THEATHLETICDIRECTOR’SPERCEPTIONSOFSTRATEGIESEFFECTIVEINBUILDINGASTRONGORGANIZATIONALCULTURE
RobertAndrewSteele
AthesissubmittedtothefacultyoftheUniversityofNorthCarolinaatChapelHillinpartialfulfillmentoftherequirementsforthedegreeofMasterofArtsintheDepartmentof
ExerciseandSportScience(SportAdministration).
ChapelHill2016
Approvedby:
CoyteCooper
RobertMalekoff
JohnBrunner
ii
©2016RobertAndrewSteeleALLRIGHTSRESERVED
iii
ABSTRACT
RobertAndrewSteele:TheAthleticDirector’sPerceptionsOfStrategiesEffectiveInBuildingAStrongOrganizationalCulture(UnderthedirectionofCoyteCooper)
Thisstudywasdesignedtorevealtheathleticdirector’sperceptionsofstrategies
effectiveinbuildingastrongorganizationalculturewithinintercollegiateathletics.
Researchquestionsfocusedonthosespecificeffectivestrategies,howtheyare
implementedateachinstitution,andthepersonaldevelopmentoftheathleticdirector.
Fourstrategieswerediscoveredusinginterviewresearchwitheachparticipant.Thesix
participantswereKathyBeauregard(WesternMichiganUniversity),MorganBurke
(PurdueUniversity),BubbaCunningham(UniversityofNorthCarolina–ChapelHill),John
Currie(KansasStateUniversity),IanMcCaw(BaylorUniversity),andMichaelO’Brien
(UniversityofToledo).EachparticipantservesastheathleticdirectoratanNCAADivision
IFBSinstitutionandhasdemonstratedadministrativeexcellencewithinintercollegiate
athleticsduringtheirtenureasanathleticdirector.Theinterviewsproducedkeytrendsfor
effectivestrategiesandpersonaldevelopmentbehaviors.Thefindingsfromthisstudy
provideuniqueperspectivesandaidpreviousresearchonorganizationalculturein
intercollegiateathletics.
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TABLEOFCONTENTS
LISTOFTABLES.....................................................................................................................................................vii
CHAPTER1:INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................................1
Introduction............................................................................................................................................................................1
StatementofPurpose.........................................................................................................................................................4
ResearchQuestions.............................................................................................................................................................4
Hypotheses..............................................................................................................................................................................4
DefinitionofTerms..............................................................................................................................................................5
Assumptions...........................................................................................................................................................................5
Delimitations..........................................................................................................................................................................6
Limitations..............................................................................................................................................................................6
SignificanceofStudy...........................................................................................................................................................6
CHAPTER2:LITERATUREREVIEW.................................................................................................................7
TransformationalLeadershipinIntercollegiateAthletics.................................................................................7
LeadershipStudiesinIntercollegiateAthletics.......................................................................................................9
OrganizationalCultureinIntercollegiateAthletics............................................................................................12
CHAPTER3:METHODOLOGY...........................................................................................................................16
Subjects..................................................................................................................................................................................16
InstrumentationandDataCollection.......................................................................................................................18
DataAnalysis.......................................................................................................................................................................19
CHAPTER4:FINDINGS........................................................................................................................................21
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ParticipantBackgroundInformation........................................................................................................................21
KathyBeauregard........................................................................................................................................................22
MorganBurke................................................................................................................................................................23
BubbaCunningham.....................................................................................................................................................24
JohnCurrie......................................................................................................................................................................24
IanMcCaw.......................................................................................................................................................................25
MichaelO’Brien.............................................................................................................................................................26
EffectiveStrategies...........................................................................................................................................................27
DevelopingStaff............................................................................................................................................................28
CommunicatingEffectively......................................................................................................................................30
SettingGoalsandObjectives...................................................................................................................................31
EnhancingtheUniversityandCommunity.......................................................................................................33
OtherEffectiveStrategies.........................................................................................................................................34
PersonalDevelopment....................................................................................................................................................35
PeopleSkills....................................................................................................................................................................36
ContinualLearning......................................................................................................................................................36
PersonalMissionandGoals.....................................................................................................................................37
CHAPTER5:DISCUSSIONANDCONCLUSION...........................................................................................39
EffectiveStrategies...........................................................................................................................................................39
DevelopingStaff............................................................................................................................................................41
CommunicatingEffectively......................................................................................................................................43
SettingGoalsandObjectives...................................................................................................................................44
EnhancingtheUniversityandCommunity.......................................................................................................45
Conclusion............................................................................................................................................................................47
FutureResearch............................................................................................................................................................48
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REFERENCES...........................................................................................................................................................49
vii
LISTOFTABLES
Table1–ParticipantInformation..................................................................................................................27
Table2–EffectiveStrategies............................................................................................................................28
Table3–PersonalDevelopment....................................................................................................................35
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CHAPTER1:INTRODUCTION
Introduction
Inanever-changingworldofintercollegiateathletics,athleticdepartmentsrequire
aneffectiveleadertochallengeandinspirefellowadministrators,staff,coachesand
student-athletes.Thedesireforeffectiveleadershipbringswithitchallengesasturnover
seemstohappenoften,leavingholesatoptheorganizationalstructure(Smith,2015).As
newathleticdirectorsstepintovacanciesaroundthecountry,inevitableresponsibilityto
makeanimpactforthebettercomewiththosenewroles,butwhatdoesthatlooklike?
Howdotheseathleticdirectors,labeledbymanyasleaders,implementreformtomoldthe
organizationintotheirownmodelofeffectiveness?DaveO’Brien,awriterwithCollege
SportsBusinessNews,offersaninterestingtakeonhowleadersinfluencetheir
organizations.“Leaderspassionatelybelievethattheycanmakeadifference.Theyenvision
thefuture,creatinganidealanduniqueimageofwhattheorganizationcanbecome.
Throughtheirmagnetismandquietpersuasion,leadersenlistothersintheirdreams.They
breathelifeintotheirvisionsandgetpeopletoseeexcitingpossibilitiesforthefuture”
(O'Brien,2011,para.7).
Therearemanyprinciplesandidealsthatareperceivedaseffectiveleadership
strategiesandwaystoimplementcultureintoanorganizationthroughoutadministrators,
staff,andothersclosetointercollegiateathletics(Belzer,2013;Burns,2014;Jansen,2013;
O'Brien,2011).RichardBaddour,formerathleticdirectorattheUniversityofNorth
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Carolina-ChapelHill,focusedontwoprincipleswhenaskedabouttransitioningintoanew
athleticdirectorrole,“Romewasn’tbuiltinaday”and“Somethinggoodhappenedbefore
yougotthere”(personalcommunication,October13,2015).Itcantaketimetomake
adjustmentswhilerealizingtherewerealsoproductivestaffmembersdrivingthe
organizationtoaccomplishendgoals.
JeffJansen(2013)discussesavarietyofconceptsinhisarticle,“The11Attributesof
EffectiveAthleticDirectors.”Oneofthekeyattributesheemphasizesishavingavisionfor
theprogram.Inorderforathleticdirectorstobeeffectiveforthosearoundthem,they
needtobeabletodevelopandcommunicateavisionfortheprogram.Forexample,one
athleticdirectorcreatedthisvisionandgoalfortheirathleticdepartment:“Tobeoneofthe
nation’sTop25overallathleticprogramsasrankedbytheDirectors’Cup,andgraduateat
least75percentoftheirstudent-athletes”(Jansen,2013,para.1).Althoughitmightbe
challengingfortherespectiveschool,itprovidesthoseinathleticswithaspecificgoaland
visiontostriveforgreatnessandexcellence(Jansen,2013).Tofurtherelaborateonthe
ideaofvision,JimPhillips,NorthwesternUniversity’sathleticdirector,talksaboutthesteps
hetooktoimplementhisvisionintotheathleticdepartment.Thekeywasaccountability.
Phillipssays:
WhenIfirstgottoNorthwestern,withinthefirst3monthsIhadindividualmeetings
witheverysingleoneofthemorethan170staffmembersinthedepartmentatthe
time,evenourjanitorsandgroundskeepers.IaskedeachofthemtocreateaSWOT
analysisofourathleticsdepartmentfromtheirprospective,aswellasaone-page
sheettellingmeanythingandeverythingtheywantedmetoknowaboutthem.I
definitelyreceivedsomefunnylooks,butitalsomadethemrealizethatIcared
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aboutwhattheythoughtfromdayone.Eachyear,I’llmeetwiththemagainandthey
arenowrequiredtocometomewith5individualgoalsand5unitgoals,forwhich
theywillbejudgedon.(Belzer,2013,para.7)
Phillipsfirstshowedeveryonethathevaluedtheirinputandperspectiveswhichin
turnenablessupport.Then,hecreatedthesenseofaccountabilitybyhavinghisstaff
developgoals.Thegoalsthenalloweveryonetofocusonthevisionbeingcreatedwithin
Northwestern’sathleticdepartment.
InanarticlediscussingthesuccessoftheUniversityofOregonanditsathletic
director,RobMullens,twosenioradministratorsdiscussakeyqualitythathasmade
Mullenssuccessful(Burns,2014).LisaPetersen,seniorassociateathleticdirectorand
seniorwomanadministrator,hasbeenwithMullensfor20-plusyearsatdifferent
universities.Someofhistopqualitiesshesaysare“maintainingaclearvision,
accountability…andIalwaystrustthatheislookingatthebigpicture”(Burns,2014,para.
2-3).CraigPintens,seniorassociateathleticdirectorformarketing/publicrelationssays,
“Robhastremendousvisionforwherewewanttogo,whetherit’sacademically,
athleticallyorinthecommunity.Heimpartsthatvisionandreallyallowspeoplewhowork
heretotakeforththatvisionandmakeithappen”(Burns,2014,para.4).Mullensaddsto
thearticlebyreferencingthisvisionandculturehehascreated,“ThethingthatI’mmost
proudof,though,istheculturethatwe’vebeenabletobuildhere.Thecultureofeverybody
buyingin.Thecultureofcommitment.Thecultureofexcellence”(Burns,2014,para.15).
Withafewapproachesalreadypresented,takingadeeperlookintothisaspectof
intercollegiateathleticswillprovidesomeinsightintowhatathleticdirectorsperceiveto
beeffectivestrategiesthathelpbuildastrongorganizationalculture.
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StatementofPurpose
Thepurposeofthestudyistoidentifythestrategiesthatareeffectiveinbuildinga
strongorganizationalcultureamongathleticdirectorswhohavedemonstrated
administrativeexcellence.TheathleticdirectorswillbefromNCAADivisionIFBS
institutionsandwillbedeterminedtohavedemonstratedadministrativeexcellencebased
onbeingawardedtheNACDA“UnderArmourADoftheYearAward”atsomepointintheir
career(UnderArmourADoftheYearAward,2014).
