Assessment Brief
Introduction
You are to review key literature and discuss current issues in the field of organisation behaviour and the implications for managing people in sport organisations.
Task
Critically evaluate and discuss perspectives on organisation behaviour and the implications for managing people in sport and leisure organizations.
You should illustrate your report by way of a case study giving evidence from an organisation you are familiar with to make recommendations for managers in sport.
Alternatively, you can use the background information in the given case study.
In writing this reflective assignment make sure you keep the focus on managing people.Theories and concepts evaluated should be applied to address the question and related to management practice.
Format and weighting
The report should be between 3,000 words; word processed using one and a half line spacing. The work must be written in academic prose, avoiding long lists of information, single sentence paragraphs and unsupported claims. Referencing should follow the SHU Harvard system.
For this assignment work that is more than 10% over the word count will be penalised by 10% of the available marks, i.e. you would lose 10 marks on this assessment task. Note that all text (including text in tables) is included in the word count apart from the list of references at the end of the document
To understand what you must do to achieve marks you are strongly advised to read closely the marking criteria for this assignment, that outlines why and where marks are awarded for this task. You should also engage with formative assessment tasks within the module to help develop this understanding.
Case Study in a National Sport Federation
1. Summary
This case details the experiences of a new employee in a National Sport Federation who is trying to adjust to a new work environment. Coming from another country, Gabriel Johnston has many adjustments to make in her new life and job including: learning the culture of a new country, learning the governance structure of a National Sport Federation, learning to do her specific job, and learning about a sport she has never followed. Gabriel is immediately aware that many in her office are much more connected to their work environment than she, and she has a hard time generating the same level of devotion and excitement that she sees in her colleagues. For Gabriel, the excitement in her work is related mostly to the job she has of selling and managing sponsorships, not so much the organisation she works for or the particular sport that she is around. Though her colleagues in the workplace try, it is difficult for them to initially relate to Gabriel because of the many differences that are present. More importantly, Aaron Wise (Gabriel’s manager) has the same difficulty connecting with Gabriel, which makes Gabriel miss out on some of the special privileges the others have in the office because they often socialise with Mr. Wise at afterhours events. Finally, Gabriel has a work colleague that is constantly going above and beyond the call of duty, and this makes Gabriel question not only why he would want to do that, but the motive behind wanting to do that after work hours are over.
2. Key Players
2.1. Gabriel Johnston
Gabriel Johnston recently received a University degree in sport business management and has moved from another country to pursue a job working for a National Sport Federation. While at University, Gabriel was very actively involved in selling sponsorships for several local amateur sport development centres in her region and had decided that this work very much interested her. A business contact of Gabriel’s told her about the job and she was soon hired to be the first ever ‘‘Sponsorship Coordinator.’’ Gabriel was a good fit for this position, having spent the last few summers doing this exact thing for a sport organisation back home. Gabriel thought she could use this opportunity to expand her CV, as she knew she wanted to work in sport and was excited to learn about the governing structure of a new sport that was not familiar to her. Her work colleague, Luca, is instrumental in helping her learn these things.
2.2. Luca Haas
A second key player in this case study is Luca Haas. Luca has been in charge of the management of Grassroots Development for two years and oversees tournaments and regional interest in the sport. He grew up in the country and had just graduated from University with a degree in education. Luca was one of the top students in his graduating class and knew that he could apply this dedication to a future job. Even though his work position was not related to what he had studied in University, this was his dream job. Ever since Luca could remember, he had wanted to work in this sport; he was an avid fan of the sport and even more so for the national team. In the community, the organisation was seen as a prestigious place to work, and Luca very much identified with the organisation for that reason. The application and hiring process at this organisation was highly competitive and difficult to get into due to the amount of applicants. It seemed as if every fan of the sport wanted to work for the organisation just to be a part of it. It was a chance to be part of a winning team and Luca took pride in being associated with this. Luca had been rejected twice before finally getting a position; therefore, once accepted, Luca proved himself to be an important member of the organisation. He aspired to be a part of the organisation for a very long time to come.
