Examining role identity and diversity within the governance of community sport
Aim In this study we are critically examining the current models of community sport governance and inclusive practices. Specifically, we aim to challenge how we think about community sport board volunteers and the effectiveness of professionalized board structures. Background As defined by the EU Expert Group on Good Governance (2013), sport governance is “the…
The new sport system landscape: Understanding the interrelationships between governance, brand, and social media in non-profit sport organizations
View the summary of this research here. Project summary Today’s managers face unprecedented governance, economic/marketing, and technological realities affecting their processes and performance, aspects we understand poorly. Managers are under increased scrutiny from stakeholders regarding their credibility to govern themselves effectively, to demonstrate appropriate ethical leadership standards, and to maintain the trust of their members…
Governance in membership organizations
The landscape of Canadian sport is populated by thousands of membership based nonprofit organizations. In the sporting context, membership organizations are ones in which members pay fees motivated by their interest to participate in their chosen sport (for example, a Masters athlete paying dues to a local track club). As result of that financial investment,…
Opening the “Black Box”: Exploring board decision making in non-profit sport organizations operating in a multi-level governance system
Project summary A central group responsible for the effective governance of non-profit sport organizations (NPSOs) and systems is the board of directors (Board). This group has the formal power and authority within an organization for which a central activity is to make decisions. Despite the need for decisions to be made, knowledge on this central…
Governance, strategy, evaluation: Digital future-proofing for sport organizations
As we transition into an increasingly online world, how can sport organizations not only cope, but thrive? What are the potential benefits of social media for sport organizations of all levels, and what are the downsides? SIRC put these questions to Michael Naraine, an Associate Professor of Sport Management at Brock University. Naraine’s research specializes…
Gold medal governance: Embracing a steward-leader board
This is the fourth blog post in a series designed to increase sport organizations’ capacity to govern well in an increasingly complex world. Check out the previous posts about the role of the board, strategic foresight and the keys to gold medal governance. — In the first blog that I wrote for the Gold Medal…
Gold medal governance: Understanding and optimizing the role of the board
This is the third blog post in a series designed to increase the capacity of sport organizations to govern well in an increasingly complex world. Check out the previous posts about strategic foresight and the keys to gold medal governance. A team’s success often depends on how well each player understands and executes their role….
Soccer and Christianity in greater Vancouver: Bodies, relations, and formations in Canadian settler-colonialism
Introduction and context The focus of the research is the relationship between sport and Christianity (evangelical and Pentecostal) in Greater Vancouver. In a world of increasingly individualism, and disintegrating mass institutions (mass political parties, civil services organisations, mainline Protestant churches) the intention of the research was to understand how increasingly global social mass movements, soccer…
Six Keys to Gold Medal Governance
Unlike the young athlete who dreams of becoming a champion, few of us grow up dreaming about joining a board of directors. Many people join a board out of a sense of duty to an organization with which they have been involved, or because they thought it time for new leadership, or were recruited for…
Gender Equity is Good Governance – Lessons from the Sport Sector
The gender makeup of sport, and sport leadership, is changing. In 2018, the Government of Canada made it clear that gender equity is a priority for all levels of sport, setting a target to achieve gender equality by 2035. In February, as part of the Red Deer Declaration, the federal, provincial and territorial Ministers responsible…