation of the indicators. We think the time is ripe for deeper examination of AR practice and welcome the associated conversation and critique of our proposed indicators.

The purpose of our article is to demonstrate how inclusive leadership practices can be threaded into the director selection process as a way to achieve more diverse and inclusive tennis governance. In this review article, we have brought together a growing body of knowledge on inclusive leadership practices for sport boards. We use this knowledge to propose suggestions for the director selection processes. We break down the concepts of diversity and inclusion, as well as director selection as they apply to sport governance to offer tangible ways for tennis boards to become more diverse and inclusive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examines school-based physical activity in investigating teachers' perceptions of a physical activity-related professional development (PD) intervention in New Zealand primary schools. Eighteen semi-structured interviews with six teachers from two schools was the primary data collection method. Using a selected programme, teachers' perceptions were explored prior, immediately after and four months post-intervention. The perceived need to experience practical content was found to be linked to perceptions of confidence and competence in physical activity delivery. This study is one of few to investigate teachers' experience of PD in physical activity. In doing so, it highlights the relationship between experiential learning approaches and perceptions of confidence and competence for teachers, a concept not well articulated within the body of knowledge in this setting. In better understanding this relationship, we argue that policy-makers and primary schools may be better informed about programmes for teachers that impact physical activity outcomes for children.

Objective: This study sought to investigate teachers' perceptions of a physical activity-related professional development intervention. Design: Interview-based qualitative approach founded on the interpretive paradigm. Setting: Purposive selection of one high-rated independent, and one low-rated public primary school from Auckland, New Zealand. Method: A qualitative approach was used, incorporating a questionnaire used for purposive sampling and a total of eighteen semi-structured interviews with six teachers from two primary schools. Results: Participants highly valued the inclusion of all teachers in onsite professional development and felt supported by a strong, positive organizational culture. Conclusion: Participant teachers believed physical activity played an important role within the school setting, and recognized their role in the provision of opportunities for their students. However, they did not necessarily feel confident and competent to facilitate opportunities. A specific professional development intervention was introduced as one form of support to address this need. Teachers valued first-hand experience of professional development and reported particular enjoyment if they participated alongside their colleagues. (Contains 1 figure.)

This study addresses a gap in board director research by investigating how individual personal values influence board strategic engagement. The nature of board directors' strategic engagement was examined qualitatively, using 65 in-depth interviews, content analysis, board meeting observations and board workshops. Using an interpretative lens, four differing individual personal characteristics were identified and labeled: 'mission-driven', 'commanding', 'shape-shifting', and 'community-minded'. These concepts coincided with theory of personal value theory, used in previous studies linking managers (but not board directors) to behaviors. Practical implications provide insights into attracting, retaining and developing an appropriate mix of directors to enhance nonprofit board strategic engagement, boosting performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to increase understanding in the area of leadership at the governance level of nonprofit sport organizations. Specifically, we aim to explore how intra-board leadership at the national level influences the overall leadership capacity of a federal network. In gathering new empirical evidence, the authors adopted a qualitative case study method focusing on a national sport organization operating within the Australian nonprofit sport industry. 12 interviews were conducted with current and former board members of the organization including the current and former Chief Executive Officers to gain new insights into the practice of leadership within non-profit sport governance. Interviews were analyzed using an interpretive process, and, a thematic structure relating to leadership in the non-profit sport governance context was developed. Leadership roles of the board, intra-board collective leadership, inter-board collective leadership, and individual and organizational leadership behaviors and actions emerged as the key themes in the research. These themes combined with existing literature, notably an existing working model of leadership in this domain, are integrated into the paper to shed new light on this emerging area of inquiry. We offer a number of suggestions for future research to further increase understanding and to refine, test, critique, and elaborate upon our findings in this work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to explore leadership within nonprofit sport governance. As an outcome, the authors present a preliminary working model of leadership in nonprofit sport governance based on existing literature and our new empirical evidence. Leadership in nonprofit sport governance has received limited attention to date in scholarly discourse. The authors adopt a case study approach involving three organizations and 16 participant interviews from board members and Chief Executive Officers within the golf network in Australia to uncover key leadership issues in this domain. Interviews were analyzed using an interpretive process, and a thematic structure relating to leadership in the nonprofit sport governance context was developed. Leadership ambiguity, distribution of leadership, leadership skills and development, and leadership and volunteerism emerged as the key themes in the research. These themes, combined with existing literature, are integrated into a preliminary working model of leadership in nonprofit sport governance that helps to shape the issues and challenges embedded within this emerging area of inquiry. The authors offer a number of suggestions for future research to refine, test, critique, and elaborate on our proposed working model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to articles published within the issue is presented, including one on the environmental characteristics of shared leadership in a sport-for-development (SFD) organization, another on the influence of servant leadership on work-related needs of followers within a SFD and peace setting, and one on leadership development in professional sport organizations.