2.3. Aaron Wise
The last key player was Aaron Wise, the manager of Gabriel and Luca. Aaron’s official title was Director of the Men’s National Team, and he was responsible for overseeing the five-member group at the National Office as well as coordinating with the local offices. Mr. Wise has worked for the NSF for eleven years and has held many positions in the company since he graduated from University. Being a former athlete in the sport many years ago, Aaron is still an avid fan of the game and often invites the office staff over to his house to watch certain professional matches on big screen television. Aaron was well respected within the organisation, which was important to him as many of his immediate staff were older than him.
3. Case Study
Aaron was excited about finally having someone on staff who could handle, secure, and manage sponsorships for him, but was thinking that he hadn’t had the opportunity to get to know her as well as he had the others in the office. By his observations, Gabriel was doing a great job in her new position, but was not fully connecting with him or his colleagues as much as he would like. Of course, it could be that Gabriel was not a native of the country, but Aaron didn’t think that was it for some reason. Gabriel had just recently moved to the country for this work opportunity through a contact that she made at her former job. Gabriel discovered the opening, applied, and as it happened, Gabriel had the sponsorship, sales and management experience that Aaron was looking for in his office. Although Gabriel was not a huge fan of the sport and was unfamiliar with the national structure of sport, he figured she would just learn as she went along and knew that it was a great opportunity. Aaron assumed this as well, and he had a great staff that was always eager to help.
After a month, Aaron was excited about all the great things that Gabriel was doing for the NSF. In one month, she had managed to secure three sponsors and was actively targeting several more. These newly signed sponsors were going to add significantly to the budget of the organisation, not to mention give an air of legitimacy that had never been there before. But Aaron did wonder if everything was okay with Gabriel, because it seemed that she did not have the same depth of commitment to the NSF that the other staff members displayed. For instance, after work hours, Aaron would often invite many in the staff to his house or to a local restaurant to watch the professional team play. In particular, the captain of the team was a friend of Aaron’s and extremely exciting to watch. Gabriel rarely attended those events, though she was always invited, simply because she preferred to relax at home after work hours. Gabriel did not dislike her colleagues, she just liked to have some time away from the office. Due to a busy schedule, Aaron did not address the situation with Gabriel right away; he felt he needed to observe Gabriel more before he brought anything up. Perhaps Gabriel was still getting acquainted to life in the new country, or maybe it was that the position was still new to her, or she was not a fan of the sport and was just not as interested in the work she was doing compared to others in the office. Aaron pondered these things as he observed Gabriel, but thought it best to wait until he approached her to discuss it.
3.1. National Sport Federation
National Sport Federations are national sport governing bodies for their respected sport. These organisations lead, develop and promote sport and numerous activities for the organisation’s membership as well as all citizens. Backed by central Government funding, membership includes players, coaches, officials and administrators. This particular National Sport Federation (NSF) was one of the most highly recognised and respected NSFs in the country. Judging from the organisation’s mission statement, the major goals were to promote and deliver national pride and history based on the success of the sport. There were local divisions of the NSF in each area as well as National Sport Centres, which served as training facilities for the national teams as well as youth players. Gabriel was placed at the National Office which was located in the heart of the capital, one of the largest cities with over five million people. Gabriel had never lived in a city with more than one hundred thousand people; therefore, the ‘‘hustle and bustle’’ of a major city took some getting used to.
There was a large staff that worked in the National Office, and it was separated into three different divisions: men’s, women’s and junior teams. Gabriel was working for the men’s national team with four other people. Three of her colleagues were quite a bit older than her and had each been with the organisation for over ten years. Gabriel originally wished there was not such a gap between these colleagues and her, but after hearing the countless ‘‘you probably were not even born then’’ jokes they, and pretty much everyone in the office, had for her, she did not mind the separation. The fifth person in the group was Luca, who had only been with the organisation for about two years. Luca and Gabriel shared office space together, so they were around each other a lot during the day. Gabriel could tell that Luca took his job very seriously and would do just about anything for the organisation. This group reported to Aaron, the Director of the National Team. Unlike her colleagues, Gabriel did not spend a lot of time around Aaron, mostly because Gabriel was out of the office meeting with clients and potential clients a lot and thus was not usually in the office the same time as Aaron. And, she usually didn’t go out with the group after work. Aaron attributed this to the fact that Gabriel was new, maybe a little reserved, and just assumed they would eventually form the same kind of relationship he had with the others.
