The Managerial Environment of Physical Activity Education and Competitive Sport

THE MANAGERIAL ENVIRONMENT OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY EDUCATION AND EDUCATIONAL SPORT

Earle F. Zeigler

Ph.D., LL.D., D.Sc., FAAKPE, RDMRO (Hon.)

The University of Western Ontario

London, Ontario, Canada

TRAFFORD

2008 i

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© Copyright 2008 Earle F. Zeigler.

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CONTENTS/CONCEPTUAL INDEX

Preface

The Managerial Environment Of Physical Activity Education And Competitive Sport Section 1 Introduction

Section 2 Present Need For An Ecological Approach

Section 3 The General (External) Environment

Section 4 The Internal (Immediate) Environment

Section 5 Attitudinal Obstacles To Managing Organizational Change

Section 6 Balancing Life’s Conflicting Aspects: A Challenge For The Manager Of Physical Activity Education

Section 7 An Approach To Managerial Decision-Making (Including An Ethical Dimension When Needed

Section 8 Employing Strategic Market Planning In A Physical Activity Education & Recreational Sport Program

Section 9 Observations And Conclusions

Footnotes

References & Bibliography

Bibliographic Addendum

Appendix Questions For Review & Discussion

DEDICATION

To the late Professor Harry M. Johnson, University of Illinois, U-C

Harry was an erudite, cultured person; an outstanding sociologist; and a recognized interpreter and developer of Parsonsian theory

He was a good friend ever ready to share his knowledge and convictions.

He is missed…

PREFACE

The purpose of this book is to help the prospective director or manager of physical activity education and educational sport develop an initial understanding of selected aspects of the organizational environment that he or she will face. Such self-education about both the external and internal aspects of this environment should occur because a managerial revolution occurred in the 20th century, the limits of which we in education today still envision dimly.

True understanding of organizational culture in the related area of the fitness industry in Canada, for example, is in its earliest stages. In the first comprehensive study of its type by Macintosh, he found that organizational culture did significantly impact the attitude and behaviour of client members and staff involved in fitness organization operations (2007, p. iv).

Further, the management of change is an ever-present reality, a social setting being transformed by the steadily increasing importance of ecology as a basic social force. Assessing society’s rate of change that has brought this onrushing development may be literally impossible. However, the onset of so-called postindustrial society has alerted us to the importance of one fact: we must increasingly search for synthesis and consensus because of conflicting demands and trends in our lives. Second wave civilization placed an extremely heavy emphasis on our ability to dismantle problems into their components; it rewarded us less often for the ability to put the pieces back together again (Toffler, 1981, pp. 129-30).

What we need now in all aspects of (Third Wave) life is to put this all in greatly improved and apparent context (Toffler & Toffler, 1994). Today we must do all in our power to eschew obfuscation (i.e., to be clear, concise, and precise in what we say and do). We have so much to deal with that is obsolescent, and which should be viewed simply as excess cultural baggage. This is nowhere more true than in many of the managerial myths that surface time and again in the immediate, on- the-job environment. (An example of this is the dismal myth that the person who assumes the managerial mantle knows best about everything; see Hunt, 1979, p. 19).

Management of physical activity education and educational sport is the professional accompaniment emanating from the ongoing importance of wholesome developmental physical activity in people’s lives. We urgently need the knowledge from onrushing behavioral theory that will help us to understand the managerial structure in an ever more-insightful manner. Question: Is it too much to hope that search committees recommend men and women for managerial posts who are committed to the employment of sound management theory in accord with ethical practice? Further, it is unreasonable to expect that when mistakes are made in manager selection that people will be prepared to rectify an unproductive situation at the first possible legal and ethical moment?

With a truly scientific, but hopefully still sufficiently humanistic approach to management, coupled with an increasing awareness of the social influence of ecology, the managerial team and key associated personnel should seek to develop, employ, and maintain power and influence that lead to the achievement of planned goals. Many people within the organization will be involved in one way or another in assisting with the implementation of the fundamental processes of planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling the operation of the organization. Throughout this series of experiences, it is imperative that good human relations be employed by all through the use of effective and efficient communication techniques. The successful implementation of these various processes is extremely complex, of course. This is why a topflight managerial team is becoming increasingly necessary to move a complex organization ahead.

We must keep in mind that the external environment relates typically to the still broader physical and social environment of the public, semipublic, or private agency that the manager is administering within the society. However, there are now ever-increasing indications that this external environment has now become worldwide in scope. This aspect of the environment therefore needs its own theoretical subdivisions. Also, a manager should plan to assist the larger community (i.e., the external environment) by personally assuming some direct responsibility for society’s welfare over and above his or her own immediate professional task. Now that we are all quite aware of the Tofflers’ concepts (1970; 1981, 1994) of ‘future shock’ and ‘third wave world’—we must be ready for our own collision with the future. The world will never be the same again—but, then, it probably never was.