Conventional approaches to leadership in sport management regard leadership as a leader-centric phenomenon. Recent advances in the generic leadership literature have highlighted the way that people construct their own understanding of leadership and shown that these influence their assessment and responses to people they regard as leaders. This observer-centric perspective is collectively known as the social construction of leadership. In this conceptual paper, we demonstrate how this emerging theoretical approach can reframe and invigorate our understanding of leadership in sport management.We explore the research implications of this new approach, reflect on what this might mean for teaching and discuss the practical ramifications for leadership in sport management that might flow from the adoption of this approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health professionals require support and recognition to help manage the well-known impact of critical or sentinel events relating to patient care. The potential distress can be magnified or mitigated by the response of the organization and colleagues. However, strategies that are accessible, relevant, and effective in the aftermath of a poor outcome are not well established. Using an action research methodology, a support tool was collaboratively designed, developed, and evaluated in a maternity service of one organization and adapted to the mental health and addiction service in another. Four principles that are intrinsic to the establishment of support tools became apparent across the two settings. Through applying these criteria to the customization of the support tool, it became relevant within the new service setting, and an implementation guide for other organizations was created. Although undertaken pre-pandemic, insights derived from this study may benefit post-pandemic situations where the need for health professional support is even greater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across an array of contexts, a 'female-friendly environment' is increasingly thought to positively impact participation levels for women and girls. The aim of this study is to provide insights on the female-friendliness of New Zealand's tennis clubs. Both numeric and text data were collected as part of the 2021 National Sport Club Survey. Tennis club representatives agreed more strongly that their club has suitable changing facilities for women/girls and that playing/training times are equally allocated than club representatives across the full sample across every sport. Within a typology of female-friendly clubs, most fit into the disengaged category in which the prevailing view is unfortunately that female-friendliness isn't an issue and that existing inclusion efforts are good enough. It is suggested that tennis organisations at regional and national level provide information and strategies to clubs that have an aspiration to become more female-friendly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article shares specific leadership findings from the evaluative study of action research AR (ESAR). Few studies have examined the leadership dynamic within action research (AR), and fewer still across multiple projects. Leadership surfaced as a critical element in the ESAR as we sought to examine processes, outcomes and impacts of AR at a meta level. Evidence was collected from six AR case study projects via interviews, survey, goal attainment scaling and documentary analysis, followed by a survey issued to 195 projects internationally (174 responded), that is, all of the projects recruited and compiled in our 'Directory' at the beginning of the ESAR. The findings revealed that leadership was more collaborative than hierarchical though there was evidence that a single key person leading was pivotal to enhancing processes, outcomes and impacts of the AR projects. In this article, we offer new thinking about leadership elements that enhance AR as well as contribute to the growing conversation about shared, collective and relational approaches to leadership situated within AR systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the outcomes of an 18-month developmental action research study to enhance the governance capability of a national sport organization. Bowls Australia, the national governing body for lawn bowls in Australia, includes nine independent state and territory member-associations. An intervention was designed and implemented with the Bowls Australia Board. The purpose of the intervention was to enact collaborative governance to overcome a perceived cultural malaise in the governance of the sport. This study is one of the first to examine collaborative governance in a federal sport structure. Results demonstrate the utility of collaborative governance to overcome adversarial national, member-state relations for the purpose of establishing a common and unifying vision for bowls, while also enhancing governance capability. This study identified the importance of collective board leadership in governance decision-making throughout the sport. It also highlights future research directions in relation to collective board leadership in federal governance structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is positioned within the nonprofit sport context and builds on an emerging body of work in sport governance to investigate how nonprofit sport organizations can develop their governing capability. A rich data set derived from a 2-year action research study in an Australian state sport organization revealed a lack of stakeholder engagement underpinned by confusion about stakeholder-governing