Leadership and Decision-Making in Sport Organizations
Instructions:
For this midterm assignment, you will conduct an analysis of a professional sport league or team, examining its decision- making processes through the lens of leadership, governance, and organizational structure. Drawing on course lectures including guests and readings-particularly the frameworks discussed in Foster et al. (year) -students will evaluate how leadership approaches influence strategic direction, governance, and/or operational outcomes within sport organizations.
Students should analyze how leadership individual(s) and decision-making operate across key organizational functions, including the player operations side (such as roster management, coaching leadership, and sport performance decisions) and/or the business operations side (e.g. marketing, strategy).
As part of the assignment, students should also review the Sports Business Journal special report on "The Next Commissioner" as a reference point for examining leadership at the sport league level. The article highlights how the management backgrounds, abilities, and leadership styles of league commissioners and chief executives differ across leagues and across different historical periods. These variations illustrate how leadership in sport evolves in response to changes in media markets, commercialization, governance structures, and global expansion.
Students should consider how league leaders are evaluated not only by their management experience but also by a range of leadership traits and competencies that influence decision-making and organizational performance. In particular, students should examine how the following leadership qualities are reflected in their selected case:
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Setting and articulating a strategic vision
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Integrity and governance responsibility
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]Effective communication with stakeholders
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Business and commercial acumen
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Charisma and the ability to influence stakeholders
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Risk management and crisis decision-making capacity
Students should analyze how these leadership traits influence the way decisions are made within the organization and how they contribute to long-term organizational success or challenges. Where possible, students should evaluate how leadership decisions reflect broader industry trends, governance pressures, and strategic priorities within sport leagues or teams.
Written Paper Requirements
Students will submit a written paper of up to five pages (not including the title page or references) presenting their analysis. A minimum of four pages will be accepted for grading.
The paper must be written in APA format (7th edition) and should include the following sections:
1. Title Page
Formatted according to APA guidelines.
2. Introduction
Provide a brief overview of the selected league or team and explain the purpose of the analysis. Introduce the leadership and decision-making concepts that will guide your evaluation.
3. Organizational Overview
Describe the organization's structure and key leadership roles. Identify major decision-makers such as commissioners, owners, presidents, general managers, or other executives.
4. Leadership and Decision-Making Analysis
Apply leadership and organizational frameworks from **course lectures and Foster et al. (year) to evaluate how leadership decisions are made within the organization. Consider how leadership qualities such as strategic vision, integrity, and communication influence decision-making.
5. Leadership Traits and Executive Management Styles
Using insights from classroom discussions and the Sports Business Journal article, analyze how the backgrounds, abilities, and leadership styles of league executives and commissioners differ across leagues and historical periods. Evaluate how traits such as strategic vision, communication, business acumen, charisma, integrity, and risk management shape leadership effectiveness.
6. Organizational Functions
Examine how leadership decisions affect either:
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Player operations,
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Business operations, or
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Both areas of the organization.
Students should analyze how leaders balance competitive performance objectives with commercial and strategic priorities.
7. Implications for Sport Leadership
Discuss what is revealed about effective leadership in sport organizations. Connect your findings to course concepts, leadership theory, and industry trends in sport governance.
8. Conclusion
Summarize the key leadership insights and decision-making lessons from your analysis.
9. References
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Include all sources cited in APA format.
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Paper Formatting Requirements
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Your paper must follow APA (7th edition) guidelines:
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Maximum 5 pages of written content
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Double-spaced 12-point Times New Roman font
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1-inch margins
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Include APA in-text citations
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Include a reference page
The title page and reference page do not count toward the five-page limit.
Students should focus on communicating key insights clearly and concisely within the time limit.