SAM 6280.01: Organizational Behavior and Leadership in Sport
Spring 2014
Dr. Shin
The main objective of this course was to study human behavior within organizational settings at the macro and micro levels. This course explored the theoretical constructs of organizational behavior and examined leadership theories to the effective administration of sport. By taking a look at the structure of sport organizations, we were able to determine the roles that we could take in the organization and the impact that it would have on our effectiveness.
One of my favorite assignments during this class involved accomplishing tasks with a limited amount of resources. Each class was given a set amount of supplies such as scissors, paper, tape and a measuring tape but each group had a different amount of each. Our group for example had four pieces of paper. Our objective for the project was to barter with other organizations but also to attempt to accomplish our tasks with these resources. This exercise spoke volumes for me, as I thought about my graduate assistantship with the Department of Fitness and Recreation. Although our student population has outgrown our facility space and we do not have any fields to play Intramural sports on, we continue to make do with what we have and provide opportunities to the Belmont community.
During the course, we explored our leadership styles as well as a leader in the sport industry. My group chose to examine Tony Dungy and his success as a leader and mentor for so many athletes. Some say that behind every good sports team is a good coach. Many NFL fans consider Tony Dungy one of the greatest to ever coach the game of football. Experts say that from a leadership point of view, Tony’s coaching success can be explained by three factors - he believes in his team, he holds them accountable, and he provides a supportive environment. In his book The Mentor Leader, Tony Dungy explains that mentor leadership is not a new leadership he created, but rather the recognition and exploration of a model he has learned and tried to practice throughout his life. Mentor leadership can be taught and learned, but in order to be absorbed, it must be practiced. This leadership style focuses on developing the strengths of individuals, making people better. In order for mentor leadership to work best, the followers being mentored have to be aware that the mentor leader has a genuine concern for their development and success.
As the Graduate Assistant of Business Operations with the Department of Fitness and Recreation has provided me with the most supervisory experience and leadership responsibility that I’ve had to date. In this role, I am responsible for supervising our facility and 60+ undergraduate and graduate student staff over a variety of positions. Along with supervision, I also lead student training, new employee onboarding, payroll, accounts payable and receivable. Not only has this position pushed me to develop my leadership and supervisory skills, but it has also taught me many new skills in areas that I did not previously have experience. and Over the years and throughout my education, I’ve had the opportunity to serve in a number of different types of leadership roles and positions. These have spanned across supervisory roles where I’ve had employees report to me, and others where I’ve been in a leadership role of an organization or group. Some of these positions have been voted on by organizations with which I’ve been involved and others I have been selected for and groomed for the role. Although I have had roles as a leader, I do not believe it is a title that makes us leaders.
SAM 6010: Sport in Society
Spring 2015
Dr. Baker
This course explored sociological impact of sport nationally in America and internationally in the world with an emphasis on administrators, fans, athletes and coaches. Specifically, it focused on understanding sociological issues unique to sport, recognizing the evolution of current and past controversies, an awareness of how sports and sport participation impact the lives of individuals and groups and learning what is needed to make informed choices as sport managers ourselves to impact our lives and those in our communities. This class opened my eyes to the impact that sports can have on a culture, group of people or entire nation.
To supplement these objectives, we were required to create three presentations on the following three topics: Cause and Effect in Sport, Bridging the Gap in Sport and Nashville’s Sports in Society.
To take a historical view at sports, they have played a large role in social and political societal issues. Jackie Robinson broke racial barriers not only in the MLB, but in society in general. Pat Summit broke many gender barriers by teaching women that they could succeed in a profession largely dominated by males. Michael Orr and the movie The Blind Side which portrays his life leading to his career in the NFL taught that they can find success after difficult upbringings. Lance Armstrong led a movement which greatly impacted cancer research and support for similar causes. Sports and these sport leaders impact society through leadership, hope and community. They have taught us an unmeasurable amount of life lessons about self-discovery, perseverance and the benefit of a helping hand. They have long existed as a means for those from different backgrounds and areas of life to come together and compete or play together as a team. Although we may not realize it, sport managers and administrators have been changing society far longer than we realize.
