Upper echelons in college sport: the impact of athletic directors on organizational performance and revenues
ISSN: 0307-4358
Article publication date: 4 December 2023
Issue publication date: 26 March 2024
Abstract
Purpose
Using the lens of upper echelons theory, this study examines the degree to which National Collegiate Athletic Association athletic department performance outcomes are associated with the personal characteristics and experiences of the athletic director leading the organization.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors match organizational performance data with athletic director and institutional characteristics to form a robust data set spanning 16 years from the 2003–04 to 2018–19 seasons. The sample contains 811 observations representing 136 unique athletic directors. Fixed effects panel regressions are used to analyze organizational performance and quantile regression is used to analyze organizational revenues.
Findings
The authors fail to uncover statistically significant evidence that athletic director personal characteristics, functional experience and technical experience are associated with organizational performance. Rather, the empirical modeling indicates organizational performance is primarily driven by differentiation in the ability to acquire human capital (i.e. playing talent). The results also indicate that on average, women are more likely to lead lower revenue organizations, however, prior industry-specific technical experience offsets this relationship.
Originality/value
In opposition to upper echelons research in numerous settings, the modeling indicates the personal characteristics and experiences of the organization's lead executive are not an economically relevant determinant of organizational performance. This may indicate college athletics is a boundary condition in the applicability of upper echelons theory.
Keywords
Citation
Skinner, T., Salaga, S. and Juravich, M. (2024), "Upper echelons in college sport: the impact of athletic directors on organizational performance and revenues", Managerial Finance, Vol. 50 No. 4, pp. 811-833. https://doi.org/10.1108/MF-10-2023-0629
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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