responsibility as the central issues in developing governance capability. The lessons drawn from the Squash Vic experience integrated with sport governance literature and stakeholder theory show the need to embed the notion of stakeholder salience or primacy to explain and clarify the dilemma of multiple stakeholders and the lack of stakeholder engagement in the governing process. We introduce Fassin's (2012) notion of "stakeowner" and associated ideas of reciprocity and responsibility as a helpful characterization of the legal members in the stakeholder governance relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research question: This study investigates how boards of directors perceive their roles in Scottish football clubs. With previous studies focusing on amateur and non-profit sport organisations (primarily in Canada, Australia and New Zealand), this research answers the call for more research into board roles and in other sport contexts. Research methods: A qualitative design is adopted and 24 directors of Scottish football clubs are interviewed. Football club directors are a difficult to access population and this research represents a rare opportunity to understand the perspectives of key sport governance informants. Template analysis is employed. Results and findings: Findings show that perceived board roles fall into five categories: control, service, operations, resource co-optation and strategy. Organisational size was found to influence perceptions of board roles in Scottish clubs, while an apparent alignment of interests between owners and managers, and a subsequent reduction in agency cost, has implications for the control role. An integration of stewardship theory and resource-dependency theory is argued to provide a more holistic understanding of board roles in this context. Implications: The study responds to calls for a multi-theoretical approach to board roles research by developing an integrative stewardship-resource dependency theory. The integrated theory is argued to be useful in framing the complex dynamics of board roles in Scottish football. Future research is encouraged to assess whether the stewardship-resource dependency theory can provide an effective framework for understanding board roles in other sport settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale/Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine how a board of a National Sport Organisation perceives collective board leadership in order to govern collaboratively in a federated sport network of state/regional sport organisations. Design/Methods: A sample of three boards from the golf network in Australia was used to investigate the presence of collective board leadership and collaborative governance. Sixteen interviews were conducted with directors from Golf Australia, Golf Victoria and Golf South Australia to explore their perceptions of leadership practice by boards across the golf network. Findings: Respondents offered a view of leadership that seemed to align with a leader-centric perspective, as distinguished from collective leadership. This finding suggests that the concept of collective board leadership may be too new and does not yet resonate with directors in this study. Practical Implications: Provides a focus on the place of leadership in the study and practice of governance. Research Contribution: This paper extends knowledge by examining perceptions of how boards view collective leadership when seeking to govern collaboratively. Results from this study provide further insights building on the extant literature to the importance of a collaborative approach to governance, which in effect, shaped the leadership style of a board. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on an action research study to explore the underpinnings of outwardly unsupportive behaviour among health professionals in New Zealand after a critical event and to develop and evaluate a resource to help them recover through mutual care and support. It explores the dynamic nature of the support system, the feedback loops, nonlinearity, underpinning "rules," and associated behaviour. The tenets of complexity theory are applied to identify characteristics of the system, which, in turn, provide insight into ways of achieving change. The study demonstrates that these health professionals were behaving in ways which they thought were expected, rather than being "nice" to each other: behaviour that was driven by the inherent interrelatedness within an organization or system. This finding not only has significant outcomes for practice but also contributes to a deeper understanding of the emergent nature of complexity theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hermeneutic phenomenology is a little used approach in sport settings yet is widely advocated in other disciplines (e.g. health research). This article contributes to the theoretical understanding and practical application of hermeneutic phenomenology in sport research. It considers and explores the lived experience of skiing through a phenomenological approach and in so doing exposes a deeper understanding into the meaning skiing may hold in the lifeworlds of those who ski. Such research highlights the growing use of interpretive paradigms to elucidate lived experience in sport research, contrasting measurement of experience with seeking to understand the experiences themselves. We assert that hermeneutic phenomenology has much to offer sport research where an understanding of how one’s subjective encounter can reveal much about the shared knowings, meanings and experiences of participation in sport in our society. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