In Sport in Society, we have looked at society from an international lens, national lens and now a local lens and have observed sports as they have impacted each. At an international level, our group looked at hockey and ice skating and how they have bridged the gap in sports. Hockey has captivated individuals from across many nations, year round and has created such an economic impact that cannot quite be reached by figure skating. However, both sports have successfully bridged social and political barriers during world events and the Olympics between nations that otherwise would not compete or have any interaction. At a national level, we looked at the effect that sport foundations have on society. Sport organizations have long been impacting society through scholarships, foundations and charities which raise money and support those in need. Whether NBA Cares is painting houses and rebuilding a community that cannot afford to rebuild on their own, or the Predators are playing hockey with local children and teaching them the benefit of hard work and positive role models, organizations all across sport have positively brought change to society. At a local level we looked at the impact of Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame and the difference that it has made locally and statewide. Their mission discusses how sports serve society’s highest ideals. “By educating youth, through sports, it promotes the virtues of completion, fair play, friendship, solidarity, mutual understanding and respect for human dignity. These principals are identical with those enshrined in the Olympic Character.” Through recognizing athletes that have positively changed our world, they are bestowing these ideals on children and adults. While all of these are examples of how organizations and well-known athletes and coaches have changed society, can any sport manager be responsible for doing the same?
After reviewing “Sport and Society in the News” on Northeastern University’s website, I was humbled and then saddened to read all of the stories that are changing the world before our eyes. Headlines include the phrases: students stepping up to stop violence, owner would welcome openly gay player and sex abuse scandal are all examples of how society has recently been affected by sports. Although these may not have been led by one individual, one individual publicly speaking out could clearly have altered the outcome of any of these events, either positively or negatively. This course is beneficial for any sport manager to understand the past and appropriately make decisions concerning the future.
Spring 2014
Dr. Shin
The main objective of this course was to study human behavior within organizational settings at the macro and micro levels. This course explored the theoretical constructs of organizational behavior and examined leadership theories to the effective administration of sport. By taking a look at the structure of sport organizations, we were able to determine the roles that we could take in the organization and the impact that it would have on our effectiveness.
One of my favorite assignments during this class involved accomplishing tasks with a limited amount of resources. Each class was given a set amount of supplies such as scissors, paper, tape and a measuring tape but each group had a different amount of each. Our group for example had four pieces of paper. Our objective for the project was to barter with other organizations but also to attempt to accomplish our tasks with these resources. This exercise spoke volumes for me, as I thought about my graduate assistantship with the Department of Fitness and Recreation. Although our student population has outgrown our facility space and we do not have any fields to play Intramural sports on, we continue to make do with what we have and provide opportunities to the Belmont community.
During the course, we explored our leadership styles as well as a leader in the sport industry. My group chose to examine Tony Dungy and his success as a leader and mentor for so many athletes. Some say that behind every good sports team is a good coach. Many NFL fans consider Tony Dungy one of the greatest to ever coach the game of football. Experts say that from a leadership point of view, Tony’s coaching success can be explained by three factors - he believes in his team, he holds them accountable, and he provides a supportive environment. In his book The Mentor Leader, Tony Dungy explains that mentor leadership is not a new leadership he created, but rather the recognition and exploration of a model he has learned and tried to practice throughout his life. Mentor leadership can be taught and learned, but in order to be absorbed, it must be practiced. This leadership style focuses on developing the strengths of individuals, making people better. In order for mentor leadership to work best, the followers being mentored have to be aware that the mentor leader has a genuine concern for their development and success.