ResearchQuestions
[RQ1]-Whatstrategiesdotheseathleticdirectorsperceiveasbeingeffectivein
buildingastrongorganizationalculture?
[RQ2]–Howdotheseathleticdirectorsimplementthesestrategieswithintheirown
athleticdepartment?
[RQ3]–Whatdotheseathleticdirectorsdo,personally,tocreatetheirownvisionand
proactivebehavior?Dotheydevelopcertaingoals?Missionstatements?Values?
Hypotheses
For[RQ1]and[RQ2],itwillbedeterminedthatathleticdirectorswhohave
demonstratedadministrativeexcellencewillhaveemployedspecificstrategiesthatleadto
astrongorganizationalculture.Thosestrategiesinclude:creatingamissionfortheathletic
department,developinganorganizedstrategicplan,establishingclearshort-termandlong-
termobjectivesfortheoveralldepartmentandeachunitwithinthedepartment,and
encouragingathleticstaffmemberstocreatetheirowngoalsandmakingsuretheyare
reachingthem.For[RQ3],itwillbedeterminedthattherewillalsobepersonalstrategies
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thattheseathleticdirectorsfollow:creatingshort-termandlong-termgoals,developinga
missionstatement,andestablishingcorevalues.
DefinitionofTerms
• FootballBowlSubdivision(FBS)–thehighestdivisionoftheNCAA.
• NationalCollegiateAthleticAssociation(NCAA)–avoluntary,non-profit,and
membership-drivenorganizationthatiscomprisedofcollegesanduniversities.Itis
thegoverningbodyofintercollegiateathleticcompetitionthatregulatesthe
institutions,conferences,organizationsandindividuals.
• NationalAssociationofCollegiateDirectorsofAthletics(NACDA)–thelargest
associationofcollegiateathleticsadministratorsthatprovideseducational
opportunitiesandnetworkingexperiencesforthoseintheprofessionofathletic
administration.
• Strategy–idealsorconceptsusedtoachieveacommongoal
• Organizationalculture-asystemofsharedassumptions,values,andbeliefs,which
determineshowpeopleintheorganizationoperate
• Vision–abilitytosetgoalsanddevelopabigpictureperspective
Assumptions
• Athleticdirectorsinterviewedarehonestinresponses
• Athleticdirectorschosenarerepresentativeoftheoverallgroupofathleticdirectors
whohavedemonstratedadministrativeexcellence
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Delimitations
• Limitingtopeoplewhohavewonthe“UnderArmourADoftheYear”award,since
theawardisusedasthecriteriaforthisresearchbutdoesnotguaranteetheseare
theonlyathleticdirectorswhodemonstrateadministrativeexcellence
• Limitingtoasampleofsixpeople
• Limitingtoathleticdirectorswithinthe“Power5”
Limitations
• Mightnotberepresentativeofallathleticdirectorsinintercollegiateathletics
SignificanceofStudy
Withintercollegiateathleticsconstantlychanging,itisimportantthatNCAADivision
Iathleticdirectorsfindavisionandcultureuniquetothem,andfindwaystoinspirethose
aroundthemtosupportit.Therehasbeenresearchdonewithathleticdepartmentstaff
andcoachesprovidinginformationontheeffectivenessofathleticdirectors,andalso
researchdonewithathleticdirectors,athleticdepartmentstaffandcoachesproviding
informationoneffectiveleadershipstyles(Andrew,Kim,Todd,&Stoll,2011;Burton&
Peachey,2009;Doherty,1997;Doherty&Danylchuk,1996;Kent&Chelladurai,2001;Kim,
Magnusen,Andrew,&Stoll,2012).However,perspectiveislackingfromtheathletic
director’s/practitioner’spointofview.Thisstudyaimstoidentifytheperceivedeffective
strategiesthatathleticdirectorsareusingtoimplementastrongorganizationalcultureand
visionwithintheirathleticdepartments,fromtheirownperspective.Thefindingsinthis
studywillhelpotherathleticdirectorsandadministratorsdevelopstrategiestoimplement
theirathleticdepartmentcultureorbeeffectiveleaderswhowilldevelopandmaintaina
productiveorganizationalculture.
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CHAPTER2:LITERATUREREVIEW
TransformationalLeadershipinIntercollegiateAthletics
Inordertounderstandandassesstheculturewithinanathleticdepartment,the
leadershipmustbeexamined.Doherty(1997)states,“Leadershipisconsidereda
significantdeterminantofmanagerialeffectivenessinanyorganizationalcontext”(p.275).
Whilemanydifferentleaders–universitypresidents,athleticdirectors,coaches,boosters,
etc.-mightemergethroughoutanathleticdepartment,theathleticdirectorshavebeen
designatedastheformalleaders.Schroeder(2010)explained,“thosewithleadershipare
capableofnegotiatingandmanagingtheculturalbalancebetweentheinstitution,
department,andexternalenvironment,”anditistheresponsibilityoftheseathletic
directorsinleadershiptodeterminetheathleticdepartmentculture(p.105).
Theabilitiesoftheseathleticdirectorstoleadareevaluatedbasedondifferent
leadershipstyles.Althoughtherearemanyleadershiptheoriesthatexist,whenitcomesto
researchwithinsport,therehavebeendecadesofresearchdonesurroundingtheideasof
transformationalandtransactionalleadershipanditsrelationshiptotheorganizational
culture(Judge&Piccolo,2004;Kim,Magnusen,Andrew,&Stoll,2012).J.M.Burnswas“the
firstscholartoconceptualizetransformationalandtransactionalleadership”(Burton&
Peachey,2009,p.246).Burns(1978)definestransformationalleadershipasaprocessin
which"leadersandfollowersraiseoneanothertohigherlevelsofmoralityandmotivation"
(p.20).AccordingtoBurns’view,leaderswithtransformationalqualitiesprovidea
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purposethatrecognizesfollower’sneedsovershort-termgoals(Burton&Peachey,2009),
whichcausesthefollowerstorecognizetheneedsoftheleader,aswell(Judge&Piccolo,
2004;Kuhnert&Lewis,1987).Ontheotherside,transactionalleadershipisseenasan
exchangeofresourceswhereleadersgivesomethinginreturnforachievingtheirdesires
(Burton&Peachey,2009;Kuhnert&Lewis,1987),whichoffersmoreofa“causeand
effect”perspective(Sinclair,Harper,&Segrave,2014,p.34).
Transformationalleaders,whichisconsideredthenewleadershipapproach
(Bryman,1992),influencethoseworkingfortheleadertoacceptthevisionofthe
organization,exhaustmoreeffortforthesakeofhigherneeds,andexceedperformance
expectations(Doherty,1997).AsHickman(1997)describesit,transformationalleadership
can“createandsustainacontextforbuildinghumancapacitybyidentifyingand
developingcorevaluesandunifyingpurpose,liberatinghumanpotentialandgenerating
increasedcapacity,developingleadershipandeffectivefollowership,utilizinginteraction-
focusedorganizationaldesign,andbuildinginterconnectedness”(p.2).
Fromthere,Bass(1985)developedhisbehavioralmodeloftransformationaland
transactionalleadershiptheorybasedontheinitialconceptualizationofBurns(Doherty,
1997).Bass(1985)identifiedtransformationalleadershipintofourcharacteristics:1)
individualizedconsideration,2)intellectualstimulation,3)inspirationalleadership,and4)
idealizedinfluence.Individualizedconsiderationreferstotreatingeachmemberofthe
organizationbasedontheirownneedsandabilities;intellectualstimulationisunderstood
asaleader’sabilitytopromoteintelligenceandencouragemembersoftheorganizationto
stretchtheirlimitsofthinking;inspirationalleadershipdescribesaleader’sabilityto
conveyexpectationsandcreateacommonpurpose;idealizedinfluenceiswherethe
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followersbelieveandtrustthevisionthattheleaderpromotes(Bass,1985;Burton&
Peachey,2009;Doherty,1997;Kim,Magnusen,Andrew,&Stoll,2012).Therehavebeen
changestothesecharacteristicsovertime,basedoninsufficientevidencethatthereisa
significantdistinctionbetweenthelasttwocomponents,thusincreasinglycreatingasingle
charismaticleadershipcharacteristicinstead(Avolio,Bass,&Jung,1999;Choi,Sagas,Park,
&Cunnigham,2007;Kent&Chelladurai,2001).
Throughoutthepast,manyresearchershaveexplainedwhattheybelievetobethe
mosteffectivecharacteristicsandstylesofleadership.Itseemsthatleaderscanfallinto
categoriesoftransformationalortransactionalleaders,ortheymightevenexhibitqualities
frombothstyles.Thisbackgroundprovidesagreatunderstandingofhowothersperceive
thatathleticdirectorsmanageandcreateaculturewithintheirathleticdepartments.
However,itseemsthatanimportantvoicecouldaddgreatvaluetothisconversation.Ifthe
mosteffectivestrategiesaregoingtobediscussed,whynotasktheleadersthemselves?
Theathleticdirectorscanaddanew,uniqueperspectiveonwhattheybelievetobethe
mosteffectivestrategiesincreatingastrongorganizationalculture.
LeadershipStudiesinIntercollegiateAthletics
Whileonlyahandfulofsport-basedstudiesthathavebeendonetoexaminethe
effectivenessofathleticdirectorsandtheirtransformationalleadershipstylesinrelationto
organizationalcommitment,therearesomecommonthemesamongthestudiesthathave
beenconducted.SomeofthesestudieshaveincludedDivisionIIIathleticdirectors,lower
leveladministrators,athleticdepartmentstaff,andevencoaches(Andrew,Kim,Todd,&
Stoll,2011;Burton&Peachey,2009;Doherty,1997;Doherty&Danylchuk,1996;Kent&
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Chelladurai,2001;Kim,Magnusen,Andrew,&Stoll,2012).However,moststudiesexamine
thisideafromthesubordinates’viewofleadershipstyleeffectingtheorganization.
Whenathleticdirectorswereincludedinthestudiesoftransformationalleadership,
NCAADivisionIIIathleticdirectorswereused.Theyweregivenmultiplevignettesofother
athleticdirectorsexhibitingqualitiesoftransformationalleadershipversustransactional
leadership,thosethatexhibitedtransformationalleadershipwerepreferredandfavoredin
areasof“satisfactionwiththeleader”and“extraeffortstimulatedbytheleader”(Burton&
Peachey,2009,p.253),whichwasconsistentwithotherresearchinsportmanagement
(Choi,Sagas,Park,&Cunnigham,2007;Doherty&Danylchuk,1996).However,unlike
previousfindingsinsportmanagement,“transformationalleadershipwasnotevaluated
morefavorablythantransactionalleadershiponleadereffectiveness,”andperhapscould
beviewedasequallyfavorableinachievingpositiveorganizationaloutcomesin
intercollegiateathletics(Burton&Peachey,2009).
