Emotions in Sport Governance: A research Agenda

Aim and Research Questions The sport environment is characterised by high levels of emotion, most visibly demonstrated through the passion of spectators. Volunteers are attracted to their favourite sport to coach, or administer, or at higher levels in the sport system as non-executive directors in the governance of sport organisations. Stewart and Smith (1999) argued for example, that “Sport has a symbolic significance and emotional intensity that is rarely found in an insurance company, bank, or even a betting shop” (p. 90). This emotional intensity is the focus of this conceptual work, which seeks to examine the potential impact of this emotional intensity of the governance of sport organisations. Theoretical Background and Literature Review Emotions are described by Weiss and Cropanzano (1996) as a mental/cognitive response to an event or entity and influences the way individuals behave and cope in organisations. Unlike other organisational behaviour variables such as personality, attitudes, and beliefs, emotions are dynamic and change rapidly (Ashkanasy, 2003). Emotions can be categorised as positive and negative based on their hedonic tone (pleasant or unpleasant) as well as their functional impact (optimising or dysfunctional) (Hanin, 2000). For several decades, organisational studies were dominated by a rational-cognitive approach and disregarded emotions (Ashkanasy & Humphrey, 2011). Sport and emotion have been studied from multiple perspectives including sociological (Duquin, 2000), psychological (Hanin, 2000), and management (Baier-Fuentes et al., 2020). The sport management literature has predominantly examined emotions from a fan perspective and has recently started to focus on employees. Relevant studies in the field of emotions in the sport workplace relate to employees’ burnout and workaholism (Taylor et al., 2019), team identification leading to commitment and involvement (Swanson & Kent, 2015), emotional significance from group membership (Todd & Kent, 2009), pride leading to satisfaction and performance (Todd & Harris, 2009), psychological capital (Kim et al., 2017; Kim et al., 2019) as well as passion (Anagnostopoulos et al., 2016; Swanson & Kent, 2017); coaches’ emotional labour, burnout and emotional intelligence (Lee, 2019; Lee & Chelladurai, 2018). Yet, there is a relative lack of such research within the realm of sport governance. A need exists to better understand the impact of emotions on sport organisations as social psychology research has highlighted the importance of emotional management for optimal organisational functioning (Wagstaff, 2014). Research has demonstrated that strategic decision-making in organisations is likely to be significantly influenced by the affective states of individual decision-makers (Ashton-James & Ashkanasy, 2008). Emotions matter when board members interact to perform their tasks (Brundin & Nordvist, 2008). Further, the roles of leaders in regulating emotions remains largely unexplored in sport management (Lee & Chelladurai, 2018; Zeimers & Shilbury, 2020). Sport organisations are arenas of bounded emotionality (Mumby & Putnam, 1992) that require further investigation. The passionate nature of sport as a leisure pursuit may well impact sport directors and decision-making perhaps more than other industries. The presence and impact of emotions in organisational settings is pervasive and unavoidable (Ashforth & Humphrey, 1995) and therefore, the role of emotions on sport boards decision-making should be accepted, understood and examined. To advance the current knowledge, this chapter draws on a theoretical multilevel framework of emotion including five levels of analysis: within person, between persons, dyadic interactions, leadership and teams, and organisation-wide (Ashkanasy & Humphrey, 2011). Specific concepts discussed in the scope of governance role include affective events theory, emotional intelligence, emotional labour, emotional contagion, leadership, and emotional climate. Despite a long period of neglect, this chapter indicates future research directions for the study of emotions in sport governance. At the within-person level, within-person emotional variation and affective events are discussed. At the between person’s level, the focus is on the individual differences that influence the experience of affect. It addresses the two most researched variables: trait affect and emotional intelligence. At the interpersonal level, emotional labor between board members is considered. At the group level, two streams are examined within the board: the role of leaders as mood managers and the nexus of emotional intelligence and leadership. Finally, at the organisational level, the framework encompasses the creation of a positive emotional climate where positive emotions are created and sustained across the whole organisation. Conclusion, Contribution and Implication This conceptual piece will contribute to an understanding of the multilevel nature of emotions in sport organisations. Sport provides a unique environment to investigate the ways in which individuals experience and manage emotions. The exploration of emotion is important and is part of a larger picture of board performance and organisational performance. This study addresses call for research in order to better understand the micro-level dynamics of board work.