The role of management skills in the performance of managers of sports organizations in Qom province

Dissertation for Master's degree (M.A)

Treatment:

Sports Management

Abstract of the thesis (including summary, objectives, implementation methods and results obtained):

This research was conducted with the aim of investigating the relationship between competence dimensions and management skills with the performance of sports managers in Qom province. The research method was a descriptive-correlation type of research and was implemented in the field. From the statistical population of 50 sports managers in Qom province, 44 people were evaluated (according to the 360-degree evaluation and collecting the opinions of a subordinate, a superior and a manager of the same rank, a total of 174 people participated in this study). To collect data, a questionnaire of demographic information and a questionnaire of competences and skills of sports managers (Nadrian Jahormi, 2013) and a researcher-made questionnaire for performance evaluation were used. The validity of the questionnaires was confirmed by polling 10 experts and their reliability was confirmed using Cronbach's alpha test (?<0.787). After determining the sample group, the questionnaire was distributed among the relevant people and after completion, it was collected at the site. Pearson's correlation coefficient and hierarchical regression were used to test the research hypotheses at a significance level of ?=0.05. The average age of the respondents was 36.05 years (SD=6.2). The results of Kolmograph-Smirnov test showed that the distribution of data in all variables is normal (p<05). Pearson's correlation test showed that there is a positive and moderate relationship between the body of knowledge and the job performance of managers, and between the personality and behavioral characteristics of managers, personal characteristics and management skills with the job performance of managers, there is a positive and low level relationship. Research)

1-1 Introduction

Today, sports is one of the things that have been brought up in different titles in the world and many groups deal with it in different ways; Some people are professional athletes and some are amateur athletes; There is a group of people who are fans and interested in sports and watching sports programs and competitions, and some of them spend their lives through sports. With the significant increase in the role of sports in the economic, social, cultural, and even political development of countries, progress in the field of sports has become one of the strategic priorities of planners in different countries (Jackson Palmer, 2010). Countries form sports organizations to achieve the benefits of sports. Public and private sports organizations are the foundation of sports in any country, and achieving the lofty goals of sports programs requires the effectiveness of these organizations.

Researchers focused on the qualities, skills and behaviors that are necessary for success in managerial roles, hoping to design human resource management systems to replicate these qualities. Many researchers and organizations have focused on determining the competencies for people who lead others at different levels of the organization (Boyatzis [1], 2006; Lombardo and Eichinger [2], 2001). Competencies are measurable characteristics of people that are related to success at work (Lombardo and Eichinger, 2001). Competence is defined as the basic characteristics of a person that are related to index-oriented effectiveness or superior performance in the job (Spencer and Spencer [3], 1993). In fact, competency is an overarching umbrella that describes what it takes to be successful. For success in any job, a set of competencies is needed.

For years, organizations have sought to create competency models to describe important indicators in a specific job. Empirical research in effective management has provided traits, skills, and behaviors for high performance in managerial roles. But sports organizations are different from many other organizations. This distinction is mainly related to the programs and activities of physical education and sports, which have a wide spread in the society and their own complexities of implementation, and the scope of activities and the complexity of its programs are increasing day by day.. In the same proportion as sports programs and activities expand, sports management also becomes complicated and different types of competencies and skills are needed for management in the field of sports (Nadrian Jahormi, 2018). 

Researchers have used different methods to evaluate competencies and performance, Boyatzis (2006) and Spencer and Spencer (1993) have used behavioral event interviews. Schroeder (1989) and Cockerill (1989) adopted a behavioral observation method and Dulwicks (1998) competency framework is based on 360-degree evaluation (cited in Herlin, 2009). 360-degree feedback is one of the new evaluation systems in leading global organizations, which aims to provide a more correct and realistic evaluation of the performance and capabilities of the appraisees by collecting opinions from different stakeholders. 360 degree evaluation is a type of group evaluation method in which a list of desired competencies is prepared and all the direct and indirect related people in the organization including superiors, colleagues, subordinates and customers are asked to evaluate him based on the determined competencies. The evaluated person also participates in the process as self-evaluation. The results of all evaluations are summarized and feedback is given to the individual in the form of a report (Dehghan, 2019). In Iran, the use of the 360-degree evaluation method in industrial centers has no history of more than a few years, but this issue is a new topic in sports organizations, and implementing this method in a sports environment is rare and perhaps unprecedented. Only Dehghan (1389) used this approach in a research to evaluate the performance of volleyball coaches. According to the mentioned materials, this research seeks to investigate the role of managerial competencies in the performance of sports managers, in which the performance of sports managers has been measured using the 360-degree feedback method. It is impressive. Even with the progress of organizations towards technology, the role of man will remain as a vital and strategic factor in the survival of the organization. The effectiveness of an organization depends on several factors, the most important of which is undoubtedly human power (Nadrian Jahormi, 2018). The use of effective systems for selecting, recruiting, maintaining, evaluating and developing the human resources of organizations naturally has an important and special place. One of the most important factors that are considered in the use of human resources in organizations is the subject of competencies. In the modern view of human resources, human is known as the most key element and resource of the organization, which some call it as the unique asset of the organization. In the past, facilities, equipment, inventories and material and natural resources were considered the capital of an organization (Dehghan, 2009). Today, the organization's capital means the organization's access to knowledge and the ability to employ capable, skilled, talented and motivated people who spend all their energy in the direction of innovation and the realization of the organization's goals. In fact, organizations, including sports organizations, today seek to employ managers with excellent capabilities, whose active participation in business is the source of the organization's growth, development and success. Researchers in the field of management believe that a manager must have a set of competencies to be successful in the organization, so they have compiled competency models for managers to identify and evaluate successful managers. Therefore, competency models have been developed for managers including managers of industrial organizations, managers of commercial organizations, managers of government organizations and managers of service organizations. Bakshaish (1387) designed the competence model of water and sewage managers in his research. Jafar Zanjani, Akbari, and Hari (1388) determined the competencies of university administrators. Nashi Far, Saadat and Masoomzadeh (2009) presented a model for evaluating the capabilities and competencies of managers of the Ministry of Commerce. Zahedi and Sheikh (1389) designed the model of strategic capabilities of middle government managers. Descriptive research method - correlation and field work was conducted.