Instudiesdonewithotherathleticadministratorsandathleticdepartmentstaff,
transformationalleadershipimprovedthecommitmentoftheoverallorganizationand
leader.WhenKentandChelladurai(2001),studiedthird-tieremployees,whichwere
belowmiddlemanagement,theyfoundthatcharismaticleadership“hadalmostan
exclusiveinfluenceonmember’sorganizationalcommitment”(Kent&Chelladurai,2001,p.
152).Membersoftheathleticdepartmentgeneratedthefaithandrespectfortheathletic
director,therepresentativeoftheentireorganization,whichwererelatedtoorganizational
commitment(Kent&Chelladurai,2001).ThesefindingsweresimilarwithAndrew,Kim,
Todd,andStoll(2011)whostudiedthetransformationalleadership’simpactonthe
employees’jobsatisfactionandlevelofcommitment.Eventhoughtheleadershipstyledid
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improvetheorganization,therewasastrongerimpactoncommitmenttotheathletic
director(Andrew,Kim,Todd,&Stoll,2011).Kim,Magnusen,Andrew,andStoll(2012)also
foundthattransformationalleadershipimpactedcommitmenttoboththeathleticdirector
andathleticdepartment.Whenusingthedifferentcharacterisitcsoftransformational
leadership–indivudalizedconsideration,intellectualstimulation,andcharismatic
leadership–allhadasignificanteffectonsports’employeescommitmenttowardtheir
athleticdirector.Asforthesignificanteffectoncommitmenttotheathleticdepartment,all
butone–charismaticleadership–influencedtheemployees.Ifthecharimaticleaderistoo
pronounced,employeescouldbecomedependentupontheleaderandlosesightofthe
overarchinggoalsofthedepartment(Kim,Magnusen,Andrew,&Stoll,2012).
Coacheshavealsobeenincludedinthestudiesoftransformationalleadership.
Ontariouniversitycoacheswereaskedtoratetheabilitiesoftheirathleticdirectorsand
assistantathleticdirectorsontheeffectsofvariousleadercharacteristicsandbehavior
(Doherty,1997;Doherty&Danylchuk,1996).Theydescribedtheirathleticadministrators
topredominantlymaintainprofilesoftransformationalleaders.Therewerefoundtobe
strong,positiverelationshipsbetweentransformationalleadershipofadministratorsand
perceptionofeffectivenessbythecoaches,particularlyintheareasofindividualized
considerationandcharisma(Doherty,1997;Doherty&Danylchuk,1996).
Thesestudiesrevealthattransformationalleadershipcanbeeffectivein
establishingastrong,positiveorganization.Theemployeesthataresubordinatetothe
leaderoftencommittotheleaderandtheorganizationbasedonatransformational
leadershipstyleandcharacteristics.Thisresearchisimportanttoprovideaframework
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whendeterminingwhattheathleticdirectorsthemselveswillperceivetobeeffectivein
creatingastrongorganizationalcommitmentandculture.
OrganizationalCultureinIntercollegiateAthletics
Asintercollegiateathleticdepartmentsarebecomingmoreandmorediversedueto
thedifferencesamongadministrators,staffandcoaches,thereisonecommoncorethat
pointsthembacktothemissionandvalues.Theorganizationalculturealignseachentity
towardsthecommonorganizationalgoalpresentedbytheleadersofthedepartment
(Southall,Wells,&Nagel,2005).
OrganizationalculturewasbasicallydefinedbySchein(1996)as,“thesetofshared,
taken-for-grantedimplicitassumptionsthatagroupholdsandthatdetermineshowit
perceives,thinksabout,andreactstoitsvariousenvironments”(p.236).Okumus(2003)
defineditas,“thesharedunderstandingofemployeesabouthowtheydothingswithinan
organization”(p.876).Theorganizationalculturecouldevenbecharacterizedashavinga
multi-layeredconceptwithbothexternalandinternalelements(Rousseau,1990).While
therearemanywaystodefinewhattheorganizationalcultureactuallyis,itisstill
commonlyacceptedthatthedevelopmentoftheorganizationalcultureiscreatedand
influencedbytheleader,andfurther,developmentofleadersisimpactedbythecultureof
theorganization(Bass&Avolio,1993;Burton&Peachey,2014;Schein,1992;Schein,
2004).
Beforetheorganizationalcultureinathleticdepartmentscanbedeveloped,itis
importanttoexaminehowtheseprinciplespertainedfirsttohighereducationingeneral.
TheculturewithinAmericanhighereducationisdistinctivelystructured,revealing
differencesfromallsimilarorganizationsintheworld(Duderstadt,2000;Schroeder,
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2010).Manydifferentframeworkshavebeenconstructedovertimetoformfivemain
featuresthathelpdefinetheAmericanuniversityculture:accountingoftheinstitutional
history;internalenvironment;subculturescreatedbystudents,facultyandstaff;entitiesin
theexternalenvironment;andleadership.Accountingoftheinstitutionalhistoryrefersto
thebackgroundoftheuniversityandhowithasdevelopedovertimetolaythefoundation
formanyvalues.Theinternalenvironmentismadeupofthemissionoftheuniversityand
theacademicprogramasaproductofthatmission.Thevarioussubcultureshavetheability
toenhance,changeorhurttheoverallculture.Numerousexternalenvironments,like
alumni,accreditationbodiesandmediaoutlets,canultimatelychangetheprinciplesthat
makeuptheuniversity.Theleadershipoftheuniversitycanaffectthosementionedbefore
orbeaneffectoftheculture(Berquist,1992;Kuh&Whitt,1988;Rhoads&Tierney,1992;
Schroeder,2010;Tierney,1988;Tierney,2008).Whilealloftheseideasprovideagood
foundationforcultureinhighereducation,itisdifficulttopresenttheseallasfactforthe
intercollegiateathleticdepartmentmodelthatisuniqueinnatureandstructure.
Inordertodefinethevaryingorganizationalculturesofathleticdepartmentsacross
thecountry,therehavebeenafewessentialconceptsdiscussedamongthelittleresearch
thathasbeendone.Theelements,suchasinstitutionalculture,externalenvironment,
internalenvironment,andleadershipandpower,andtheinteractionoftheseelementswill
helpformauniqueathleticdepartmentculture(Schroeder,2010).First,theinstitutional
cultureisdevelopedbyitsmission,academicandadmissionstandards,institutional
control,nationalorganization,andconferenceaffiliation,allofwhichprovidescultural
parametersfortheathleticdepartment(Robles,2009;Schroeder,2010;Ward&Hux,
2008).Second,theexternalenvironmentisanotherbuildingblockfortheathletic
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departmentculture.Stakeholders,suchasfansandboosters,post-seasonorganizations
andprofessionalleagues,canalterthevaluesalongwiththelargeamountsofmedia
coverage,whichprovidesfinancialrewardstotopperformers(Duderstadt,2000;Noll,
2004;Schroeder,2010).Governingbodies,liketheNCAAandconferences,areother
externalfactorsthatconstrainthecultures(Southall,Wells,&Nagel,2005;Southall&
Nagel,2003).Third,thehistory,missionandsubculturethatderivefromtheinstitutional
culturemoldtheathleticdepartmentcultureasinternalenvironmentalfactors.Institutions
withsuccessfulathletictraditionsandhistoriescaninfluenceagreatdeal(Schroeder,
2010).Fourth,theleadershipandpoweroftheathleticdepartmenthastheabilityto
manipulateandmanageeachofthepreviousitemsindividually,andthenhowtheelements
interact.Fifth,andfinally,astheseelementsinteract,theyproducetensionamongstaff
memberswithdifferingpersonalvalues,theinstitutionandexternalpullinother
directionsandaleadertomanagethechangethroughoutitall.Intheend,thereisthe
developmentofauniqueathleticdepartmentculturetodrivetheorganization(Schroeder,
2010).
Inreviewingtheorganizationalcultureregardingthevisionandcultureofthe
athleticdirectors,therearesomespecificcharacteristicsthatcanbeusedforeachbasedon
paststudies.Forculture,influenceoftheleadercanbeseeninemployeeswhoworkin
organization.Also,thecultureimpactscommitment,performance,andproductivity.
Finally,itprovidesarevisionofsharedassumptionsandvalues.Then,intermsofthe
athleticdirector’svision,thefollowers’frameofreferenceorthinkingischangedsothat
theyseenewopportunitiesthatwerenotnoticedbefore.Also,followersareinspiredto
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reachtheirpotentialinthecontextoftheworkthatneedstobedonetoachievethe
organization’svisionandmission(Givens,2008).
Whenitcomestointercollegiateathletics,Bailey(2007)determinedthat“takingthe
pulseofanorganizationalculturewithinathleticsisagoodwaytotrackculture
developmentovertimeanduseittomeettheexternaldemandsofanathletics
environmentanddevelopintoachampionshipculture”(p.116).
Theresearchdiscussedaboverepresentstheperspectivesofdifferentlevelsof
administratorsandcoachesontheleadershipofathleticdirectors,alongwiththe
organizationalcultureinintercollegiateathletics.Thefutureresearchwillconnectthese
ideaswiththeactualperceptionsoftheathleticdirectors,themselves,andprovideaunique
viewpointintowhatstrategiesareperceivedtobeeffectiveinbuildingastrong
organizationalculture.
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CHAPTER3:METHODOLOGY
Thepurposeofthestudyistoidentifythestrategiesthatareeffectiveinbuildinga
strongorganizationalcultureamongAthleticDirectorswhohavedemonstrated
administrativeexcellence.Thischapterwilloutlinethemethodsusedtoconductthisstudy.
Subjects
ThetargetpopulationforthisstudywasNCAADivisionIFBSathleticdirectorswho
havedemonstratedadministrativeexcellenceintheirrolesasleadersofanorganization.
Morespecifically,theathleticdirectorsweredeterminedtohavedemonstrated
administrativeexcellencebasedonbeingawardedtheNationalAssociationofCollegiate
DirectorsofAthletics’“UnderArmourADoftheYearAward”atleastonceduringtheir
careerasanathleticdirector.Theawardisinits18thyearand“recognizesathletic
directorswhohaveshownadministrativeexcellencewiththecampusand/orcollege
communityforthecurrentacademicyear”(UnderArmourADoftheYearAward,2014).In
ordertobeeligiblefortheaward,theathleticdirectormustbenominatedbyanother
NACDA-memberathleticdirector,collegeoruniversitypresident,orconference
commissionerandmeetthefollowingcriteria:
• BeaNACDAmember.
• Haveservedasanathleticsdirectorforaminimumoffive(5)consecutiveacademic
years(July1-June30).
