SPH-T 333 Chapter Notes - Chapter 10: Centrality
• Strategic choice – put together by john child in 1972, typically includes not only the
establishment of structural forms but also the manipulation of environmental features and the
choice of relevant performance standards
• Power – one of the most widespread yet more problematic concepts. Power is not something
we can see in an organization but rather its effects can be clearly felt
• Authority – one form of power, which is formally sanctioned by a sport organization, the power
that accrues to a person because of his or her role within the organization
• Sources of Individual Power
o Legitimate power – the same as authority, this type of power comes from a persons
position and not because of any other special qualities
o Reward power – power that comes from one persons control of another persons
rewards. The larger the reward and the greater the importance of the reward to the
recipient, the more power the person who gives the reward is able to exercise
o Coercive power – power derived from the ability that one person has to punish another
o Referent power – based on an individuals charisma and another persons identification
with this quality
o Expert power – accrues because of a persona special knowledge or skill
• Organizational sources of power
o Control of resources – one of the primary ways a subunit within an organization can
obtain power is the ability of acquiring and controlling resources
o 3 methods to help cope with uncertainty –
▪ Acquiring information about future trends
▪ Absorption – taking action after an event has occurred
▪ Preventing its occurrence
o Centrality – determined by the organizations strategy and the problems it is facing at a
particular time
o Nonsubstitutability – an important means of gaining power for both subunits and
individuals
o Control over decision making – power is gained not only by having input in the decision
process but also through control of the process itself
• Organizational politics – political skills are not easily taught to students or would be managers.
Politics is related to the use of power.
• Coalitions – built when people spend time communicating their views to others, establishing
trust relationships, and building mutual respect
• Hiring outside experts, perhaps a consulting company, is seen as a means of gaining an
ojetie ie
• Networks – established through the formal mechanisms of the sport organization but also
through informal means. Sponsors, peers, subordinates
• Controlling information – a form of political activity that can be used by sport managers to
influence the outcomes of the decision making process within their organization or a decision
concerning their organization
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