3.2. Gabriel Gets Adjusted to Her New Job
Gabriel noticed immediately that everyone seemed to be extremely connected to the work in the NSF. There was a high degree of passion for work and a constant buzz around the office about the sport. Seeing this, Gabriel was initially excited to have this opportunity and understood to a degree when her colleagues often expressed the joy they had in working for that particular organisation as it seemed like a positive place to work. The NSF was a not-for-profit organisation; therefore, volunteers played a large role in many of its services. Gabriel respected the commitment and the drive the volunteers had towards their work, but found it hard to understand their undying commitment to that particular organisation.
One morning, Gabriel met a volunteer in the hallway, and thought she would chat for a minute. After a few introductory remarks, she said, ‘‘Hey, just curious, but what exactly is it that drives you to volunteer here?’’. ‘‘Well, I love this sport, I have followed it all my life, and I love my country,’’ the volunteer replied. ‘‘Wow that is great!’’ Gabriel said, ‘‘It is great to have people here that feel that way because we are understaffed and need all the help we can get.’’ Nodding her head, the volunteer explained, ‘‘Well, I wish there was an opening that I could apply for, but being a volunteer still allows me to be part of the organisation. I am proud to be a part of the NSF, and just feel great to be a part of it, even as a volunteer.’’
Gabriel did think the NSF was a good workplace and appreciated having people around her that were passionate, but just did not exactly relate to the extreme love that people held for that sport and associated NSF; it was like following this particular sport was the most important thing in their lives. Gabriel’s group was working on the upcoming World Championships. In order to prepare for the championships, the men’s team was attending a training camp at the end of the summer. The National Office group was working with those at the local division and were extremely excited to have the chance to host the men’s national team in their preparation for the World Championships. Not being familiar with the sport, Gabriel asked Luca what the National team was ranked. Luca gazed at her in disbelief. ‘‘Ranked!’’ he proclaimed, ‘‘we are the favourites!’’ Gabriel jokingly rolled her eyes when Luca said ‘‘we’’ were going to win. Gabriel could not relate to Luca’s passion for the team. She understood the team had a history of success and prestige, but knew she would not be a contributing factor to the team if they did in fact win the World Championships. Yes, she could say that the sponsorship revenue she generated helped supplement the budget which helped give the team more gear and better travel accommodations, but she wasn’t ready to assert that as a very important influencing factor in winning or losing. Gabriel didn’t view her job that way really. She enjoyed her job, but mostly because of the work she was doing, not because she was working in a particular organisation or sport.
When Gabriel started at the NSF, Luca offered to show her around and help her become familiar with the office and her colleagues. Aaron was extremely grateful for this help. He and the other employees were starting to feel pressed for time as the training camp was fast approaching. Luca was eager to teach Gabriel all the intricacies of the NSF office: where paper was, how to work the copier, how to complete expense reports, etc. He was particularly fond of showing off all the memorabilia items in his office. Luca had flags, signed shirts from famous players, programs from various events, and even a host of commemorative items from the professional team nearby. Gabriel keyed in on that especially, ‘‘Hey Luca,’’ she said, ‘‘How did you get all of THAT stuff?’’ ‘‘Oh, Aaron and I were out at a restaurant one night and the team came in. As it happened, Aaron used to play with those guys and so they all gave me this cool autographed stuff. Now those things over there,’’ he said as he pointed to the corner of his office, ‘‘those I received when we went to the Olympics three years ago.’’ ‘‘How did you get tickets to that?’’ Gabriel asked in a rather curious tone. ‘‘Same thing really, you need to start coming with us afterhours, and you will find out. Aaron knows everybody and loves to share his connections.’’