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• Beemployedinafull-timecapacityasthedirectorofathletics(notasanassociate,
assistantorseniorwomanadministrator)attheinstitutionlistedatthetimeof
nomination.
• Demonstrateacommitmenttohighereducationandstudent-athletes.
• Demonstratecontinuousteamwork,loyaltyandexcellence.
• Demonstrateacommitmenttocontinuingeducationfortheathleticsadministrative
staff.
• Demonstratetheabilitytoinspireindividualsorgroupstohighlevelsof
accomplishment.
• Demonstrateleadershipand/orsignificantoutreachforthebettermentofyouth
and/orthelocalcommunity.
• Showleadershipontheregionaland/ornationallevelsthroughservingon(1)
NACDAcommittees;(2)NCAA,NAIAorjunior/communitycollegecommittees;(3)
otherathleticscommittees(NACWAA,USOC,AAU,etc.).
• Havereceivedpreviousawardsforadministrativeexcellence.
• Ifanominatedathleticsdirector'sinstitutionisonprobation,he/sheisnoteligible
fortheADOYawarduntiltheinstitutionisremovedfromtheappropriategoverning
bodies'probation.
• Anydirectorofathleticswhomeetsallothercriteriafortheawardandwhohas
inheritedaprogramcurrentlyonprobationorisunderreviewforprobation(or
lackofinstitutionalcontrol),iseligibletoreceivetheaward,aslongasnoother
significantviolationshaveoccurredsincehis/herarrivalthatcontribute(d)tothe
aforementioned(UnderArmourADoftheYearAward,2014).
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Awardwinnersarechosenbyaselectioncommittee,andathleticdirectorswhomeetthe
abovecriteriamayonlywintheawardonceinthreeyears(UnderArmourADoftheYear
Award,2014).
Agroupofthirty-sixathleticdirectorsweredeterminedtohavewontheaward
withinthepasttenyears.Sixteenathleticdirectorswerechosenrandomlyandcontacted
viaemailtorequestparticipationinthisstudy.Aftertenbusinessdays,afollow-upemail
wassenttorequestfurtherparticipation.Atotalofsixathleticdirectorsrespondedand
participatedinthestudy.
InstrumentationandDataCollection
Thisstudywasconductedusinginterviewresearch.Theprocessofusingan
interviewinvolvedfacilitatingaconversationwithasubjectinordertoobtaininformation
neededforthisresearch.Thereasonthisdesignwasusedwastoproduceunique,detailed
qualitativedatabasedonindividualexperiencesandgainabetterunderstandinginthis
area.Theinterviewsweredonein-personoroverthephone,ifthesubjectwasnoteasily
accessible.Eachinterviewwasconfirmedwithmeetingplaceand/orcalltimetoensure
successfulcompletionoftheinterview.Theinterviewsweresemi-structuredwithsix
questionsguidingtheconversationbasedonthestudy’sresearchquestions.
Priortotheinterviewsquestionsbeingasked,eachinterviewbeganwithan
introduction,briefdescriptionofthestudy,andobtainingverbalconsentfromthe
participant.Then,basedonthereviewofliterature,thefollowingquestionswere
developedandasked:
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1)Whatstrategiesdoyouperceiveasbeingeffectiveinbuildingastrong
organizationalcultureinintercollegiateathletics?
2)Howhaveyouimplementedthesestrategieswithinyourownathletic
department?
3)Canyoudefinetheculturewithinyourathleticdepartment?
4)Whatarethechallengesyoufaceintryingtocreatethesetypesofenvironments?
5)Howwouldyoudefineaneffectiveathleticdirector?
6)Whatdoyoudo,personally,tocreateyourownvisionandproactivebehavior?
Doyoudevelopcertaingoals?Missionstatements?Values?
Therewerealsofollow-upquestionsasked,whichweredependentuponeach
interviewee’sresponsestothequestionsabove.Eachinterviewwasdifferentbasedonthe
differencesofthesubjectandmethodofinterview.Theinterviewswererecordedand
transcribedforfuturedataanalysis.
DataAnalysis
Afterinterviewingeachsubject,aprofilewascreatedbasedonbackground
informationprovidedintheinterview.Theprofilesconsistedoftheircurrentemployment
andathleticcareerhistory.Inordertoexaminethedatacollectedfromeachinterview,the
interviewwastranscribedfromtherecordingandnotestakenduringtheinterview.Each
interviewwasvalidatedwithmember-checking,asitwassentbacktotheintervieweefor
review.ThetranscribedinterviewswerethenanalyzedusingATLAS.ti,aqualitativedata
analysisandresearchsoftware.Theanalysisoftheinterviewsinvolvedcreatingmemos,
andthencodes,throughouteachindividualinterview.Then,usingthecodesthatwere
foundineachinterview,allinterviewswerecomparedtoexploreforcommonalities.Those
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commonalitieswereusedtoidentifyspecificthemesandtrendspresentamongthe
responsesofthesixsubjects.Oncethosethemesweredeveloped,theywereusedto
constructandorganizefindingsanddrawconclusionsaboutthedata,whichispresentedin
thefollowingchapter.
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CHAPTER4:FINDINGS
Thepurposeofthisstudywastoidentifythestrategiesthatareeffectiveinbuilding
astrongorganizationalcultureamongAthleticDirectorswhohavedemonstrated
administrativeexcellence.Inaddition,itwasimportanttolearnwhatathleticdirectorsdo,
personally,tocreatetheirproactivebehaviorandleadership.Thestudywascomprisedof
sixindividualsandusedqualitativeresearchbasedonsemi-structuredinterviewsto
identifythesestrategies,determinehowtheyimplementthemattheirrespective
institutions,andlearnaboutthepersonaldevelopmentofeachleader.Thefindingsfrom
theinterviewsarepresentedinthischapterbeginningwithbackgroundinformationon
eachparticipant.Therestofthischapterisdividedupbythekeythemesandtrendsof
effectivestrategiesandpersonaldevelopmentlearnedthroughthecodingoftheinterview
transcripts.Thethemeslistedwillserveasprimaryfindingsthatwillanswerthestudy’s
threeresearchquestions.Then,inchapter5,anin-depthdiscussionofthefindingsand
conclusionsfromthisresearchwillbeprovided.
ParticipantBackgroundInformation
Forthisstudy,thirty-sixindividualsmettheinitialrequirements.Ofthosethirty-six,
sixteenwerecontactedforparticipation.Sixparticipantsrespondedtoparticipate,with
onein-personinterviewandfivephoneinterviews.Therefore,theresponseratewas
37.5%.Semi-structuredinterviewswereconductedwithallsixindividualsproviding
uniqueresponsesandstoriesforthestudy.Eachparticipantgaveverbalconsenttouse
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theirbackgroundandresponsesinthestudy.Therefore,belowarethebackgroundsofeach
participant,inalphabeticalorderbylastname.Mostoftheinformationprovidedwas
sharedduringtheactualinterviews,however,someadditionalresearchwasdoneto
enhancethepersonalinformation.SeeTable1forasummaryofparticipantinformation.
KathyBeauregard
KathyBeauregard(“Beauregard”)istheathleticdirectoratWesternMichigan
UniversityinKalamazoo,Michigan.AfterauniquecareerservinginathleticsatWestern
Michiganforthepastthirty-sixyears,shehasspentthelastnineteenyearsastheathletic
director.SheholdsthelongesttenureasathleticdirectorintheMid-AmericanConference
andisoneofeightfemaleathleticdirectorsintheFBS.Herathleticcareerstartedasthe
WesternMichigangymnasticscoach,apositioncreatedduetoaTitleIXlawsuit,following
graduationfromcollege.Whilecoachingsomeofherformerteammates,sheturneditintoa
championshipprogramandledtheteamfornineyears.Then,shemovedintoathletic
administrationfortheuniversityandservedfornineyearsasaseniorassociateathletic
director.UpondepartureofWesternMichigan’sformerathleticdirector,Beauregardwas
offeredtheheadposition,withoutajobsearch,leadinghertobetheathleticdirectorofthe
Broncos.Overthecourseofhercareer,BeauregardhasservedonmultipleNCAA
committees,inadditiontoherathleticdirectorduties.ShecurrentlyservesontheNCAA
DiversityandInclusionCommitteeandhasrepresentedherinstitutionasamemberofthe
NCAAChampionshipsCabinetandNCAAFootballBowlCertificationCommittee,aswellas
servingasthechairoftheNCAAOlympicSportsLiaisonCommitteefortwoyears.Shehas
receivedvariousawardsthroughouthercareerandseengreatsuccesswithinherathletic
departmentunderherleadership(KathyBeauregard-StaffDirectory,2016).
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Akeyaspectoftheinclusioncriteriaforthisstudyisthatparticipantsmusthave
wontheNationalAssociationofCollegiateDirectorsofAthletics’“UnderArmourADofthe
YearAward”atleastonceduringtheircareerasanathleticdirector.Beauregardwonthis
awardastheathleticdirectorofWesternMichiganfollowingthe2010-2011schoolyear
(UnderArmourADoftheYearAward,2014).TheinterviewwithBeauregardwas
conductedonMarch3,2016.
MorganBurke
MorganBurke(“Burke”)isthevicepresidentandathleticdirectoratPurdue
UniversityinWestLafayette,Indiana.Hisathleticcareerbeganasastudent-athlete
competinginthepoolfortheBoilermakers,althoughheclaimshewasabetterstudent
thanaswimmer.AftercompletingtwodegreesfromPurdueandgettingalawdegreefrom
JohnMarshallLawSchoolinChicago,BurkehadasuccessfulcareerwithInlandSteelCo.
climbingtheladderveryquickly.Whilethetransitionfromvicepresidentofhissteel
companytoathleticdirectorwas“happenstance”,hehasbeeninleadershipatPurduefor
twenty-twoyears,andissettoretireinJuly2017afteralong,successfulcareer.The
challengesandnewopportunitiesofathleticsarewhathavekepthimthere,alongwiththe
Purduebeinghisalmamater.Duringhistenure,Burkehasservedasthepastpresidentof
theDivision1AAthleticDirectorsAssociationandamemberoftheNCAALeadership
Council(MorganBurke-StaffDirectory,2016).
BurkereceivedtheNationalAssociationofCollegiateDirectorsofAthletics’“Under
ArmourADoftheYearAward”followingthe2009-2010year(UnderArmourADofthe
YearAward,2014).TheinterviewwithBurkewasconductedoverthephoneonFebruary
25,2016.
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BubbaCunningham
BubbaCunningham(“Cunningham”)currentlyservesastheathleticdirectorofthe
UniversityofNorthCarolina-ChapelHill(“UNC”)inChapelHill,NorthCarolina.Witha
careerinathleticslastingalmosttwentyyears,CunninghamhasbeenatUNCsince2011.