Earle F. Zeigler

Richmond, BC, Canada

2008

THE MANAGERIAL ENVIRONMENT OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY EDUCATION AND COMPETITIVE SPORT

SECTION 1

INTRODUCTION

In addition to understanding the urgent need for a global ecological approach to all of management, professionals in the field physical activity education and competitive sport need to understand that people tend to (1) have Stone Age minds in the Information Age, and (2) that they find it difficult to change with the times (Nicholson, 2000, p. 17) Further. people need to understand, both generally and specifically, the complete organizational environment in which their enterprises are operating. The former includes such aspects as (1) the community’s value structure, (2) its social organizations, (3) the prevailing power structure, and (4) how resources are provided. The latter involves the sub-environments of climate, suppliers, controllers, advisers, adversaries, and public at large with its multitude of opinions. In this volume. major attention is provided to selected processes within the managerial environment of physical activity education and educational sport.

The general (external) environment that will be discussed here first, therefore, is made up of (1) the organization’s resources, (2) its social organization, (3) the power structure, and (4) the society’s structure of values and norms. These terms or components were originally employed by Gross (1964) and then adapted to a sport and physical activity organization, as well as for physical recreation settings. Later, a comparison will be made of the several analyses made (i.e., those by Gross, Johnson, and Hills, in that order).

Because we are all managers, but to varying degrees, dedicated professionals should continuously show serious concern for the environments of the organizations in which they work. None of us can forget for a moment that there are various social forces in any society strongly impinge on any organization seeking to function within it. Nor can we neglect to work toward a full understanding of the fact that we are dealing with people, human beings who are inescapably unique, and who often exhibit irrational behavior despite the best-laid plans of those who would manage them.

SECTION 2

PRESENT NEED FOR AN ECOLOGICAL APPROACH

Since the late 1960s there has been a steadily increasing emphasis on the subject of ecology. In this monograph the reader will note that the various references extend throughout the second half of the 20th century into the early years of the 21st century. What was first called conservation of natural resources has now been relegated to a subdivision of the larger subject of ecology. Ecology deals with the mutual relations between organisms and their environment. Therefore, all of us in the profession should be aware of the need for an ecological approach to our work. An awareness of the need for such an approach immediately calls our attention directly to the fact that our basic concern is with people involved with organizations of all types that are functioning in natural and culturally influenced environments.

The influence of ecology began to be felt during the 1970s when some scholars in North American society predicted the upcoming clash between ecology and traditional economic theory. This influence and the potential conflict became recognizable and significant during the 1980s. However, little attention was paid to this threatening development by the general population before the 1990s. Even today the large majority of people conduct their lives in a manner that clearly indicates they still do not appreciate the gravity of the situation. Maybe people will finally come to their senses when they are finally confronted by the purported Cree Indian prophecy: When the last tree is cut down, the last fish eaten, and the last stream poisoned, you will realize that you can’t eat money. Mark Twain said it even more succinctly: Humans are the only animals that blush, and need to.

Although this problem has been with us over the centuries, the lack of understanding and appreciation of it by leaders, along with the size of the world’s population and their societal development, never brought the basic issue home to people forcibly. Now the problem is here to stay; so, after having the matter called to my attention in the summer of 1970, I soon decided that it, too, should be considered a persistent problem to the field in the same way as the other five forces of values, politics, nationalism, economics, and religion. No longer, as it has almost always been possible in the past, can we simply move elsewhere to locate another abundant supply of game to hunt, water to drink, or mineral resources to exploit when natural resources are depleted.

Hawley (1986) defined ecology as the field of study that treats the relationships and interactions of human beings and other living organisms with each other and with the natural, or physical environment in which they reside (p. 1). Until the 1970s very few scientists were known as ecologists; they were identified as biologists or zoologists, or perhaps as conservationists. Now many of these scientists have been asked to consider our plight in relation to the environment in a much broader perspective than that in which an experimental scientist typically functions. The outlook for these people must be macroscopic as well as microscopic—and scientists often find it difficult to make this transition in their lives with some unusual in-service experience or outside prodding.

In this theoretical essay, Hawley explains how he developed his thought about human ecology within the broader subject. Recognizing that adaptation is a system phenomenon, he inquires about the individual’s position within developing ecological theory. In summary, he postulates (pp. 4-6) that:

(1) every human being requires access to environment;

(2) interdependence with other human beings is imperative;

(3) the individual is a finite creature in a finite world;

(4) the human possesses an inherent tendency to preserve and expand life to the maximum attainable under prevailing conditions; and, finally,

(5) the intrinsic limitation on the human being’s behavioral variability is indeterminate.

What has happened is that, for a variety of reasons, we can no longer proceed on the assumption that our responsibility is to multiply and replenish the earth in the sense that these words were originally intended. In the past we have been exhorted to both increase the population and develop an economy to cope with the various demands. Now there are more than six billion people on Earth, and approximately five or six babies are being born somewhere in the world every second! It has become starkly obvious to many reflective people that strong attitudes favoring population control must be developed. We continue to see some version of the Malthusian law operative—and its operation may become more massive as time passes. Sadly, from one perspective, this idea still seems valid today, with the only possible checks being war, disease,