Book Review - Strategic and performance management
of Olympic sport organizations
Darlene A. Kluka, USA |
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Chappelet, J-L., & Bayle, E. (2005). Strategic
and performance management of Olympic sport organizations. Champaign,
IL: Human Kinetics.
ISBN 0-7360-5829-X Price: $40.00 USD
As sport increasingly becomes a vehicle for economic, political, cultural
and social change throughout the world, a paradigm shift is occurring
relative to the management of those organizations that are vested with
the responsibility of sport management. The greatest challenge that
sport organization leadership is faced with involves the development
of competent managers, representative of those who participate in sport,
who can not only implement policies and legislation but who can also
provide vision and leadership in yet uncharted areas of sport. Those
in sport leadership positions must understand international sport issues,
strategic management, athlete performance enhancement, sport managerial
performance, marketing, human resources, and ethical decision making.
Attempting to meet the challenge described above, the authors provide
a book with two parts: Part I – Strategic management of Olympic
sport organizations, including the definition of strategic management,
the process of strategic management and its practical tools, the Olympic
system and the new actors in world sport, and cases of strategic approaches
by some Olympic sport organizations; and Part II – Performance
management of Olympic sport organizations, including the definition
of performance management, measuring the performance of Olympic sport
organizations, and steering performance of Olympic sport organizations.
Based upon the MEMOS program*, the authors appear to have written the
first (involving strategy and performance) of several books as MEMOS
manuals.
The Olympic system of governance seems to be well defined in the book,
particularly governance structures involving governmentally funded sport,
the traditional model of nonprofit sport organizations. The authors
present a more contemporary model of sport, referring to new actors
involved in the Olympic system. These involve government, National Olympic
Committees, sponsors, and national media. Also involved are the Olympic
Charter, Organizing Committees for the Olympic Games, National Sport
Federations, clubs, and athletes; international sponsors, international
sport federations, and leagues of athletes or teams.
The authors have presented detailed information about theoretical and
empirical measurement models assessing global performance of organizations
and their applicability for measuring performances of Olympic sport
organizations. They have eloquently detailed research in the area that
should be found meaningful. Examples of statutory performance indicators
are also provided. They have also provided perspectives on the impact
of governance forms on strategic and organizational functioning as well
as the importance of transparency in management.
Unfortunately, the authors chose to include mission statements in Appendix
B that are 3 to 6 years old (1999 – 2002) Those displayed may
not present mission statements that national governing bodies of sport
in the United States hold after the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. The
authors included limited sample strategic plans of other sport organizations
in Appendix A. Strategic plans of Canadian Sport Organizations were
the only ones highlighted by using internet websites. Perhaps it would
have been beneficial to provide websites by region of the world so that
the reader could peruse a variety of strategic plans from different
regions of the world.
This book might be useful as a supplement to university
courses in the area of sport administration or sport management. Those
teaching courses such as sport governance or strategic management of sport
may find the information valuable to augment the existing texts. Those
already in the field of sport management may also benefit from the book,
particularly if it is used to guide workshops or seminars on the topics
of strategy and performance. If the book is used as the foundation for
workshops or seminars, it might prove helpful to provide an activity
supplement that would take the participants through the identification
and formulation of a mission statement, the conductance of a SWOT analysis,
actual definition of organizational goals and the steps needed specifically
to reach them, as well as the evaluation of possible actions that influence
future planning.
* The MEMOS program was begun in 1995 by several European national
Olympic committees, the European Network of Sport Sciences in Higher
Education, several universities and schools of sport, with financial
support of the Socrates program of the European Union and Olympic Solidarity.
The goal of the program was to raise the level of competence of European
sport managers.
Darlene A. Kluka
Grambling State University of Louisiana, USA

http://www.icsspe.org/portal/bulletin-may2005.htm
Book Review - Strategic and performance management
of Olympic sport organizations
Darlene A. Kluka, USA
|