CunninghamisinhistenthyearasaDivisionIathleticdirector,withpriorstopsasathletic
directoratTulsaUniversityforsixyearsandBallStateUniversityforthreeyears.Before
histimeatBallState,CunninghamworkedinathleticsatNotreDamefrom1988-2002and
spentthelatterhalfofthattermasanassociateathleticsdirector.HegraduatedfromNotre
Dameandwasamemberofthegolfteamforoneyear.Duringhistimeasanathletic
directoratUNC,CunninghamhasservedontheNCAADivisionIMen’sGolfCommittee,isa
memberofNACDA’sExecutiveCommittee,andbeenonvariousboards(Bubba
Cunningham-StaffDirectory,2016).
CunninghamwasawardedtheNationalAssociationofCollegiateDirectorsof
Athletics’“UnderArmourADoftheYearAward”duringhistimeasathleticdirectorof
Tulsafollowingthe2008-2009academicyear(UnderArmourADoftheYearAward,2014).
TheinterviewwithCunninghamwasconductedin-persononFebruary10,2016.
JohnCurrie
JohnCurrie(“Currie”)istheathleticdirectoratKansasStateUniversityin
Manhattan,Kansas.Hehasbeeninthiscurrentrolesince2009.Duringhisshorttimethere,
theathleticdepartmenthasexperiencedmanyathleticandacademicsaccomplishments
duetohisleadership.HehasservedaschairoftheBig12AD’sandbeenamemberofthe
NCAADivisionIAdministrativecabinet.HehasalsobeennamedtoSportsBusiness
Journal’s2011prestigiousFortyUnder40listofnationalsportsleaders,whichonlyone
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otherintercollegiateathleticdirectorshavebeennamedto.Curriehasbeeninathletics
since1993whenhestartedinathleticdevelopmentatWakeForestUniversity.Overthe
courseofhiscareer,hemovedbackandforthbetweenWakeForestandtheUniversityof
TennesseemultipletimesbeforeservingasExecutiveAssociateAthleticsDirectorat
TennesseepriortobeingnamedathleticdirectoratKansasState(JohnCurrie-Staff
Directory,2016).
CurriewasnamedtheNationalAssociationofCollegiateDirectorsofAthletics’
“UnderArmourADoftheYearAward”winnerfor2012-2013(UnderArmourADofthe
YearAward,2014).Currie’sinterviewwasconductedoverthephoneonFebruary22,
2016.
IanMcCaw
IanMcCaw(“McCaw”)currentlyservesastheathleticdirectoratBaylorUniversity
inWaco,Texas.Hisathleticcareerstartedasasportmanagementgraduatestudentfrom
theUniversityofMassachusetts–Amherst.Upongraduation,McCawreceivedhisfirst
athleticsjobattheUniversityofMaine,wherehespentfiveyears.Then,hewenttoTulane
Universityasaseniorassociateathleticdirectorforfiveyearsandevenactedasco-interim
athleticdirectorforsometimeduringthatspan.Fromthere,hereceivedhisfirstjobas
athleticdirectoratNortheasternUniversityfrom1997-2002.Thenhewentbacktothe
UniversityofMassachusettstobetheirathleticdirectorfrom2002-2003.In2003,hewas
namedtheathleticdirectoratBaylorandhasbeenthereforthirteenyears.With
extraordinarysuccessinacademics,athleticsandadministrationatBaylor,McCawhasalso
servedinvariouscapacitiesinintercollegiateathletics.HeiscurrentlyontheDivisionIA
AthleticsDirectorAssociationBoardofTrustees,isamemberoftheBig12televisionand
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gamemanagementandofficiatingcommittees,andpreviouslyhasservedaschairofthe
NCAARecruitingandPersonnelIssuesCabinetandontheNationalAssociationof
CollegiateDirectorsofAthleticsExecutiveCommittee(IanMcCaw-StaffDirectory,2016).
McCawwasawardedtheNationalAssociationofCollegiateDirectorsofAthletics’
“UnderArmourADoftheYearAward”twiceinhiscareer,followingthe2011-2012and
2014-2015years(UnderArmourADoftheYearAward,2014).TheinterviewwithMcCaw
wasconductedoverthephoneonFebruary26,2016.
MichaelO’Brien
MichaelO’Brien(“O’Brien”)isthecurrentvicepresidentandathleticdirectoratthe
UniversityofToledoinToledo,Ohio.O’BrienstartedtenureasathleticdirectoratToledoin
2002andhasspentfourteenyearsshapingtheathleticprogramintooneofthebestinthe
Mid-AmericanConference.O’Brienhasbeenabuilderinallaspectsoffacilities,athletic
success,andacademicachievement.Inadditiontothoseduties,O’Brienisamemberofthe
NCAADivisionICouncilworkingontheCompetitionOversightCommittee,chairstheMAC
FootballCoachesCommittee,andhaspreviouslyservedasthechairoftheMid-American
ConferenceAthleticDirector’sCommitteeandwasamemberoftheNCAADivisionI
FootballIssuesCommittee.Hisathleticcareerstartedasabasketballcoachbutultimately
movedintoadministrationforprofessionaldevelopment.HisfirstjobwasatBallState
Universityforthreeyears.Then,O’BrienwenttotheUniversityofPittsburghasdirectorof
developmentforfouryears.HetookhisfirstathleticdirectorjobatLamarUniversityfor
fouryearsbeforegoingtoKansasStateasaseniorassociateathleticdirector.Fromthere,
O’BrienstartedhissecondstintasanathleticdirectoratToledowherehecurrentlyholds
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thesecondlongesttenureamongMACathleticdirectors(MichaelO'Brien-StaffDirectory,
2016).
O’BrienwontheNationalAssociationofCollegiateDirectorsofAthletics’“Under
ArmourADoftheYearAward”forthe2011-2012year(UnderArmourADoftheYear
Award,2014).TheinterviewwithO’BrienwasconductedoverthephoneonFebruary3,
2016.
Table1ParticipantInformation
Participant College Conference Years as AD Award Year(s)
Kathy Beauregard
Western Michigan University
Mid-American Conference 19 2010-2011
Morgan Burke Purdue University Big Ten Conference 22 2009-2010
Bubba Cunningham
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
Atlantic Coast Conference 13 2008-2009*
John Currie Kansas State University Big 12 Conference 7 2012-2013
Ian McCaw Baylor University Big 12 Conference 18 2011-2012, 2014-2015
Michael O’Brien University of Toledo Mid-American Conference 18 2011-2012
*AthleticDirector,UniversityofTulsa
EffectiveStrategies
Forthepurposeofthisstudy,“effectivestrategies”willrefertotheperceived
strategiesthatareeffectiveinbuildingastrongorganizationalculturethatweremost
discussedthroughouteachoftheinterviews.Eacheffectivestrategyissummarizedbelow.
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SeeTable2foracompletesummaryofthefindingswheren=thenumberofparticipants
thatdiscussedthatspecificstrategyintheirinterview.
Table2
EffectiveStrategies Strategies % n
DevelopingStaff 100.0% 6EnhancingtheUniversityandCommunity 100.0% 6SettingGoalsandObjectives 83.3% 5CommunicatingEffectively 66.7% 4ImplementingCodeofConduct
33.3%
2
DevelopingPersonalPhilosophy 16.7% 1
DevelopingStaff
Oneofthemostprominentstrategieseffectiveinbuildingastrongorganizational
cultureinathleticsisdevelopingthestaffandthoseworkingintheathleticdepartment.It
wastheonestrategythatwasconsistentacrossallparticipantsinsomeway(n=6,100%).
Fromhiring,enabling,delegating,aligning,supportingortraining,thestaffisoneofthe
primaryareasthathelpscreatethecultureandestablishitateachindividualinstitution,
startingwiththeathleticdirector.
Beauregardimmediatelydiscussestheideaofsurroundingyourselfwithgood
people,especiallythosewithstrongertalentsthantheathleticdirector.Thesenior
leadershipatWesternMichiganhasbeentogetherforovertwentyyears,makingforavery
29
uniquesituationthatfosterstheculturetheybelievein.WhenBeauregardishiring,she
doesnotusesearchfirms,sincesheknowsbestwhattheircultureislikeandhireswith
thosevaluesinmind.
Burkefocusesongettingtoknowpeopleandspendingalotoffacetimewiththem,
earlyon.Herecognizedthatpeoplewanttotalkandsharethingsthatareimportantto
themregardingathleticsoracademics.Thestaffmustbeengagedinwhatyouaretryingto
accomplishandsoittakestimetogetstaffalignment.Gettingthepeopleonboardiskey,
butonceyouhavethat,youcanachievethegoalsoftheorganization.
Cunninghamstartedimmediatelydevelopingandinvolvingthestaffwhenhetook
thepositionasathleticdirector.Theentiredepartmentwassurveyedtogaugetheissues,
challengesandsuccessesoftheathleticdepartment,andalmost100%responded.Staff
memberswerepridefulandloyaltothedepartment.Eachyear,thesecharacteristicsofthe
staff,includingconsistency,customerserviceandfocus,aremeasuredtoensuretheculture
iswhereitshouldbe.Inaddition,anonboardingprocesshasbeeninstitutedtoensurenew
employeesandhiresunderstandthevaluesandmissionoftheathleticdepartment.
Curriediscussedstartingfromtheinsideoutandmakingsurethecultureisunified
bymeetingonceamonthasanentiredepartment.Thestaffmustbeambassadorsforthe
departmentoutinthecommunity.Thisisdonebyintentionallygettingtheorganization
togetherandwalkingaroundinteractingwiththoseinthedepartment.Whenitcomes
downtoit,50%ofCurrie’stimeisspentwithrelationshipdevelopment,andthatincludes
hisstaff.
McCaw’stopprioritiesinvolvedevelopingthestaffthroughleadershiptraining,
professionaldevelopmentandteambuilding.Thereisalsoapersonnelplanthatfitswith
30
thedepartmentalcultureandthethingstheyaretryingtoaccomplish.Fromleadership
trainingsegmentsfortheseniorstaffonceaweektoprofessionaldevelopmentoncea
monthtocommunityserviceasawhole,thestaffisbeingdevelopedtostrengthenthe
culture.Then,incomingpersonnelishiredbasedonthreeC’s–character,competency,and
chemistry.Staffisapriorityforbuildingtheorganization’sculture.
O’Brienisanotherfirmbelieverinsurroundinghimselfwithagreatstaffand
encouragingteamworktodeveloptheathleticdepartmentculture.Fromthebeginning,the
executiveteamandotherstaffmetwithO’Brientodiscussthecurrentstate.Fromthere,
theculturecanbecreatedbyfocusingonhavingtherightpersonnelandgettingbuy-inby
lockingarmstoimproveathleticsatToledo.O’Brienunderstandsitisnotaoneperson
show.
