Participative management in sport: Coaches views on decision making

Abstract

Implementing participative decision making practices has become increasingly popular amongst organisations. Numerous benefits, including increased morale and job satisfaction, have been associated with the effective implementation of participative decision making. This qualitative study was designed to investigate sport coaches’ views on participative decision making at their respective organisations. Scheduled interviews of between 30 – 40 minutes were conducted and recorded with a sample of nine sport coaches. The issues relating to participative decision making which were addressed included: decision making process, satisfaction with the decision making process, staff involved in decision making, types of decisions, and benefits of participative decision making. Participants suggested that there are many benefits to participative decision making if they or their representatives are involved in the process. One of the ways in which managers in sport organisations can implement participative decision making in their organisation is to move away from the traditional hierarchical structure to one of participative management.