To learn more about the governance of sport organizations, this study explored what meaning board members of national sport organizations (NSOs) attach to the concept of "strategic capability". In so doing, the inquiry also identified factors considered to constrain or enable board strategic function. This paper draws on a body of knowledge developed over 38 years on board strategic function, primarily from the commercial setting but also from the emerging body of work in the nonprofit and sport governance setting. Located within the interpretive research paradigm this study engaged a range of different qualitative methods including cognitive mapping and visual imagery. Working across two NSOs in New Zealand, four elements were generated that served as reference points in mapping out the meaning of a strategically able board. These were categorized as the need to have capable people, a frame of reference, facilitative board processes, and facilitative regional relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated how boards of national sport organizations might enhance their strategic capability. Utilizing an action research method and focusing on the case of New Zealand Football (soccer), findings established that greater board involvement in strategy advanced the board's ability to perform its strategic function. Further findings determined the importance of shared leadership between the board and the CEO, the complex interplay in balancing this relationship and the need to integrate strategy into board processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Awareness of conducting action research (AR) with a systems thinking orientation is increasing. We consider such orientation to be a fundamental, grounding, feature of AR. However, little exploration has occurred of how evaluation activity within AR, using a tool such as Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS), might enhance this orientation. We offer an argument for utilizing GAS to not only broaden action and deepen the research in individual AR projects, but also, for learning more about AR at a meta‐level where there is the increased complexity when evaluating multiple AR projects in diverse contexts. As well as theorizing the concepts noted, an outline of the way the evaluative study of action research (ESAR) customized and deployed GAS for evaluation of AR at both individual and meta‐levels is provided. The paper is a unique contribution to the domains of AR, systems thinking and evaluation methods. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we investigated individual perspectives of leadership within the New Zealand sport sector. We situated our study within a constructivist-interpretive paradigm and drew on a social constructionist view of leadership. Our method involved narrative inquiry embedded within a multiple case approach. Data were gathered from three highly experienced sport sector individuals through in-depth interviews, and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Our findings highlight the social, relational nature of leadership in sport management. They identify the significance of emotional intelligence in leadership, revealing the importance of relationships and knowing self. From this research, we promote a social constructionist stance and highlight significant scope for future research to focus on emotional intelligence in advancing leadership in sport management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this paper is to share thinking about networks in action research (AR) and to consider their role, purpose, and how networks’ outcomes and impacts might be evaluated. Networks are often a by-product of AR projects, yet research focused on the network itself as part of a project is rare. The paper is one of several associated with the Evaluative Study of Action Research (ESAR) in which we wish to understand how projected outcomes and impacts are realised and why certain approaches are chosen and seen to be effective. Description is provided of the development and function of networks and their connection to, and within, AR. We then explore the first of a series of networks in the ESAR, the core team network, and undertake a formative evaluation of the functioning of this network. The paper concludes with a look ahead to the evaluation of each of the various levels of networks anticipated within the ESAR. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The focus of this paper is to share thinking about meta-level evaluation of action research (AR), and to introduce indicator domains for assessing and measuring inputs, outputs and outcomes. Meta-level and multi-site evaluation has been rare in AR beyond project implementation and participant satisfaction. The paper is the first of several associated with the Evaluative Study of Action Research (ESAR) in which we wish to establish the ways that espoused intents articulated in projects are realized and why certain approaches are adopted and seen to be effective. We seek to increase understanding of outcomes and impact of AR. Description is provided of multiple issues of complexity associated with establishing evaluative criteria and indicators categorized according to inputs, process, outputs, outcomes and impact. We explore theory associated with definition and practice of evaluation prior to presentation of the indicators. We think the time is ripe for deeper examination of AR practice and welcome the associated conversation and critique of our proposed indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]