As the Graduate Assistant of Business Operations with the Department of Fitness and Recreation has provided me with the most supervisory experience and leadership responsibility that I’ve had to date. In this role, I am responsible for supervising our facility and 60+ undergraduate and graduate student staff over a variety of positions. Along with supervision, I also lead student training, new employee onboarding, payroll, accounts payable and receivable. Not only has this position pushed me to develop my leadership and supervisory skills, but it has also taught me many new skills in areas that I did not previously have experience. and Over the years and throughout my education, I’ve had the opportunity to serve in a number of different types of leadership roles and positions. These have spanned across supervisory roles where I’ve had employees report to me, and others where I’ve been in a leadership role of an organization or group. Some of these positions have been voted on by organizations with which I’ve been involved and others I have been selected for and groomed for the role. Although I have had roles as a leader, I do not believe it is a title that makes us leaders.
SAM 6010: Sport in Society
Spring 2015
Dr. Baker
This course explored sociological impact of sport nationally in America and internationally in the world with an emphasis on administrators, fans, athletes and coaches. Specifically, it focused on understanding sociological issues unique to sport, recognizing the evolution of current and past controversies, an awareness of how sports and sport participation impact the lives of individuals and groups and learning what is needed to make informed choices as sport managers ourselves to impact our lives and those in our communities. This class opened my eyes to the impact that sports can have on a culture, group of people or entire nation.
To supplement these objectives, we were required to create three presentations on the following three topics: Cause and Effect in Sport, Bridging the Gap in Sport and Nashville’s Sports in Society.
To take a historical view at sports, they have played a large role in social and political societal issues. Jackie Robinson broke racial barriers not only in the MLB, but in society in general. Pat Summit broke many gender barriers by teaching women that they could succeed in a profession largely dominated by males. Michael Orr and the movie The Blind Side which portrays his life leading to his career in the NFL taught that they can find success after difficult upbringings. Lance Armstrong led a movement which greatly impacted cancer research and support for similar causes. Sports and these sport leaders impact society through leadership, hope and community. They have taught us an unmeasurable amount of life lessons about self-discovery, perseverance and the benefit of a helping hand. They have long existed as a means for those from different backgrounds and areas of life to come together and compete or play together as a team. Although we may not realize it, sport managers and administrators have been changing society far longer than we realize.
In Sport in Society, we have looked at society from an international lens, national lens and now a local lens and have observed sports as they have impacted each. At an international level, our group looked at hockey and ice skating and how they have bridged the gap in sports. Hockey has captivated individuals from across many nations, year round and has created such an economic impact that cannot quite be reached by figure skating. However, both sports have successfully bridged social and political barriers during world events and the Olympics between nations that otherwise would not compete or have any interaction. At a national level, we looked at the effect that sport foundations have on society. Sport organizations have long been impacting society through scholarships, foundations and charities which raise money and support those in need. Whether NBA Cares is painting houses and rebuilding a community that cannot afford to rebuild on their own, or the Predators are playing hockey with local children and teaching them the benefit of hard work and positive role models, organizations all across sport have positively brought change to society. At a local level we looked at the impact of Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame and the difference that it has made locally and statewide. Their mission discusses how sports serve society’s highest ideals. “By educating youth, through sports, it promotes the virtues of completion, fair play, friendship, solidarity, mutual understanding and respect for human dignity. These principals are identical with those enshrined in the Olympic Character.” Through recognizing athletes that have positively changed our world, they are bestowing these ideals on children and adults. While all of these are examples of how organizations and well-known athletes and coaches have changed society, can any sport manager be responsible for doing the same?
After reviewing “Sport and Society in the News” on Northeastern University’s website, I was humbled and then saddened to read all of the stories that are changing the world before our eyes. Headlines include the phrases: students stepping up to stop violence, owner would welcome openly gay player and sex abuse scandal are all examples of how society has recently been affected by sports. Although these may not have been led by one individual, one individual publicly speaking out could clearly have altered the outcome of any of these events, either positively or negatively. This course is beneficial for any sport manager to understand the past and appropriately make decisions concerning the future.