Examining interconnections of preconditions, process and outcomes of collaboration among non-profit sport clubs
(2019) European Association of Sport Management Conference (EASM 2019) — Location: Seville (4.September.2019)
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- Authors
Zintz, Thierry 
- Abstract
- Aim Non-profit sport organizations collaborate to overcome challenges such as resources scarcity or changes of their environment. For example, sport clubs collaborate with like-minded organizations to share infrastructures or acquire knowledge. Although collaboration is a well-studied topic in sport management, limited studies have focused on collaboration among nonprofit sport organizations. Collaborations are commonly described using a three-part approach, namely preconditions, process, and outcomes. While each part has separately attracted considerable research interest, little is known about the links between these different parts. However, examining these interconnections is important to gain knowledge on the effectiveness of collaboration that remains overlooked by the sport management literature. By investigating these interplays, this study aims to fill a gap in the sport collaboration literature. In doing so, this research intends to bring new insights on the reasons of success and failure of collaboration among nonprofit sport clubs. Theoretical Background and Literature Review The preconditions part of the collaboration model refers to characteristics of partner organizations and motivations to collaborate. For instance, six motives that incite sport organizations to collaborate – asymmetry, reciprocity, necessity, legitimacy, efficiency, and stability – are generally highlighted in the literature. The process part refers to mechanisms that contribute to the well-functioning of the collaboration. Thomson and Perry (2006) identified five dimensions constituting this part: governance, administration, mutuality, norms and autonomy. The outcome part includes the impact of collaboration and the effectiveness perceived by the partners. To examine the latter, this study focuses on the subjective evaluation of one partner. The interconnection of these three parts has received some attention in the general literature. Chen (2010) found that the effects of most preconditions on the perceived outcome were mediated by several aspects of the collaboration process as the trust between partners. In the sport context, Misener and Doherty (2013) pointed that “several connections between relationship processes and outcomes were evident and warrant additional research” (p. 146). Hence, based on the above literature, we formulated the following hypotheses: - Preconditions to collaborate are significantly associated with the perceived effectiveness of the collaboration among nonprofit sport clubs (H1). - The collaboration process is significantly associated with the perceived effectiveness of the collaboration among nonprofit sport clubs (H2) - The collaboration process mediates the relationship between the preconditions and the perceived effectiveness of the collaboration among nonprofit sport clubs (H3). Research Design, Methodology and Analysis The data were collected with an online survey between February and April 2019. With the support of sport federations and municipalities, the survey was sent to all 6000 sport clubs from the French-speaking part of Belgium. The survey was distributed to the president or to the most appropriate representative of the sport clubs. In total, n = 641 clubs affirming to collaborate with another club are included in the analysis. This sample represents 56 sport federations. The survey included 41 questions. A five-point Likert scale of 16 preconditions, adapted from Chen (2010), measured the extent to which each precondition influenced the decision to collaborate. The 17-items collaboration scale of Thomson, Perry and Miller (2007) measured the process of collaboration. A five-point Likert scale, derived from Chen (2010), measured the perceived effectiveness of the collaboration. The scales have been translated in French and pretested on a small sample including experts and sport clubs managers. Using IBM SPSS 25, the four-step procedure of Baron and Kenny (1986) will be applied to analyze the data. This method allows testing the mediator effect of a variable on the relationship between an independent variable and a dependent variable. In this paper, the independent variables refer to the motivations to collaborate, whereas the dependent variable refers to the perceived effectiveness of the collaboration. The process of collaboration is the mediator variable between motivations and perceived effectiveness. Results and Discussion Although findings are not yet available, the authors guarantee that they will be available for presentation at EASM Conference in September 2019. Conclusion, Contribution and Implication Theoretically, this study will contribute to the existing body of knowledge on collaboration. Measuring this interconnection through the means of quantitative scales is innovative and partially responds to the calls made by Babiak, Thibault and Willem (2018) to extensively investigate the effectiveness of collaborations in sport. In this way, this paper will help to understand how sport clubs effectively reach their objectives with collaboration. Doing so, this study will also contribute to provide new insights on the specific features of collaborations among sport organizations. Practically, this research will offer to sport clubs an overview of the leverages available to effectively collaborate with like-minded organizations. Notably, our results will offer guidance to sport clubs on how the process of collaboration can mediate the effect of preconditions. In other words, although some sport organizations can be constrained to collaborate, they have a bearing on the effectiveness of the collaboration by the means of management levers.
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Citations
Lefebvre, A., Zeimers, G., & Zintz, T. (2019). Examining interconnections of preconditions, process and outcomes of collaboration among non-profit sport clubs. European Association of Sport Management Conference (EASM 2019), Seville. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/104539