CommunicatingEffectively
Communicationisanothereffectivestrategyinbuildingtheorganizationalculture,
whetheritiscommunicatingwiththestaff,universityorcommunity(n=4,66.7%).
ToBeauregard,communicationmustbeintactandstrategizedinallareasofthe
athleticdepartment,universityandcommunity.It’simportanttokeepeveryone’sgoalsand
objectivesattheforefrontofwhatthedepartmentisdoing.Throughthatcommunication
piece,italsohelpstheathleticdirectorsbealignedwiththepresidentanduniversity.
Burkecommunicatesthroughletterstothepresidentanduniversityatlarge
regardingathleticdepartmentachievementsandplansfortheupcomingyeartokeep
everyoneinformedregardingthecurrentobjectives.
Currieliststhatcommunicationisamongfivebasicprioritiesforeachday,but
emphasizesthatcommunicationisTHEmostimportantthingheisdoingdaily.Itisapart
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ofmakingeveryotheraspecteffective.Thisisachievedbydailynewsreleasestothepublic
andevenlettersfromthedeskoftheathleticdirectoroften,sometimesweekly,although
thereisnotasetschedule.Thedesireisforallofthestafftobeabletoeffectively
communicateaboutKansasStateathletics.Curriealsospenthisfirst60daysoncampus
meetingineverydean’soffice,thechiefofpoliceofficeandincoaches’officestofosterthe
communicationbetweenathleticsandtheuniversity.
AtBaylor,McCawwillusetheweeklyandmonthlystaffmeetingstodisseminate
informationandrevisitthedepartment’scorevaluestoensurethatallareawareofwhat’s
happening.Communicationskillsareessentialforhisroleinleadingtheathletic
department.
SettingGoalsandObjectives
Anothereffectivestrategyisimplementinggoals,annualobjectives,and/orstrategic
plansinanathleticdepartmenttobuildtheorganizationalculture(n=5,83.3%).
InorderforBurke’sathleticdepartmenttogetwheretheywanttobe,theymust
definethegoalstheyhopetoreach.Annualobjectives,thataremuchmoremetricdriven,
areseteveryyeartoassistinreachingthosegoalsasanathleticdepartment.Theremustbe
measurementslikerollingthree-yearplansthatareputtogetherforthedifferentareas
withintheorganization,andtheyarecreatedbythestaff,notBurke.Therearealso
performancereviewsforeachemployeewhichenablesthemtosetobjectivesfortheyear
tocomeandthenre-assessthroughouttomakesuretheyareaccomplishingthose
objectives.ForBurke,itisassimpleasPDCA–plan,do,checkandact.
ShortlyafterCunninghamarrivedtotheUniversityofNorthCarolinaatChapelHill,
ateamwasputtogethertoorganizeastrategicplanthatwouldguidetheorganization.
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Withtheresponsesfromtherestofthestaffaboutthestateofthedepartment,thestrategic
planwasimplementedbecauseitallowedtheathleticdepartmentto“Verbalizeyour
mission,yourvision,yourvalues,andthenallocateyourresourcesbasedonthatsetof
criteriayou’vedeveloped”(Cunningham,2016).Onceinplace,thedepartmentcouldwork
againsttheplanandmeasurethedepartmentalculturetoensurethattheycontinueto
moveforward,eventhoughtheyarealreadyverygood.
Currienotesthattheirstrategicplanboilsdowntothevisionandfivecoregoalsof
theathleticdepartment.Whiletheydohaveastrategicplan,theemphasisisontheirvision
of“beingamodelintercollegiateathleticprogram”andthoseobjectivesarelistedona
smallpocket-budgetcardtobecarriedaroundbyeachathleticdepartmentmember.
UponMcCaw’sarrivalatBaylor,astrategicplanwasformulatedandavisionwas
developedforthedirectionofathletics.Withinthatplanarefiveover-archinggoalsand
thenactionplansundereachforthedepartmenttofocuson.Eachtimethereisastaff
meeting,thosegoalsandvaluesarediscussedtomakesuretheypermeatethedepartment
andactasguidetomoveforward,whichMcCawdescribesthatBaylorhasbeenvery
effectiveindoingthat.
O’Briensetspecificgoalsfordifferentareaswithinthedepartmentfromfundraising
tomarketingtoticketsaleswhenhestarted.Overthecourseoftime,goalshavebeenset
thatfallunderthethreefoldcultureofacademics,socialandcompetition.Thoseitemsare
oftenmentionedbyO’Brien,eventoprospectivestudent-athletesandemployees,to
reiteratetheorganizationalculture.
33
EnhancingtheUniversityandCommunity
Intryingtoimplementastrongorganizationalculture,theseathleticdirectors(n=6,
100%)foundthatastrategythatiseffectiveisenhancingtheuniversityandcommunity
aroundthem.
Beauregardprioritizestheuniversityandcommunityinshapingandimplementing
WesternMichigan’sdepartmentalculture.Withrelationshipsandsupportofthepresidents
overthecourseofhercareerasathleticdirector,thereisanunderstandingthatathleticsis
thefrontporchoftheuniversity.Forthepasttwentyyears,oneoftheirprimaryevents
eachyearis“CommUniverCity,”aneventforthecommunityanduniversity,alongwiththe
firsthomefootballgame,thathosts15,000people.Theentireathleticdepartmentis
committedtothecommunityandcommunityservice.
Student-athletesunderBurkehavereallygotteninvolvedwithcommunityservice
andhavebegunorganizinginclusivelargeactivities.Forinstance,onMartinLutherKing
daythestudent-athletecouncilarrangedcommunityserviceactivitiesforallteams.
Cunninghamisafirmbelieverthatathleticsisdesignedtoenhancetheuniversity’s
educationprofile.Athleticsshouldplayaroleinbuildingasenseofcommunityandpride,
butitisnotthemostimportantthingtotheuniversity.Instillingthatintherestofthe
departmentandcampushelpsdefinesthecultureanddirectionoftheathleticorganization.
Currieprioritizesenhancingandcommunicatingwithalloftheirconstituents–
campus,communityandstate.Whenanymemberoftheirathleticstaffisoutinthe
community,eachisrecognizedasthefaceof“K-State”athletics.Thecommunityisengaged
throughCurrie’sdailynewsreportsandletters.Anotheraspectofcollegeathleticsisthatit
tendstosiloitselffromtheuniversityorcommunity.Curriesawtheimportanceof
34
integratingtheathleticdepartmentintocampus,andthefootballcoachhasbeenaleaderin
thisbyhostingadeanoftheschooloneachoneofhiscoach’sshowsoverthepasttwenty-
fiveyears.Thereneedstobeanimportanceonengagingacademicstaffandthecommunity
memberstoenhancetheculturewithinathletics,theuniversity,andcommunity.
WhileMcCawisfocusingoncreatinghisculture,hemakessuretoinvolve
communityserviceforallofthestaffandstudent-athletes.Thisinturngoesbackto
developinghisstaffandfocusingontheirvaluesasadepartment.
O’BrienwantstoemphasizethequalityofpeoplethattheUniversityofToledohas
bymakinghisstaffvisibleinthecommunity,regionallyandnationally.Itisthesepeople
thathelpgeneratethecultureandenhancethecommunityaroundthem.Theimageisalso
keyandthateveryoneseestheathleticdepartmentinvolvedoncampus.Itisapartnership
betweenathleticsandtheuniversity.
OtherEffectiveStrategies
Whilethestrategieslistedabovewerecommonamongstmostoftheparticipantsin
thestudy,therewereadditionalstrategiessharedbysomethatareperceivedtobe
effectiveinbuildingastrongorganizationalculture.
BeauregardandBurketalkofimplementingastudentcodeofconductattheir
respectiveuniversityasastrategythathasbeeneffectiveinshapingtheirathletic
department.Beauregardsaysthatstudent-athletesandstaffmembersintheathletic
departmentunderstandtherearerulestofollow.Twentyyearsago,theywereoneofthe
firstonestoplaceastaffmemberinchargeofenforcingtheirstringentcodeofconductto
makesureallweretreatedequallyandfairly.Itisaneducationalprocessthattheystickto.
UnderBurke’sleadership,thestudent-athletescreatedtheirowncodeofconductthatthey
35
couldbeproudofandusetoholdeachotheraccountable.Theywanttodosomethingright
thefirsttime.Apositivecodeofconductwasdevelopedandtheupperclassmenworkto
educatetheincomingfreshmen.Thereispridethatenhancesthecultureofathleticsat
Purdue.
Cunninghambelievesthemostimportantthinginbuildinganeffectivecultureis
beingconsistentwiththephilosophythatispersonaltotheathleticdirector.His
philosophy,valuesandpersonalmission,whichhedevelopedearlyonwhendecidingto
becomeanathleticdirector,arethingsthatwillalwaysdictatetheleadershipandcultureof
howtheathleticdepartmentwilloperate.
PersonalDevelopment
Forthepurposeofthisstudy,“personaldevelopment”willrefertothedifferent
thingseachparticipantdoestocreatetheirownproactivebehaviorandleadershipin
athleticsasdiscussedthroughouteachoftheinterviews.Eachpersonaldevelopmentitem
issummarizedbelow.SeeTable3foracompletesummaryofthefindingswheren=the
numberofparticipantsthatdiscussedthatspecificpersonaldevelopmentbehaviorintheir
interview.
Table3
PersonalDevelopment Item % n
PeopleSkills 100.0% 6ContinualLearning 66.7% 4PersonalMissionandGoals 66.7% 4
36
PeopleSkills
Inanefforttocontinuallydevelop,personally,theseathleticdirectors(n=6,100%)
putastrongemphasisonpeopleskills.Beauregardhasanopendoorpolicywithinher
departmentandalsospendstimeattendingpracticesandgames,talkingtocoachesand
listeningtostudent-athletes.Shesays,“youlearnalotthatwaybydoingit”(Beauregard,
2016).Burkeprideshimselfongettingtoknowasmanystudent-athletesandstaff
membersashecan,whilealsoattendingpracticesalmosteveryafternoonaroundthesame
time.Feelingthatheisapproachableisimportantandshowingthathecaresaboutthe
individual.Cunninghamspenttimeobservingothers,duringtheearlyyearsofhiscareer,to
determinehisownleadershipstyleandphilosophy.Currieexplainsthathewasblessedto
workforhighintegritypeoplethroughouthiscareer,whichhasleadtohisgrowth.He
focusedonsupportingthosearoundhim,andnowhisgoalistomakethepresident’slife
better.McCawtriesto“Spendagoodamountoftimenetworkingwithcolleagues”because
“youcancertainlylearnalotfromeachofthem”(McCaw,2016).O’Brienhasdeveloped
fromhavingmentorsandcreatingthemindsetwithinthedepartmenttofocuson
teamwork.Lockingarmswiththeteamaroundyouisimportantandalsolearningtobe
cohesiveacrosscampus.