Walking back to her office, Gabriel began to consider all the special privileges she was missing out on by not going to the social gatherings after work. She wondered if she was expected to attend, or if it really was optional. Being new to the city, Gabriel simply needed some time to adjust after work and really liked being at home at nights. But the pressures she was feeling did not end there. Gabriel began to notice that very often Luca stayed at work because he would always volunteer to take on extra projects that really didn’t fall under his remit. Luca was a true team player and felt that his willingness to help the organisation in times of need was truly his reasonable duty, even though it wasn’t. This extra work that Luca took on made Gabriel sometimes feel guilty for not doing the same amount of extra work as Luca, even though the work was not at all required. For example, Luca would often initiate and develop projects like special weekend events for youth in the area or put together a service project in the area that would extend the goodwill of the NSF to the community. This required a lot of afterhours work, but Luca was always willing to head the projects up, just because he thought they would add to the buzz of the NSF. At first, Gabriel attributed Luca’s eagerness as a way to impress Aaron; however, this was not the case. After months of observing Luca, Gabriel realised that Luca’s attitude of service was not born out of ulterior motives, he really did desire to see the NSF succeed so much that he gave the job all he had.
Mr. Wise even began to notice the slight differences between his two young employees. Aaron held weekly staff meetings, usually on Monday mornings to discuss the plan for the week. It was also an opportunity for the employees to interact with each other. Gabriel thought that the notion of these meetings were beneficial; however, after attending three or four of them, she found them to be mostly spent talking about the funny things that happened the night before when all the group was out with Aaron and little about conducting the business of the NSF. Since Gabriel spent most of her day developing prospect lists of firms to call on for sponsorships, she was very diligent to make every moment of his day count, but rather than discussing the projects they were working on during the called meetings, the conversation usually turned to something that happened afterhours when the group had been together. Aaron tried to include Gabriel in the discussion, but it became really hard when Gabriel was not around afterhours to participate. This pattern also occurred in teamwork settings. Closer to the training camp, the group worked together on many of the projects. Gabriel found it difficult to actively contribute when she could not relate to their conversation. A colleagues once asked Gabriel, ‘‘Hey, isn’t it cool when you go out to dinner in the city that people always instantly gravitate towards conversations related to your work?’’ ‘‘Yes, it’s alright I guess ‘‘Gabriel responded. ‘‘But sometimes, I honestly would like to hide my staff emblem so nobody knows and I can enjoy my meal.’’ Her colleague, looking bewildered, replied, ‘‘well, whenever I tell people I work for this NSF, it is like they are in awe of me. They want to know all the inside information about the players and what it is like to be at the practices and schedule the travel, etc. I almost can’t get all my errands accomplished for all the people that want to speak with me about my job. Wow, people place a lot of value on working for this NSF.’’ Gabriel countered back, ‘‘I guess I just can’t appreciate that phenomenon in this country yet; maybe I will learn to understand it as I am here longer.’’
These differences of opinions made it difficult for Gabriel to form any sort of relationship with his colleagues since it was hard for her to truly identify with the desire to be saturated by this sport. Needless to say, this made it difficult for her colleagues to develop close relationships with her and thus, had an impact on some of the group things that were done in the NSF.
4. Gabriel Reflects. . .
After a few months, Gabriel began to feel like she was not a part of the ‘‘inner circle’’ as much as the others in the department. Although she was doing a great job in securing and managing sponsorships, more than ever before, she felt like she was missing out on a lot of things. The more time the group spent together after work, the more Gabriel began to notice the numerous inside jokes they shared, not to mention some of the privileges that came their way because of spending time together. Once recently, a colleague told Gabriel that he had an opportunity to meet the General Manager of the professional team in the area because he and Aaron were at a restaurant together when the GM walked in. It wasn’t the material goods that were important to Gabriel really, it was the more important question of how Gabriel was viewed in the office by her colleagues, but more importantly, by Aaron. Gabriel took a moment to consider if she had made an error in not going with the group more from the start or if this was the right organisation to be working for or indeed the right country to live and work.
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