ContinualLearning
Anotherwaytodeveloppersonallyandprofessionallyistocontinuallylearnin
differentareas(n=4,66.7%).Beauregardsharesthatshetakespartintheprofessional
developmentwithinthebusinessbyattendingNACDAandservingoncommitteesand
councilsfortheNCAA.Uniquely,shefocusesprimarilyoninteractivelearningand
communication.Shespendstimestudyingpressconferencesfromthecorporateworld,
37
whilealsoreviewingandlearningfromherownspeechesandinterviews.Burkestates,
“Youcanneverstoplearning.You’vegottoread”(Burke,2016).Whilehedoesnotputaset
standardforhowmuchhereads,itisthecontinualdesiretolearnthatisessential.For
Cunningham,readingissomethingthathehasdevelopedtodoovertimeasawaytolearn
andgrow,althoughhewasnotmuchofareaderwhenhegraduatedfromcollege.McCawis
abigbelieverinreadingleadershipbooksasawaytogrowandchallengehimself,
professionally.Inadditiontothat,healsotriestocontinuallylearnbyattending
professionaldevelopmentopportunities,likeNACDA,tomakesureheisexposinghimself
to“Understandthecuttingedgefromaprofessionalstandpoint”(McCaw,2016).
PersonalMissionandGoals
Forsome,continuingtodevelopprofessionallyandpersonallymeansdevelopinga
personalmissionand/orgoals(n=4,66.7%).Cunninghamspenttimeobservingthepeople
heworkedwithinathleticsandconsideringhisleadershipstyletodetermineaphilosophy
thatfithim,personally,whichisavalue-basedphilosophy.Hesays,“Ivalueeducation.I
valueathleticopportunities.Thereareamillionwaystogetthere,butIdonotdeviateoff
thosefundamentalvalues”(Cunningham,2016).Alongwithhisphilosophy,hemadealist
ofgoalsin1995ofthingshewantedtoparticipateinandspectateeverytenyearsuntilhe
wassixty-fiveyearsold.Itisshockingtohimhowmanyhavecometofruition.Healsodoes
annualplansforhimselfandfamily.Curriehasgrownbyfocusingontheimmediatejobat
handandbeingsequentialinhisgoals.Tohim,thenextstepwasthemainemphasis.
McCawhasapersonalmissionstatementforhimself,whichissomethingthatheholds
himselfto.Alongwiththat,hecreateda“Statementofrolesandgoals”tocategorizeall
aspectsofhislife(McCaw,2016).Withthatinmind,hehassetobjectivesthatwill
38
continuallymovehiminapositivedirection.O’Brienlooksbackonhowhisparentstreated
otherswithrespecttodevelophisownpersonalphilosophy,“Youtreatpeoplehowyou
wanttobetreated”(O'BrienD.,2011).
39
CHAPTER5:DISCUSSIONANDCONCLUSION
Inordertogainabetterunderstandingoftheeffectivestrategiesinbuildinga
strongorganizationalcultureinintercollegiateathletics,theinterviewsweredoneto
gatheruniqueperceptionsandinformationfromthesixparticipantsthatcouldnotbe
gatheredotherwisefrompreviousresearch.Ultimately,thedataandfindingsfromthe
interviewswereusedtoanswertheresearchquestionsandaccomplishthepurposeofthis
study.Toreiterate,theresearchquestionsareasfollows:
[RQ1]-Whatstrategiesdotheseathleticdirectorsperceiveasbeingeffectivein
buildingastrongorganizationalculture?
[RQ2]–Howdotheseathleticdirectorsimplementthesestrategieswithintheirown
athleticdepartment?
[RQ3]–Whatdotheseathleticdirectorsdo,personally,tocreatetheirownvisionand
proactivebehavior?Dotheydevelopcertaingoals?Missionstatements?Values?
Thischapterwillbeusedtobuildonthekeyfindings,presentedinthepreviouschapter,
andassistinfurtheransweringtheresearchquestionslistedabovebydiscussingfurther
detailsfromtheinterviewsalongwiththeliteraturereviewedinchapter2.
EffectiveStrategies
Beforegettingintothespecificstrategies,abriefreviewoftheleadershiptheories
andpastathleticorganizationalculturefoundationareimportanttodiscussinorderto
determinehowthesestrategiesrelatetothepastresearch.Astheleadersofthe
40
organizationssharedtheirperspectivesonhowtheyimplementtheirculture,theyclearly
haveinfluenceindictatingthedirectionitwillgo.Itiscommonlyacceptedthatthe
organizationalcultureiscreatedandinfluencedbytheleader(Bass&Avolio,1993;Burton
&Peachey,2014;Schein,1992;Schein,2004).Theseleaderscanfallundertwotypesof
leadershipdiscussedearlier,transformationalandtransactional,orevenbeacombination.
Regardless,thisisgenerallyhowotherswillperceivetheathleticdirectorandactasa
result.Thetransformationalleaderswillraisethosemembersaroundthem,andvice-versa,
to“higherlevelsofmoralityandmotivation”(BurnsJ.M.,1978,p.20).Leadersrecognize
theneedsoftheirstaffovershort-termgoals,whichcausesthestafftoaccepttheleader’s
visionandperformbeyondexpectation,thuscreatingastrongculture(Burton&Peachey,
2009;Doherty,1997;Judge&Piccolo,2004;Kuhnert&Lewis,1987).Ontheotherhand,
transactionalleadershipoffersacauseandeffectperspectivewhereastheleadersareseen
asexchangingresourcesinreturnforachievingthedesiresofthestaff(Burton&Peachey,
2009;Kuhnert&Lewis,1987;Sinclair,Harper,&Segrave,2014).Bothtypeshaveproven
tobeeffectiveinpriorsportresearchindifferentareasofsatisfactionwiththeleader,
effortstimulatedbytheleader,leadereffectivenessandachievingpositiveorganizational
outcomeswhenitcomestotheathleticorganization(Burton&Peachey,2009;Choi,Sagas,
Park,&Cunnigham,2007;Doherty&Danylchuk,1996).Theathleticdirectorsinthisstudy
determinedthatinordertoimplementtheirculture,theyhadtodeveloptheirstaff,
communicateeffectively,setgoalsandobjectives,andenhancetheuniversityand
communitythroughtheirleadership.
Asorganizationalculturevariesacrossmanyathleticdepartments,thereareafew
essentialconceptsthatexplainhowtheseculturesaredeveloped.Institutionalcultureis
41
createdbythemission,standards,controlandaffiliationsoftheuniversitytoset
parameters(Robles,2009;Schroeder,2010;Ward&Hux,2008).Thestakeholders,fans,
boosters,governingbodiesliketheNCAAandathleticconferences,andmediacanprovide
anexternalenvironmentfortheculture(Duderstadt,2000;Noll,2004;Schroeder,2010;
Southall,Wells,&Nagel,2005;Southall&Nagel,2003).Theinternalenvironmentisbased
offoftheinstitutionalcultureandshapestheathleticorganizationbasedonthehistory,
missionandathletictraditions.Theleadershipandpowerhastheabilitytomanipulateand
managetheinteractionofalloftheseelements.Whenallofthesethingscometogether,it
createsauniqueathleticdepartmentculturewithstaffandaleadertomanageitall
(Schroeder,2010).Implementingtheculturewilltakeplaceinmanydifferentwaysbut
sometrendsdiscoveredinchapterfourshowsomeuniqueperspectivesfromthe
viewpointoftheathleticdirector.
DevelopingStaff
Oneofthestrongesttrendsinimplementingthecultureisdevelopingthestaff.
Manyoftheathleticdirectorsdiscussedthisideainvariousways.BeauregardandO’Brien
hadplannedtosurroundthemselveswithagreatstafffromthebeginningandhavebeen
abletokeepthatstaffinplace.Additionally,forBeauregard,shehasevenbeenabletokeep
herseniorleadershipteamtogetherfortwentyyearsatWesternMichigan.Findingwaysto
focusonthedevelopmentofthestaffasprofessionalsandleadersthroughweeklyor
monthlymeetingshasbeenessentialforMcCawandCurrie,whoevendevotes50%ofhis
timetodoingso.Burkesaysthatyoumustaligntheorganizationthroughfacetime,sothat
peopleunderstandwheretheorganizationisgoingandwhatitisallabout.Itisatthat
pointthatthegoalsoftheorganization,orculture,canbeachieved.Cunninghamwastedno
42
timehearingfromthestaff,uponhisarrival,toseewhatkindofculturetheyhadandhow
theywantedittochangemovingforward.Asatransformationalleader,theathletic
directormustfindwaystounifytheorganizationthrough“liberatinghumanpotential,
developingeffectivefollowership,andbuildinginterconnectedness”(Hickman,1997,p.2).
OneofthebaseideasofleadershipintheBass(1985)ideaoftransformationalleadership,
istreatingeachmemberoftheorganizationbasedontheirownneedsandabilities,which
isknownasindividualizedconsideration.Doingthathelpsdevelopthestaff,whenyou
includethemintheprocesseslikeCunninghamdidandspendtimegettingtoknowthemas
Burkefoundtobeeffective.Whencoacheswerestudied,itwasdeterminedthattheideaof
individualizedconsiderationledtostrong,positiverelationshipsandeffectivenessbetween
thecoachesandadministrators(Doherty,1997;Doherty&Danylchuk,1996).Asthe
organizationalcultureisestablishedandaffectedbytheleadershipandstaff,itisthe
responsibilityoftheathleticdirectortomanageallofthosedifferingpersonalvaluesand
developthememberstoseethevisionanddrivetheorganization(Berquist,1992;Kuh&
Whitt,1988;Rhoads&Tierney,1992;Schroeder,2010;Tierney,1988;Tierney,2008).In
additiontodevelopingthestaffaroundtheleader,theparticipantsexplainedthatthey
wereabletopersonallydevelopandgrowthroughfurtheringtheirpeopleskillsand
continuallylearning.Bytalkingwithstaff,workingwithgoodpeople,emphasizing
teamwork,gettingtoknoweveryoneinthedepartment(includingstudent-athletes),
reading,attendingprofessionaldevelopmentconferenceslikeNACDA,theathleticdirector
coulddeveloptheirownqualitiestomakethemaneffectiveleaderandshapethecultureof
theorganization.
43
CommunicatingEffectively
Communicatingtotheathleticdepartment,universityandcommunitycanbevitalin
implementingaculture.UnderBass’(1985)modeloftransformationalleadership,a
categoryofinspirationalleadershipwasoneofthecharacteristicsanditcorneredonthe
leader’sabilitytoconveyexpectationsandpromotethevisionoftheorganization(Bass,
1985;Burton&Peachey,2009;Doherty,1997;Kim,Magnusen,Andrew,&Stoll,2012).
Thiswouldthenpromotetheculturethroughcommunication.Overtime,thosetwo
categorieswerecombinedtocreateacategoryofcharismaticleadership,sincetherelacked
asignificantdistinctionbetweenthetwo(Avolio,Bass,&Jung,1999;Choi,Sagas,Park,&
Cunnigham,2007;Kent&Chelladurai,2001).Whenastudywasdoneonthird-tier
employeesinathletics,KentandChelladurai(2001)foundthattheideaofcharismatic
leadershiphadanexclusiveinfluenceonthemember’scommitmenttotheorganization.
Communicatingexpectationsandvisionsbroughtaboutacceptingthevisionsoftheathletic
directorandcreatingtheculturetheyaretryingtoimplement.Theathleticdirectorsinthis
studyexplainedthatthecommunicationwiththestaff,universityandcommunityiskeyto
developingtheirculture.CurriedescribesitasTHEmostimportantthingheisdoingona
dailybasis.Burkeusescommunication,throughletters,toinformthepresidentand
universityofthedepartmentgoalsandobjectivessothatallknowthestateofthe
organization.Beauregardisstrategizingthecommunicationinallareasofthedepartment,
universityandcommunity.Then,McCaw(2016)disseminatesinformationthroughweekly
meetings,sincehebelieves“Communicationskillsareessential.”Sincetheinstitutional
environment,externalenvironment,andmembersoftheorganizationarebuildingblocks
forathleticculture,thecommunicationwiththeseareasisaprimaryeffectivestrategyin
44
buildingastrongorganizationalculture(Duderstadt,2000;Noll,2004;Robles,2009;
Schroeder,2010;Southall&Nagel,2003;Southall,Wells,&Nagel,2005;Ward&Hux,
2008).
SettingGoalsandObjectives
Almostalloftheparticipantsdiscussedsettinggoalsandobjectivesinsomewayas
aneffectivestrategytoimplementingtheirculture.Theyalsohadpersonalmissions,
philosophiesandgoalsthattheycreatedforthemselvesthatwouldultimatelyhelpshape
theculturetheydesiredandhowitwouldbeimplementedinthedepartment.Presentedby
theleaderofthedepartment,theorganizationalcultureandgoalshelpaligntheentity
(Southall,Wells,&Nagel,2005).Burke(2016)reinforcesthisideaimmediatelywhenasked
ofeffectivestrategies,“Ithinkyouneedtoaligntheorganizationbehindwhatyou’retrying
tocreate.”AtPurdue,hedoesthisthoughannualobjectivesandperformancereview
managementthataremetricdriven.Eachmembermustsetgoalsandobjectivesforthe
year,andthenrevisitthemtoremainontrackwiththeorganization’soverallmission,
visionandculture.Thisideacanalsobeachievedthroughastrategicplan,somethingthat
mostathleticdepartmentshave.UnderBaylor’sstrategicplan,McCawdescribesthatthere
isavisionandcommongoalswithunderlyingactionplanstosteertheorganization
forward,andithasbeeneffective.Currieplacesthesegoalsandobjectivesonpocketcards
tooftenremindhisstaffontheoverallmissiontheyaretryingtoachieve,simply
reinforcingtheculturetheywantdaily.Settingthesegoals,objectivesandplansallowsthe
leaderandathleticdepartmenttomeasurewheretheyare.Essentially,“Takingthepulseof
anorganizationalculturewithinathleticsisagoodwaytotrackculturedevelopmentover
timeanduseittomeettheexternaldemandsofanathleticsenvironmentanddevelopinto
45
achampionshipculture”(Bailey,2007,p.116).Cunninghamfindsthatafterdevelopingthe
strategicplanearlyon,whichincludedthestaffandtheirdesiresforculture,they“created
mission,vision,values,objectives,measurables”andhavebeenabletoworkagainstthose
sinceitwaslaunchedin2012(Cunningham,2016).Now,“Throughaseriesofsurveyswe
cantellwhetherwearegettingbetterorworseincertainareasrelevanttoour
departmentalculture.Wedooneannualsurveyofcorporateculture”(Cunningham,2016).
Burkeisalsodoingthisthroughannualobjectivesandrollingthree-yearplans.Setting
goalsandobjectiveshelpsshapethecultureandkeepeveryoneontracktowardsachieving
it.Evenwhenthedepartmentmightbereallygood,theycanstillmakesuretheyare
progressing.
EnhancingtheUniversityandCommunity
Twoofthefivebuildingblocksinorganizationalcultureforhighereducationrefers
tohowthecultureisshapedbytheuniversityandcommunity.Theinternalenvironment,
missionoftheuniversityandacademicprograms,andnumerousexternalenvironments,
likealumniandmedia,canaffecttheprinciplesthatmakeuptheuniversityculture(Avolio,
Bass,&Jung,1999;Choi,Sagas,Park,&Cunnigham,2007;Kent&Chelladurai,2001).
Whenitspecificallypertainstoshapingtheathleticculture,threeoutoffiveelements
presentedinpastresearchrelatetothecommunityanduniversity.Theinstitutionalculture
andinternalenvironmentprovideparameterstomoldathleticsandinfluencebasedon
mission,traditionsandhistory.Then,theexternalenvironmentprovidesinfluencefrom
theoutsideduetoalumni,organizationsandmedia,whichcanresultinprovidingfinances
(Duderstadt,2000;Noll,2004;Robles,2009;Schroeder,2010;Southall&Nagel,2003;
Southall,Wells,&Nagel,2005;Ward&Hux,2008).Therefore,theathleticdepartments
46
needtofindwaystoenhancetheuniversityandcommunityaroundthemtocreateand
furtherestablishtheirculture.Allparticipantsinthestudyrecognizedthisasanimportant
strategyforbuildingastrongorganizationalculture.AsCunningham(2016)shared,“I
firmlybelieveathleticsshouldenhancetheuniversity,andtheathleticdepartmentis
somethingthatisawaytobuildasenseofcommunity,asenseofpride,butitisnotthe
mostimportantthingtotheuniversity.”WithBeauregard’s(2016)exampleof
“CommUniverCity,”thereisevidencetosupportthatandthefactthatathleticeventsare
the“frontporchoftheuniversity.”Throughthisevent,15,000membersofthecommunity
areabletocometogetherpriortoafootballgame,andithasbeensuccessfulforover
twentyyearsnow.Communityserviceisanotherwaytoenhancetheconstituentsaround
thedepartment.Ithasbecomeasignificantconceptforthestaffandstudent-athletesat
PurdueandBaylortothepointwherethestudent-athleteshavetakenontheresponsibility
toorganizelargeeventsthatincludeallstudent-athletesandmembersofthestaff.Itisa
wayforteambuildingwithinthedepartmenttoupholdtheculture,butalsoenhancesthe
community.Imageisalsokey,whenitcomestohowO’Brien’sstaffisviewed,andhewants
themtobeknownasfirst-classinthecommunity.TodothatatKansasState,Currie
implementedaplanduringhisfirst60daysonthejobtogetintotheofficesofeverydean
oncampus.Bydoingso,hewasabletounderstandtheuniversityfromadifferent
viewpoint.Formanyoftheacademicstaffmembersanduniversityofficials,itwasthefirst
timeanathleticdirectorhadsetfootintheiroffice.Curriediscussedthetypicalmindsetis
toinviteprofessorstopracticeandshowthemathleticfacilities,butrarelydoathletic
administratorsandcoachesvisittheacademicside.Curriehastakenadifferentapproach
toenhancingtheuniversityandcommunitybytakingathleticstotheuniversity.The
47
athleticdepartmentneedstobeinvolvedinvariousaspectsoftheuniversityand
communitysothatitcanenhancethoseareastofurthershapeitsstrongorganizational
culture.
Conclusion
Asintercollegiateathleticsevolves,collegesanduniversitieswillcontinuetoseek
leadersabletoimplementastrongorganizationalculture.Forsomeathleticdirectorswho
havebeeninthesamedepartment,itisaboutfindingwaystoadaptwiththenew
generationofstudent-athletesandyoungprofessionalstocontinuallymoveforward
towardsachampionshipculture.Thisstudyprovidedsomekeystrategiesthatareeffective
inbuildingastrongorganizationalculturefromleaderswhohavedemonstrated
administrativeexcellenceandtheabilitytodoso.Someofthemhavemadeacareerinone
department,whileothershavemovedtoasmanyasthreedifferentinstitutionsasan
athleticdirector.However,manyofthemseemtoagreeonfourimportantstrategies:
developingstaff,communicatingeffectively,settinggoalsandobjectives,andenhancingthe
universityandcommunity.Notallofthesethingswillbedoneexactlythesame,aseach
athleticdirectoranddepartmentwillimplementthesestrategiesdifferently,butthey
provideaframeworkthatotherscanfollow.Inadditiontothesestrategies,theseleadersin
athleticsfindwaystopersonallyandprofessionallydevelopthroughworkingonpeople
skills,continuingtolearn,andsettingpersonalmissionsandgoals.Thegoalsofthisstudy
wereaccomplishedbydeterminingwhatstrategieswereperceivedtobeeffective,how
athleticdirectorsareimplementingthemwithintheirownathleticdepartment,andwhat
athleticdirectorsdo,personally,tocreatetheirownvisionandproactivebehavior.Inan
areawherethereisminimalresearchonorganizationalculturefromanathletic
48
perspective,thisstudyactedasanopportunitytoconductfurtherresearchstudies.Those
ideasarelistedbelow.
FutureResearch
Thisstudyprovidedagoodframeworkforfutureresearch.Aseachathletic
departmentisunique,thisstudycouldbefurtheredbyincludingmoreathleticdirectors
withintheNCAADivisionIFBS.Whilethiswouldtakemoretimeandresources,itwould
provideadditionaluniqueexperiencesandstrategiesthatarebelievedtobeeffectivein
buildingastrongorganizationalculture.Inaddition,thisstudystrictlyfocusedonDivisionI
FBS,soitispossiblethatthesestrategiesarenoteffectiveforathleticdepartmentsinother
divisions.SoincludingathleticdirectorsfromDivision1FCS,DivisionII,DivisionIII,NAIA,
etc.couldprovidesomedifferingresults.Additionally,onecouldstudythecomparisonsor
contrastsofthestrategiesamongthedifferentdivisions,orevenfootballvs.non-football
schools.Inanattempttogainawholepictureperspective,acasestudyapproachcouldbe
takentoincludesurveysorinterviewsfromstaffmemberswithintheorganizationto
determineifthefindingsaresimilar,andwhetherornotthestaffperceivesthesestrategies
tobeeffective.Hearingdirectlyfromtheathleticdirectorsinthisstudyaddedunique
perspectivestothepreviousresearchandsetsthestageformoredatatobecollectedfrom
thoseinapositionofleadership.
49
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